Pompei: Below the Clouds (2025) Movie Script
1
"A cloud rose up.
"It was not clear from which mountain.
"It was found afterwards to be Vesuvius.
"Left unsupported
or slumped under its own weight,
"it blended, spreading.
"Sometimes bright,
sometimes dark and mottled,
"depending on whether
it raised earth or cinders."
With these words,
the Roman writer Pliny the Younger
described in a letter
to the historian Tacitus
the great disaster which,
in August 79 AD,
destroyed some cities in Campania,
including Herculaneum,
Pompeii and Stabiae.
Beautiful. Wonderful coiffure.
The carefully styled coiffure,
of a respectable person.
With your braid,
with your grace,
and with your dust.
FIRE DEPARTMENCome down further.
Squad leader, position one.
Go ahead.
We're entering the tunnel.
Roger that.
See?
There's a wire with a socket.
Later we'll check where the wire goes.
It definitely goes up,
it must be attached to some pole.
Yeah, that's right.
Let's keep going.
Let's see how far we can go.
I'll say go.
Move slowly.
It seems higher than the others.
Carmine, there are some light bulbs
and also a connected socket,
so the tunnel was operative.
A clicker.
They used this to communicate.
- This?
- Yes.
- Like a sort of intercom?
- Yeah, an improvised intercom.
It's still used by tomb robbers,
considering we just found one.
We have to confiscate this.
- Here you can see a piece of wall.
- Do you think it's from Roman times?
Yeah, they destroyed it
digging the tunnel.
They destroyed it.
They destroyed it
digging the tunnel.
This is the probe.
The famous spike they used
to probe the soil.
To gauge the compactness
of the soil.
I can feel it's hollow here.
Better not touch it.
The tomb robbers.
- How's the oxygen level?
- We're below 19%.
Let's go back.
I can feel we're low on oxygen.
- We're short of breath.
- Right.
Squad leader, position one.
We're turning back.
Cause: lack of oxygen.
Roger that.
Prosecutor, this is the detailed map
of all the clandestine sites
we're inspecting.
They didn't spare anything.
How many have we mapped so far?
About twenty.
- And how many have we seized?
- Three.
And what have we found in these sites?
Near Villa Regina
we went down with firefighters
to a depth of nine meters,
and we found
two very long clandestine tunnels.
One of them is over 100 meters.
Inside these tunnels,
we found boxes of medications,
not yet expired.
Evidence that this clandestine site
was still active
at the time of our operation.
These are the areas of interest
in our investigation.
It's a really shocking number,
as if it were an enormous open-cut mine.
Not just Pompeii,
but Torre Annunziata, Boscoreale too,
Boscotrecase, Castellammare di Stabia.
They've dug everywhere.
Fire Department.
I need a hand,
my neighbor's started screaming,
she said tomorrow
she'll beat me to death.
It's been going on for months.
I look the other way,
but she's started to insult me,
"Druggie, cokehead, junkie, whore."
She was climbing over to hit me.
I'm scared, I'm home alone.
What am I to do?
Call emergency, they always pick up.
No, they're not picking up.
I've been trying for three hours.
- I'll put you through. Stay on the line.
- Thank you.
- Police.
- Fire department.
I'm connecting you to a lady,
she's being threatened.
I'll put her through.
If you get cut off,
I've written down her number.
Bye.
Fire Department.
How can I help you?
There's something burning here.
Where? Which district
are you calling from?
Which district are you calling from?
- I don't know.
- You don't know.
Don't play with this line,
it's for emergencies.
Alright?
- Okay.
- Thank you. Bye.
Ma'am, is your door just closed
or is it locked?
You bet it's locked.
If I don't lock it
I'll get robbed.
Would you believe it?
We'll have to break the door down.
No way you gonna break it.
Come in from the balcony.
You wanna bust my door?
You think I can live
with a busted door?
Ma'am, it's not our fault.
You wanna bust my door?
You outta ya minds?
Ma'am.
What is it?
Get a sliding ladder
and come in through the balcony.
No family member has the keys?
My son's locked inside and he's asleep,
I can't get in.
- He won't wake up...
- No.
Are you sure he's in there?
Yeah, 'cause I'm out on the balcony
and I can see him.
You can see him sleeping?
You don't have the keys?
No, he took them to go home.
Give me--
You're drivin' me nuts!
Give me your coordinates.
What are coordinates?
The street number.
Thirty-seven!
Let's play it on lotto.
What's your name?
A 4.2 magnitude earthquake at 3:35am.
A tremor so strong it was felt
in districts in the Vesuvian area,
that is, on the other side of the city.
It's the strongest tremor in recent
months in the Phlegraean Fields,
and in general in the past forty years
in the Neapolitan area.
It was terrifying,
truly a strong tremor.
The bed moved between
the wall and the room.
Everything was moving.
It's very dangerous.
Who knows what will happen!
This is an awful period:
the earthquake, the war...
We don't know what's in store for us.
We haven't slept.
- We can't sleep.
- Even though we're used to it.
I remember
the earthquakes in 1970 and 1980.
I'm no expert, but I feel
something's different this time.
We've suspended all classes.
Citizens associations raise the alarm
about the increasingly
frequent episodes of petty crime
that involve youths in particular.
It's a crime emergency:
youths stabbed,
baby gangs sowing panic
among the citizens...
Fire Department.
Good morning, I'm sorry to bother you,
but has there just been an earthquake?
A lady already called us,
but we don't know anything.
I was scared stiff!
I was cooking a nice rag...
I have stomach troubles,
my head hurts.
- I take a bunch of medicine...
- Don't worry, ma'am.
Between wars and the earthquake,
which death do they want us to die of?
Mamma mia, you're right.
You're very kind. Excuse me
and have a good weekend.
- A good weekend to you too.
- Thank you, goodbye.
Good morning, excuse me,
I imagine you're awake.
Did you feel the earthquake
this morning?
I didn't hear you.
I felt a massive tremor, could it be?
I was on the couch
and I heard: popopopo...
Fire Department.
Hello, some information.
We felt a really strong tremor,
what should we do?
Are you all okay at home?
Yes. I'm with two elderly people.
What should I do?
Right now there's nothing critical.
Is your house damaged?
I don't know, we ran away.
You ran away, okay.
Calm down.
It was horrible, it was really strong.
We also have two elderly people.
What should we do?
For the moment, nothing, don't worry.
Okay.
We're terrified, what's going on?
Is it Vesuvius?
There was panic.
The first tremor was at 5:43am,
the second at 6:00am.
- No, it's not linked to Vesuvius.
- Thank you.
It looks like one of them
tried to get up, tried to escape.
But they weren't able to.
There was lava,
perhaps there was...
It was raining burning ash.
It lasted for at least twenty hours.
- They all died together.
- Poor things.
The ones embracing are back there.
Yes, I can see them.
- Beyond all imagining.
- Terrible.
Truly terrible.
There's also a small child.
Poor little thing.
In Pompeii, at this level,
the last human remains were found.
Plaster casts were taken of them.
Considering the wall also collapsed,
it's likely there was
a pyroclastic flow.
Those who were here didn't have
a chance and died instantly.
They've probably remained buried.
If they're still there,
they'll come out.
They didn't have the time to escape.
If I came all the way here from Japan,
it's because I'm sure
there are more remains.
After all, we've excavated only a part.
They're carbonized, see?
They're carbonized because
when the organism is alive
it assimilates carbon
from the atmosphere.
It breathes and so completes the cycle.
But once it is dead,
the organism stops assimilating carbon
and from that moment on the
carbon-14 isotopes gradually decrease.
So based on when it dies...
We measure the remaining carbon
to establish the age.
- Its half-life.
- Do you know about that?
The time of its half-life
is 5,730 years.
You're prepared! Very good!
Does it die when it is eaten,
gathered or burned?
Basically, it dies when it's gathered
because it stops breathing,
but also when it is eaten,
because not much time elapses.
There's not much difference,
especially considering
the order of magnitude of the time.
It's just a few days' difference.
The hand is lowered
to indicate surrender.
The assault
and the defeat.
The victors and the defeated.
The action is ready.
It's the instant before.
Then...
then the wound.
The leg gives out.
And the hero,
ever so slowly,
falls.
And the blood sprays all over.
Here we're entering eternity.
I've been working here for thirty years,
I know the things and the spirits
of the things that dwell in these places.
They are the roots
of the museum upstairs.
They've been my friends,
my place for many years.
They're all my objects.
Well, mine...
So to speak.
This statue has definitely
been exhibited,
then removed from display
and now waits to return upstairs,
to emerge from the oblivion
it was involuntarily plunged into.
Upstairs, there are
the ones that made it.
These tours with torches are useful
because we see far more detail
than with diffused light.
Indeed, he has a marvelous head.
These curls, the curves,
the apple in his hand.
This is Odysseus
offering the cup to Polyphemus
to make him drink wine.
To get him drunk.
Polyphemus with one eye
in the middle of his forehead.
Uglier than ever.
It probably comes
from the Phlegraean area,
certainly not from Pompeii.
This was removed from display
and never returned, restored.
It's as if these finds
were resting here,
waiting to be exhibited again.
Let's cover her back up.
So the dust doesn't hurt her.
Good morning, Titti.
Francesca,
what do you have to do?
- Math.
- Only math?
- You, Nicoletta?
- History.
Good morning, Titti.
- Are you going to the gym?
- Yes, later.
Place in an oven
preheated to 350 degrees
for 25 minutes, depending on the oven.
Be quiet!
As soon as I leave, you play up!
Napoleon decided to give all the power
to the police again.
Titti, this is all I've studied so far.
I gotta do this one,
not this one.
Start.
Titti, I don't get it.
Pick a book.
Do a summary of it.
- I haven't done it yet.
- Make a rough draft.
A rough draft.
I studied the 3-times table.
Three times zero
equals zero.
Three times one
equals three.
Three times two...
Six.
Three times three...
Eight.
- What does three times three equal?
- Eight.
Three times three?
- I just said.
- What does it equal?
Eight.
- Three times three?
- Doesn't it equal eight?
What does three times three equal?
Neapolitan lasagna,
impossible to resist!
Let's see how to prepare it.
Sweat a clove of garlic
and add the tomato puree,
salt to taste and cook for half
an hour, stirring occasionally.
Soak the bread in water
then squeeze it out,
add the ground meat, an egg,
parmesan cheese and salt.
Combine everything
and form small meatballs.
VICTOR HUGO
LES MISRABLES
Fire Department.
Good evening.
They set fire to the ground,
we can't breathe.
They're calling us from all over Naples,
we're going everywhere.
They're trying to start a fire.
- They've told us.
- Alright.
The police are on their way.
Hurry up because it's mayhem.
We'll call the police immediately.
It's serious.
What's happening, ma'am?
There's a group of teenage boys,
there's a lot of them...
I called the Carabinieri
and they said to call you.
Yes, we'll send them first,
or they'd attack us.
Give me the exact address.
Beautiful.
Here she is.
Lakshmi,
one of the most important finds
made in Pompeii.
She's the Indian Venus.
How did she end up in Pompeii?
We don't know.
We don't know...
if the inhabitant
of this villa in Pompeii
went to the East
and bought it in a market there.
Which is likely.
We don't even know
if it's a statuette,
if it's from a piece of furniture,
or if it was bought
in a Mediterranean market.
Trade with India was flourishing.
Spices and gold flowed in,
precious fabrics.
The notable thing is that
this Pompeian inhabitant
chose Lakshmi, a goddess of fertility,
strongly reminiscent
of something he knew well,
that is Aphrodite,
the Pompeiian Venus,
a Venus of fertility.
He chose something that created
a tie between East and West.
Turn her this way a little.
- Like this?
- Exactly.
I want the statue
to be aligned with the lens.
Come take a look.
- Perfect.
- She's really beautiful.
The pilot card, Captain.
What are you doing now?
In five minutes we'll start unloading.
Okay, thank you.
Bye.
1500 tonnes unloaded
from hold number one.
Ukrainian soft grain.
- We're over the target.
- Yes. Copy that.
Civita Giuliana.
Here's the target.
It's right here.
Prosecutor, watch out for the last step.
We're in the temple,
the last space excavated
by archaeologists.
This was the temple entrance.
Here, as you can see,
the tomb robbers
stripped off yet another fresco.
They stripped off everything,
they took everything away,
there's nothing left.
There were 12 frescoed walls.
Imagine the beauty of this place.
Filled with color,
easily the equal
of the most famous villas of Pompeii.
Imagine these walls all frescoed,
full of colors, of figures,
that held out for 2,000 years,
surviving the eruption
of Vesuvius, numerous earthquakes,
the passage of time,
then all it took was
for a few unscrupulous people
with no respect for history,
to come here and carry everything off.
And in doing so
they obliterated our memory forever.
These tunnels are
really very dangerous.
Yes, narrow, cramped.
Without protection.
There's a veritable "highway"
down here.
They worked undisturbed for years,
in almost impossible conditions,
crouched like sewer rats.
It's mind-boggling.
Rat!
Rat!
There he is.
- Go! Run for it!
- Run where?
Come here, Rat.
Don't be scared, we won't hurt you.
Why are you hiding?
- Are you Carabinieri?
- No.
- Are you scared of the Carabinieri?
- Kind of.
- Why?
- They're always after me.
They're always after you?
Have they ever caught you?
Yes, I've been through
some bad times.
Have there been
tomb robbers for a long time?
- Since the ancient Romans.
- Them too?
Did they rob too?
But they left you something.
You find a few broken pots.
They were obsessed with breaking.
- Why?
- Beats me.
Pretty selfish, eh?
They didn't understand much.
They could have stolen
what they needed
and left the rest here.
It's out of focus.
The focus is here.
Is there a zoom?
It's manual focus, there's no zoom.
It's a fixed focal lens.
Zero, four.
But it's a bit crooked.
Zero, four.
Now then...
Debris flow.
For archaeological research
field work is indispensable,
it's the only way to obtain
appreciable results.
In this place,
until shortly before 79 AD,
there was human life,
so it's possible many finds
may re-emerge like in Pompeii.
We've been excavating
this site for 22 years
and now we're starting
to see results.
Up until that moment
small countries competed for food
and this was
one of the main causes of war.
Then the Roman empire formed,
embracing the whole Mediterranean,
a vast empire
in which approximately
50 million people lived.
So there were
a good 50 million people.
In the Nile area, for example,
grain was produced in abundance,
as it was in present-day Crete
and around present-day Tunisia.
Also in Sicily
they produced a surplus,
while Athens and Rome
were the consumer cities.
There wasn't sufficient food,
so it was transported by sea
from where there was a surplus
to places where it was insufficient.
Transporting food from
those with an abundance of it
to those who didn't have sufficient,
enabled 50 million people
all over the empire to live.
For this reason
peace lasted for many years.
I've always thought
that humanity is divided in two.
I agree with your theory.
For example, a boy of your age
who lives in Germany or America
is different from you
who live in Syria.
His way of thinking
and his problems are different.
But it's not only
a question of geography.
I've always been bugged
by people who say that daily routines
are a pleasure.
My greatest dream is...
- A luxury car?
- No.
- A normal car?
- Not even.
My biggest dream
is to live in a house
in the mountains,
to wake up with a nice cup of coffee,
listening to Fairuz.
I could live happily like that
for 50 years.
- I'm with you, except for Fairuz.
- My dreams are simple.
Enough of the sea, always the sea.
When do we finish unloading?
Tomorrow's our day off,
then we have two days of work
and after that we leave.
There are only two, three days left.
Do you know where we're going?
Yes, to Odessa.
What bum luck.
How many times
have we already been to Odessa?
By now we're used to it.
Odessa is our only destination.
The problem is when you're there,
you see stuff you've never seen before.
But we Syrians are used to these things:
war and bombs.
Our life's like that.
It's not up to us,
where the ship goes, we go.
And now we prepare
the creamy grain filling.
We take 550g of cooked grain.
You buy it at the supermarket.
We put in 200g of milk,
and then 45g of butter.
We place it over medium heat,
stirring from time to time
until the mixture thickens.
Once it's cooled down
we add the grain filling
and mix it
with the creamed ricotta.
Corn is a hard grain,
its kernels are yellow.
They contain starch, protein,
mineral salts and vitamins.
Ways of cooking corn:
corn can be cooked in water,
steamed...
boiled.
roasted and frozen.
Titti, what's the difference
between grain and corn?
They're different
as a crop, as a type.
- How it's grown.
- Exactly.
I'll tell you a story from
when I was five or six years old.
I saw a truck unloading grain.
The truck transported
the grain to the port.
That grain was then ground into flour,
that is used to make bread
and is also used to make pasta.
Very good.
What else do you have to do?
I'll quickly review the vegetables
and then I'll study these.
The interrogative form...
That's what you have to do.
But you haven't done anything yet.
Your friend...
speaks Chinese...
Chinois.
Very often French
is similar to Neapolitan.
For example, how do you say
"tin can" in Neapolitan?
- Tin can.
- No, in Neapolitan.
Buatta.
In French, tin can is bote.
We Neapolitans say buatta.
Your head is an empty buatta. Got it?
Neapolitan has taken a little
from all languages.
Except English, because
they weren't in Naples much.
But French, Arabs, Spanish,
all of them.
Fire Department.
Hello. Has there been an earthquake?
Yes, there has.
Was it Vesuvius
or the Phlegraean Fields?
We haven't been notified yet.
Thank you, goodbye.
Fire Department.
Excuse me, but
has there been an earthquake?
Yes, there was a tremor ten minutes ago.
You could really feel it,
like they were banging a hammer.
3.5, so quite strong.
Thank you. Sorry to bother you.
Not at all, goodbye.
- Will there be another one?
- We have no way of knowing.
- Sir, I wanted to know the time.
- There's an earthquake emergency.
If you just want
to know the time, now it's 00:50am.
- But we need to keep the lines free.
- There's no earthquake here.
- It didn't hit there?
- No.
- Goodbye.
- Thank you.
You're welcome.
Good morning.
I'd like to know what's happening,
because it shook here.
- Where are you calling from?
- From Fuorigrotta.
It seems it was magnitude 3.5.
But here it shook real bad.
3.5 is quite strong.
What should we do?
Should we stay at home?
Yesterday, it seems
there were 50 tremors.
But us residents
of the Phlegraean Fields are done for.
I know.
I'm in Vomero.
There was
an undulatory tremor at 3:45am,
I'd say it was magnitude 4.5 to 5.
What's with all these tremors?
I couldn't say,
these are questions for experts.
Are we in danger?
Are there any risks?
We haven't received any indication.
Alright.
Fire Department.
Good evening, I'm not well.
- There was an earthquake, right?
- Yes, there was a tremor.
Can you see damage to your place?
No, thank God.
My legs are paralyzed.
Do you need an ambulance?
No, thanks.
If I need anything, my son's here.
Sure, you can't prevent an earthquake,
but both Solfatara and Vesuvius
are monitored or not?
Or will they let us die like rats?
Hello?
Hello.
- How are you?
- I miss you. How are you?
I miss you too.
- What's new?
- All good.
Now I'm in Naples, in Italy.
We arrived from Ukraine.
Thank God, here in Naples
it's not dangerous like in Ukraine.
How lovely, Naples!
Are you eating pizza?
No pizza yet.
I was worried because I heard
that they bombed the city
where you were in Ukraine.
Yes, the situation there
was very dangerous and unsafe.
They're bombing non-stop
and some ships get hit.
Thank God nothing happened to you.
- Now you have to go back to Ukraine?
- Yes, in five days.
But Naples is beautiful, it's
a safe city, there's no danger here.
Can't you stay in Naples?
No, we absolutely
have to return to Ukraine.
- Back under the bombs?
- Yes, exactly.
Exactly.
Damn internet.
Hello, can you hear me?
The connection's bad today.
- The main thing is that we can talk.
- How are you?
What's new?
Aboud, tell me everything
before we get cut off.
We're in the mysterious room.
Here at the archaeological museum
they stored all the items found
after the disembowelment of Naples,
but since they didn't distinguish
between archaeological material,
crests from buildings,
it was all piled up and brought here.
In this room,
time is overlapped, mixed,
abandoned.
It's a good metaphor for time
and for the history of mankind.
Time destroys everything,
preserves everything,
and then returns to us
in an unexpected, unforeseen way,
this accumulation of history
preserved here.
Busts, headless busts,
heads on one side,
bodies on the other.
She's certainly modern.
Wrenched from her residence.
They're all wrenched from their contexts.
They look like an army,
like stone soldiers.
An army tossed in here.
The wounded faces, feet, hands.
It's like walking among
so many ex-votos.
There's all the violence of the
disembowelment of Naples,
there's everything.
The Naples that no longer exists.
The disembowelment of Naples.
How much beauty
it has returned to us.
Greek, Roman walls.
This is probably a breach
from the Bourbon era,
an opening created...
- At the time of the Bourbon excavations?
- Yes.
- And this?
- That's a breach made by tomb robbers.
The breach on the vault
of the cryptoporticus.
They lowered themselves
into the crypt using this hole.
Are those the openings?
They're wolf's mouth windows,
from the Roman era.
So: Roman era,
Bourbon era,
modern era.
Yes, Prosecutor.
Truly incredible.
Here's the stable.
The manger was also damaged.
They really persevered at this point.
While excavating they found...
bronze harnesses
and they took parts of them.
So they kept looking
for other bronze harnesses.
We must go on,
free the whole villa
and return it to the community.
It's the only way...
to bring justice to the villa
of Civita Giuliana.
To return it for the enjoyment
of the community.
Down here
there's another seized tunnel.
We can bring you over target number four.
Confirmed.
Let's see this poem for a moment.
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti is one of
the most important exponents of futurism,
that dates back to the early 1900s.
It describes the bombing
of the Turkish city of Adrianople
by the Bulgarians in 1912,
during the war
between these two peoples.
Marinetti was present there
and witnessed the bellicose event.
What does bellicose event mean?
- War.
- Okay.
Jolly and neighs eighs eighs
Pitter patter jingling
Three Bulgarian battalions on the march
Krook kraak (slow two tempos)
Schiumi Maritza or Karvavena
Krook kraak officers' shouts
Rattling like brass plates
Pan here pac there
Ching boom ching chak
Presto cha cha cha chak
Up down there there
Around up high
Watch your head chack beautiful
Flames, flames, flames...
Damn war!
Goddamn it.
Always the same old story.
- Titti, I've finished.
- Correct it first.
- Titti.
- What?
- Will you correct this?
- Sure.
Titti, what's the jitters?
It's fear.
Ready, boss.
Are you still there?
- Yes, I'm here.
- Watch out that it doesn't rain.
Okay.
Now they've moved
from hold five to hold three.
Miss, I'd like to know the time.
Thank you.
It's 11:07.
- Almost 11:10?
- Exactly.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome, have a good day.
It was Mr What's-the-Time.
A regular customer of ours.
- Hello?
- How may I help you?
There's a kitten stuck
under the grate of a store.
Listen, I'll write it down now.
What district are you in?
Naples.
But I don't have any units available.
Animal welfare said to call you.
You were right to call us.
If the cat's stuck, of course,
we have to come.
Good morning.
I have a problem with my sister.
- What's going on?
- My sister weighs 200 kilos.
What's the problem?
She fell out of bed,
we can't lift her.
Aren't there
more than three of you?
There are three of us
but we can't do it.
Is your sister hurt?
Should we call for medical assistance?
- No, she's not hurt.
- Are you sure?
She's fine, she's right here.
She hasn't broken anything.
But we need something
to lift her with.
Unfortunately, we have nothing.
We have no lifting devices
to help her physically.
We use the strength
in our arms, like you.
But at the moment
we don't have any units available.
I don't know when I can send
people to help you.
Can't you round up five people
in your neighborhood?
- The three of us tried.
- It would take five people.
I can send over a unit of five people,
but when they're free.
With this rain today,
all our units are out.
This is a natural basin
that collects water
and here there's a drainage channel.
There's a channel here too.
They may be the original channels
of the ancient theater.
We need to figure out
where the aquifer originates
and where all this water ends up.
Tragedy struck suddenly.
From the peak of Vesuvius
a river of incandescent lava,
lapilli and slag flowed down.
Pompeii was buried six, seven meters deep
under a layer of lapilli and cinders,
that fell directly
from the erupting volcano
or were carried by the wind.
Life in these cities
didn't die out slowly,
but it was abruptly cut off.
We see it again with an immediacy
that is unprecedented
in the history of archaeology.
Now then...
Debris flow.
Deposits...
from the pyroclastic flow.
Photo done.
On 5th October.
Dog, dog...
Dog.
Here he is.
Russian bombing of the port of Odessa
has caused the death
of four young Syrian citizens
between the ages of 18 and 24.
There was damage to ships
transporting grain
and to port infrastructure.
Fire Department.
Hello?
Hello?
Fire Department. Hello?
Good evening, send a patrol
to Portici right now.
My husband's trying to kill me.
I have two small children.
Give me the address.
Turn off the speakerphone.
I'll send the police immediately.
Hello?
Ma'am, the Carabinieri are on their way.
Tell me what the situation is.
Unfortunately, my husband gets drunk
and when he gets home...
Are you alone in the house?
They're small children,
they live in precarious conditions.
There's blood coming out of my mouth
and my eyes are unrecognizable.
He's beaten me up no end.
Is your husband still at home?
Yes, he's here,
you have to come and get him.
The Carabinieri are on their way.
Lock yourself in a room.
Alright?
If you need to, call me back.
If you want to stay on the phone,
I'll keep you company.
You need to get out!
You need to keep your hands off me!
Ma'am, listen to me.
Ma'am, ma'am!
It's useless,
the Carabinieri are on their way!
Ma'am, listen to me,
don't provoke him any further.
Get somewhere safe
with the children.
Alright.
Stay with me on the phone, alright?
I can't take it anymore!
I don't have anyone,
I only have my mom.
I can't take it anymore.
Calm down.
I can't take it anymore!
Call the Carabinieri,
I'll keep the lady on the phone,
while they're on their way.
The Carabinieri, yes.
They've already got the call.
I'll keep her on the phone.
Her husband is still hitting her.
He's insulting me again,
I can't take it.
I just want to be with my kids!
You gotta take this man away!
Just ignore him.
Stay on the phone with me.
The Carabinieri are on their way.
Alright.
My kids love him
because he's their dad...
But I can't take it anymore!
Are the children with you now?
Yes, they're here.
He's calmed down now.
We're getting you arrested!
Lock yourself into a room.
Help is on the way.
I feel like a prisoner.
But it's for my children's sake,
because they love him,
but they go through hell every day.
Don't worry, Mommy's here.
Carabinieri on the scene.
It's like being suspended in time.
Titti, when did you start
reading this book?
A week, ten days ago.
- And you've already finished it?
- I'm on the last few pages.
Les Misrables.
Miserable like you guys.
And who are these miserable people?
It's about the lower classes in Paris.
So it's in France.
Thieves, swindlers...
It's between the end of the 1700s
and the beginning of the 1800s.
So 1790...
The whole arc
from the French revolution
to the Paris Commune.
Which would also be a revolution.
I wouldn't be able to read it,
not even if it were shorter.
Bye Titti, see you on Monday.
Till Monday.
Bye Titti, see you on Monday.
- Have a good weekend.
- Same to you.
Translation by
Susan Adler
"A cloud rose up.
"It was not clear from which mountain.
"It was found afterwards to be Vesuvius.
"Left unsupported
or slumped under its own weight,
"it blended, spreading.
"Sometimes bright,
sometimes dark and mottled,
"depending on whether
it raised earth or cinders."
With these words,
the Roman writer Pliny the Younger
described in a letter
to the historian Tacitus
the great disaster which,
in August 79 AD,
destroyed some cities in Campania,
including Herculaneum,
Pompeii and Stabiae.
Beautiful. Wonderful coiffure.
The carefully styled coiffure,
of a respectable person.
With your braid,
with your grace,
and with your dust.
FIRE DEPARTMENCome down further.
Squad leader, position one.
Go ahead.
We're entering the tunnel.
Roger that.
See?
There's a wire with a socket.
Later we'll check where the wire goes.
It definitely goes up,
it must be attached to some pole.
Yeah, that's right.
Let's keep going.
Let's see how far we can go.
I'll say go.
Move slowly.
It seems higher than the others.
Carmine, there are some light bulbs
and also a connected socket,
so the tunnel was operative.
A clicker.
They used this to communicate.
- This?
- Yes.
- Like a sort of intercom?
- Yeah, an improvised intercom.
It's still used by tomb robbers,
considering we just found one.
We have to confiscate this.
- Here you can see a piece of wall.
- Do you think it's from Roman times?
Yeah, they destroyed it
digging the tunnel.
They destroyed it.
They destroyed it
digging the tunnel.
This is the probe.
The famous spike they used
to probe the soil.
To gauge the compactness
of the soil.
I can feel it's hollow here.
Better not touch it.
The tomb robbers.
- How's the oxygen level?
- We're below 19%.
Let's go back.
I can feel we're low on oxygen.
- We're short of breath.
- Right.
Squad leader, position one.
We're turning back.
Cause: lack of oxygen.
Roger that.
Prosecutor, this is the detailed map
of all the clandestine sites
we're inspecting.
They didn't spare anything.
How many have we mapped so far?
About twenty.
- And how many have we seized?
- Three.
And what have we found in these sites?
Near Villa Regina
we went down with firefighters
to a depth of nine meters,
and we found
two very long clandestine tunnels.
One of them is over 100 meters.
Inside these tunnels,
we found boxes of medications,
not yet expired.
Evidence that this clandestine site
was still active
at the time of our operation.
These are the areas of interest
in our investigation.
It's a really shocking number,
as if it were an enormous open-cut mine.
Not just Pompeii,
but Torre Annunziata, Boscoreale too,
Boscotrecase, Castellammare di Stabia.
They've dug everywhere.
Fire Department.
I need a hand,
my neighbor's started screaming,
she said tomorrow
she'll beat me to death.
It's been going on for months.
I look the other way,
but she's started to insult me,
"Druggie, cokehead, junkie, whore."
She was climbing over to hit me.
I'm scared, I'm home alone.
What am I to do?
Call emergency, they always pick up.
No, they're not picking up.
I've been trying for three hours.
- I'll put you through. Stay on the line.
- Thank you.
- Police.
- Fire department.
I'm connecting you to a lady,
she's being threatened.
I'll put her through.
If you get cut off,
I've written down her number.
Bye.
Fire Department.
How can I help you?
There's something burning here.
Where? Which district
are you calling from?
Which district are you calling from?
- I don't know.
- You don't know.
Don't play with this line,
it's for emergencies.
Alright?
- Okay.
- Thank you. Bye.
Ma'am, is your door just closed
or is it locked?
You bet it's locked.
If I don't lock it
I'll get robbed.
Would you believe it?
We'll have to break the door down.
No way you gonna break it.
Come in from the balcony.
You wanna bust my door?
You think I can live
with a busted door?
Ma'am, it's not our fault.
You wanna bust my door?
You outta ya minds?
Ma'am.
What is it?
Get a sliding ladder
and come in through the balcony.
No family member has the keys?
My son's locked inside and he's asleep,
I can't get in.
- He won't wake up...
- No.
Are you sure he's in there?
Yeah, 'cause I'm out on the balcony
and I can see him.
You can see him sleeping?
You don't have the keys?
No, he took them to go home.
Give me--
You're drivin' me nuts!
Give me your coordinates.
What are coordinates?
The street number.
Thirty-seven!
Let's play it on lotto.
What's your name?
A 4.2 magnitude earthquake at 3:35am.
A tremor so strong it was felt
in districts in the Vesuvian area,
that is, on the other side of the city.
It's the strongest tremor in recent
months in the Phlegraean Fields,
and in general in the past forty years
in the Neapolitan area.
It was terrifying,
truly a strong tremor.
The bed moved between
the wall and the room.
Everything was moving.
It's very dangerous.
Who knows what will happen!
This is an awful period:
the earthquake, the war...
We don't know what's in store for us.
We haven't slept.
- We can't sleep.
- Even though we're used to it.
I remember
the earthquakes in 1970 and 1980.
I'm no expert, but I feel
something's different this time.
We've suspended all classes.
Citizens associations raise the alarm
about the increasingly
frequent episodes of petty crime
that involve youths in particular.
It's a crime emergency:
youths stabbed,
baby gangs sowing panic
among the citizens...
Fire Department.
Good morning, I'm sorry to bother you,
but has there just been an earthquake?
A lady already called us,
but we don't know anything.
I was scared stiff!
I was cooking a nice rag...
I have stomach troubles,
my head hurts.
- I take a bunch of medicine...
- Don't worry, ma'am.
Between wars and the earthquake,
which death do they want us to die of?
Mamma mia, you're right.
You're very kind. Excuse me
and have a good weekend.
- A good weekend to you too.
- Thank you, goodbye.
Good morning, excuse me,
I imagine you're awake.
Did you feel the earthquake
this morning?
I didn't hear you.
I felt a massive tremor, could it be?
I was on the couch
and I heard: popopopo...
Fire Department.
Hello, some information.
We felt a really strong tremor,
what should we do?
Are you all okay at home?
Yes. I'm with two elderly people.
What should I do?
Right now there's nothing critical.
Is your house damaged?
I don't know, we ran away.
You ran away, okay.
Calm down.
It was horrible, it was really strong.
We also have two elderly people.
What should we do?
For the moment, nothing, don't worry.
Okay.
We're terrified, what's going on?
Is it Vesuvius?
There was panic.
The first tremor was at 5:43am,
the second at 6:00am.
- No, it's not linked to Vesuvius.
- Thank you.
It looks like one of them
tried to get up, tried to escape.
But they weren't able to.
There was lava,
perhaps there was...
It was raining burning ash.
It lasted for at least twenty hours.
- They all died together.
- Poor things.
The ones embracing are back there.
Yes, I can see them.
- Beyond all imagining.
- Terrible.
Truly terrible.
There's also a small child.
Poor little thing.
In Pompeii, at this level,
the last human remains were found.
Plaster casts were taken of them.
Considering the wall also collapsed,
it's likely there was
a pyroclastic flow.
Those who were here didn't have
a chance and died instantly.
They've probably remained buried.
If they're still there,
they'll come out.
They didn't have the time to escape.
If I came all the way here from Japan,
it's because I'm sure
there are more remains.
After all, we've excavated only a part.
They're carbonized, see?
They're carbonized because
when the organism is alive
it assimilates carbon
from the atmosphere.
It breathes and so completes the cycle.
But once it is dead,
the organism stops assimilating carbon
and from that moment on the
carbon-14 isotopes gradually decrease.
So based on when it dies...
We measure the remaining carbon
to establish the age.
- Its half-life.
- Do you know about that?
The time of its half-life
is 5,730 years.
You're prepared! Very good!
Does it die when it is eaten,
gathered or burned?
Basically, it dies when it's gathered
because it stops breathing,
but also when it is eaten,
because not much time elapses.
There's not much difference,
especially considering
the order of magnitude of the time.
It's just a few days' difference.
The hand is lowered
to indicate surrender.
The assault
and the defeat.
The victors and the defeated.
The action is ready.
It's the instant before.
Then...
then the wound.
The leg gives out.
And the hero,
ever so slowly,
falls.
And the blood sprays all over.
Here we're entering eternity.
I've been working here for thirty years,
I know the things and the spirits
of the things that dwell in these places.
They are the roots
of the museum upstairs.
They've been my friends,
my place for many years.
They're all my objects.
Well, mine...
So to speak.
This statue has definitely
been exhibited,
then removed from display
and now waits to return upstairs,
to emerge from the oblivion
it was involuntarily plunged into.
Upstairs, there are
the ones that made it.
These tours with torches are useful
because we see far more detail
than with diffused light.
Indeed, he has a marvelous head.
These curls, the curves,
the apple in his hand.
This is Odysseus
offering the cup to Polyphemus
to make him drink wine.
To get him drunk.
Polyphemus with one eye
in the middle of his forehead.
Uglier than ever.
It probably comes
from the Phlegraean area,
certainly not from Pompeii.
This was removed from display
and never returned, restored.
It's as if these finds
were resting here,
waiting to be exhibited again.
Let's cover her back up.
So the dust doesn't hurt her.
Good morning, Titti.
Francesca,
what do you have to do?
- Math.
- Only math?
- You, Nicoletta?
- History.
Good morning, Titti.
- Are you going to the gym?
- Yes, later.
Place in an oven
preheated to 350 degrees
for 25 minutes, depending on the oven.
Be quiet!
As soon as I leave, you play up!
Napoleon decided to give all the power
to the police again.
Titti, this is all I've studied so far.
I gotta do this one,
not this one.
Start.
Titti, I don't get it.
Pick a book.
Do a summary of it.
- I haven't done it yet.
- Make a rough draft.
A rough draft.
I studied the 3-times table.
Three times zero
equals zero.
Three times one
equals three.
Three times two...
Six.
Three times three...
Eight.
- What does three times three equal?
- Eight.
Three times three?
- I just said.
- What does it equal?
Eight.
- Three times three?
- Doesn't it equal eight?
What does three times three equal?
Neapolitan lasagna,
impossible to resist!
Let's see how to prepare it.
Sweat a clove of garlic
and add the tomato puree,
salt to taste and cook for half
an hour, stirring occasionally.
Soak the bread in water
then squeeze it out,
add the ground meat, an egg,
parmesan cheese and salt.
Combine everything
and form small meatballs.
VICTOR HUGO
LES MISRABLES
Fire Department.
Good evening.
They set fire to the ground,
we can't breathe.
They're calling us from all over Naples,
we're going everywhere.
They're trying to start a fire.
- They've told us.
- Alright.
The police are on their way.
Hurry up because it's mayhem.
We'll call the police immediately.
It's serious.
What's happening, ma'am?
There's a group of teenage boys,
there's a lot of them...
I called the Carabinieri
and they said to call you.
Yes, we'll send them first,
or they'd attack us.
Give me the exact address.
Beautiful.
Here she is.
Lakshmi,
one of the most important finds
made in Pompeii.
She's the Indian Venus.
How did she end up in Pompeii?
We don't know.
We don't know...
if the inhabitant
of this villa in Pompeii
went to the East
and bought it in a market there.
Which is likely.
We don't even know
if it's a statuette,
if it's from a piece of furniture,
or if it was bought
in a Mediterranean market.
Trade with India was flourishing.
Spices and gold flowed in,
precious fabrics.
The notable thing is that
this Pompeian inhabitant
chose Lakshmi, a goddess of fertility,
strongly reminiscent
of something he knew well,
that is Aphrodite,
the Pompeiian Venus,
a Venus of fertility.
He chose something that created
a tie between East and West.
Turn her this way a little.
- Like this?
- Exactly.
I want the statue
to be aligned with the lens.
Come take a look.
- Perfect.
- She's really beautiful.
The pilot card, Captain.
What are you doing now?
In five minutes we'll start unloading.
Okay, thank you.
Bye.
1500 tonnes unloaded
from hold number one.
Ukrainian soft grain.
- We're over the target.
- Yes. Copy that.
Civita Giuliana.
Here's the target.
It's right here.
Prosecutor, watch out for the last step.
We're in the temple,
the last space excavated
by archaeologists.
This was the temple entrance.
Here, as you can see,
the tomb robbers
stripped off yet another fresco.
They stripped off everything,
they took everything away,
there's nothing left.
There were 12 frescoed walls.
Imagine the beauty of this place.
Filled with color,
easily the equal
of the most famous villas of Pompeii.
Imagine these walls all frescoed,
full of colors, of figures,
that held out for 2,000 years,
surviving the eruption
of Vesuvius, numerous earthquakes,
the passage of time,
then all it took was
for a few unscrupulous people
with no respect for history,
to come here and carry everything off.
And in doing so
they obliterated our memory forever.
These tunnels are
really very dangerous.
Yes, narrow, cramped.
Without protection.
There's a veritable "highway"
down here.
They worked undisturbed for years,
in almost impossible conditions,
crouched like sewer rats.
It's mind-boggling.
Rat!
Rat!
There he is.
- Go! Run for it!
- Run where?
Come here, Rat.
Don't be scared, we won't hurt you.
Why are you hiding?
- Are you Carabinieri?
- No.
- Are you scared of the Carabinieri?
- Kind of.
- Why?
- They're always after me.
They're always after you?
Have they ever caught you?
Yes, I've been through
some bad times.
Have there been
tomb robbers for a long time?
- Since the ancient Romans.
- Them too?
Did they rob too?
But they left you something.
You find a few broken pots.
They were obsessed with breaking.
- Why?
- Beats me.
Pretty selfish, eh?
They didn't understand much.
They could have stolen
what they needed
and left the rest here.
It's out of focus.
The focus is here.
Is there a zoom?
It's manual focus, there's no zoom.
It's a fixed focal lens.
Zero, four.
But it's a bit crooked.
Zero, four.
Now then...
Debris flow.
For archaeological research
field work is indispensable,
it's the only way to obtain
appreciable results.
In this place,
until shortly before 79 AD,
there was human life,
so it's possible many finds
may re-emerge like in Pompeii.
We've been excavating
this site for 22 years
and now we're starting
to see results.
Up until that moment
small countries competed for food
and this was
one of the main causes of war.
Then the Roman empire formed,
embracing the whole Mediterranean,
a vast empire
in which approximately
50 million people lived.
So there were
a good 50 million people.
In the Nile area, for example,
grain was produced in abundance,
as it was in present-day Crete
and around present-day Tunisia.
Also in Sicily
they produced a surplus,
while Athens and Rome
were the consumer cities.
There wasn't sufficient food,
so it was transported by sea
from where there was a surplus
to places where it was insufficient.
Transporting food from
those with an abundance of it
to those who didn't have sufficient,
enabled 50 million people
all over the empire to live.
For this reason
peace lasted for many years.
I've always thought
that humanity is divided in two.
I agree with your theory.
For example, a boy of your age
who lives in Germany or America
is different from you
who live in Syria.
His way of thinking
and his problems are different.
But it's not only
a question of geography.
I've always been bugged
by people who say that daily routines
are a pleasure.
My greatest dream is...
- A luxury car?
- No.
- A normal car?
- Not even.
My biggest dream
is to live in a house
in the mountains,
to wake up with a nice cup of coffee,
listening to Fairuz.
I could live happily like that
for 50 years.
- I'm with you, except for Fairuz.
- My dreams are simple.
Enough of the sea, always the sea.
When do we finish unloading?
Tomorrow's our day off,
then we have two days of work
and after that we leave.
There are only two, three days left.
Do you know where we're going?
Yes, to Odessa.
What bum luck.
How many times
have we already been to Odessa?
By now we're used to it.
Odessa is our only destination.
The problem is when you're there,
you see stuff you've never seen before.
But we Syrians are used to these things:
war and bombs.
Our life's like that.
It's not up to us,
where the ship goes, we go.
And now we prepare
the creamy grain filling.
We take 550g of cooked grain.
You buy it at the supermarket.
We put in 200g of milk,
and then 45g of butter.
We place it over medium heat,
stirring from time to time
until the mixture thickens.
Once it's cooled down
we add the grain filling
and mix it
with the creamed ricotta.
Corn is a hard grain,
its kernels are yellow.
They contain starch, protein,
mineral salts and vitamins.
Ways of cooking corn:
corn can be cooked in water,
steamed...
boiled.
roasted and frozen.
Titti, what's the difference
between grain and corn?
They're different
as a crop, as a type.
- How it's grown.
- Exactly.
I'll tell you a story from
when I was five or six years old.
I saw a truck unloading grain.
The truck transported
the grain to the port.
That grain was then ground into flour,
that is used to make bread
and is also used to make pasta.
Very good.
What else do you have to do?
I'll quickly review the vegetables
and then I'll study these.
The interrogative form...
That's what you have to do.
But you haven't done anything yet.
Your friend...
speaks Chinese...
Chinois.
Very often French
is similar to Neapolitan.
For example, how do you say
"tin can" in Neapolitan?
- Tin can.
- No, in Neapolitan.
Buatta.
In French, tin can is bote.
We Neapolitans say buatta.
Your head is an empty buatta. Got it?
Neapolitan has taken a little
from all languages.
Except English, because
they weren't in Naples much.
But French, Arabs, Spanish,
all of them.
Fire Department.
Hello. Has there been an earthquake?
Yes, there has.
Was it Vesuvius
or the Phlegraean Fields?
We haven't been notified yet.
Thank you, goodbye.
Fire Department.
Excuse me, but
has there been an earthquake?
Yes, there was a tremor ten minutes ago.
You could really feel it,
like they were banging a hammer.
3.5, so quite strong.
Thank you. Sorry to bother you.
Not at all, goodbye.
- Will there be another one?
- We have no way of knowing.
- Sir, I wanted to know the time.
- There's an earthquake emergency.
If you just want
to know the time, now it's 00:50am.
- But we need to keep the lines free.
- There's no earthquake here.
- It didn't hit there?
- No.
- Goodbye.
- Thank you.
You're welcome.
Good morning.
I'd like to know what's happening,
because it shook here.
- Where are you calling from?
- From Fuorigrotta.
It seems it was magnitude 3.5.
But here it shook real bad.
3.5 is quite strong.
What should we do?
Should we stay at home?
Yesterday, it seems
there were 50 tremors.
But us residents
of the Phlegraean Fields are done for.
I know.
I'm in Vomero.
There was
an undulatory tremor at 3:45am,
I'd say it was magnitude 4.5 to 5.
What's with all these tremors?
I couldn't say,
these are questions for experts.
Are we in danger?
Are there any risks?
We haven't received any indication.
Alright.
Fire Department.
Good evening, I'm not well.
- There was an earthquake, right?
- Yes, there was a tremor.
Can you see damage to your place?
No, thank God.
My legs are paralyzed.
Do you need an ambulance?
No, thanks.
If I need anything, my son's here.
Sure, you can't prevent an earthquake,
but both Solfatara and Vesuvius
are monitored or not?
Or will they let us die like rats?
Hello?
Hello.
- How are you?
- I miss you. How are you?
I miss you too.
- What's new?
- All good.
Now I'm in Naples, in Italy.
We arrived from Ukraine.
Thank God, here in Naples
it's not dangerous like in Ukraine.
How lovely, Naples!
Are you eating pizza?
No pizza yet.
I was worried because I heard
that they bombed the city
where you were in Ukraine.
Yes, the situation there
was very dangerous and unsafe.
They're bombing non-stop
and some ships get hit.
Thank God nothing happened to you.
- Now you have to go back to Ukraine?
- Yes, in five days.
But Naples is beautiful, it's
a safe city, there's no danger here.
Can't you stay in Naples?
No, we absolutely
have to return to Ukraine.
- Back under the bombs?
- Yes, exactly.
Exactly.
Damn internet.
Hello, can you hear me?
The connection's bad today.
- The main thing is that we can talk.
- How are you?
What's new?
Aboud, tell me everything
before we get cut off.
We're in the mysterious room.
Here at the archaeological museum
they stored all the items found
after the disembowelment of Naples,
but since they didn't distinguish
between archaeological material,
crests from buildings,
it was all piled up and brought here.
In this room,
time is overlapped, mixed,
abandoned.
It's a good metaphor for time
and for the history of mankind.
Time destroys everything,
preserves everything,
and then returns to us
in an unexpected, unforeseen way,
this accumulation of history
preserved here.
Busts, headless busts,
heads on one side,
bodies on the other.
She's certainly modern.
Wrenched from her residence.
They're all wrenched from their contexts.
They look like an army,
like stone soldiers.
An army tossed in here.
The wounded faces, feet, hands.
It's like walking among
so many ex-votos.
There's all the violence of the
disembowelment of Naples,
there's everything.
The Naples that no longer exists.
The disembowelment of Naples.
How much beauty
it has returned to us.
Greek, Roman walls.
This is probably a breach
from the Bourbon era,
an opening created...
- At the time of the Bourbon excavations?
- Yes.
- And this?
- That's a breach made by tomb robbers.
The breach on the vault
of the cryptoporticus.
They lowered themselves
into the crypt using this hole.
Are those the openings?
They're wolf's mouth windows,
from the Roman era.
So: Roman era,
Bourbon era,
modern era.
Yes, Prosecutor.
Truly incredible.
Here's the stable.
The manger was also damaged.
They really persevered at this point.
While excavating they found...
bronze harnesses
and they took parts of them.
So they kept looking
for other bronze harnesses.
We must go on,
free the whole villa
and return it to the community.
It's the only way...
to bring justice to the villa
of Civita Giuliana.
To return it for the enjoyment
of the community.
Down here
there's another seized tunnel.
We can bring you over target number four.
Confirmed.
Let's see this poem for a moment.
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti is one of
the most important exponents of futurism,
that dates back to the early 1900s.
It describes the bombing
of the Turkish city of Adrianople
by the Bulgarians in 1912,
during the war
between these two peoples.
Marinetti was present there
and witnessed the bellicose event.
What does bellicose event mean?
- War.
- Okay.
Jolly and neighs eighs eighs
Pitter patter jingling
Three Bulgarian battalions on the march
Krook kraak (slow two tempos)
Schiumi Maritza or Karvavena
Krook kraak officers' shouts
Rattling like brass plates
Pan here pac there
Ching boom ching chak
Presto cha cha cha chak
Up down there there
Around up high
Watch your head chack beautiful
Flames, flames, flames...
Damn war!
Goddamn it.
Always the same old story.
- Titti, I've finished.
- Correct it first.
- Titti.
- What?
- Will you correct this?
- Sure.
Titti, what's the jitters?
It's fear.
Ready, boss.
Are you still there?
- Yes, I'm here.
- Watch out that it doesn't rain.
Okay.
Now they've moved
from hold five to hold three.
Miss, I'd like to know the time.
Thank you.
It's 11:07.
- Almost 11:10?
- Exactly.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome, have a good day.
It was Mr What's-the-Time.
A regular customer of ours.
- Hello?
- How may I help you?
There's a kitten stuck
under the grate of a store.
Listen, I'll write it down now.
What district are you in?
Naples.
But I don't have any units available.
Animal welfare said to call you.
You were right to call us.
If the cat's stuck, of course,
we have to come.
Good morning.
I have a problem with my sister.
- What's going on?
- My sister weighs 200 kilos.
What's the problem?
She fell out of bed,
we can't lift her.
Aren't there
more than three of you?
There are three of us
but we can't do it.
Is your sister hurt?
Should we call for medical assistance?
- No, she's not hurt.
- Are you sure?
She's fine, she's right here.
She hasn't broken anything.
But we need something
to lift her with.
Unfortunately, we have nothing.
We have no lifting devices
to help her physically.
We use the strength
in our arms, like you.
But at the moment
we don't have any units available.
I don't know when I can send
people to help you.
Can't you round up five people
in your neighborhood?
- The three of us tried.
- It would take five people.
I can send over a unit of five people,
but when they're free.
With this rain today,
all our units are out.
This is a natural basin
that collects water
and here there's a drainage channel.
There's a channel here too.
They may be the original channels
of the ancient theater.
We need to figure out
where the aquifer originates
and where all this water ends up.
Tragedy struck suddenly.
From the peak of Vesuvius
a river of incandescent lava,
lapilli and slag flowed down.
Pompeii was buried six, seven meters deep
under a layer of lapilli and cinders,
that fell directly
from the erupting volcano
or were carried by the wind.
Life in these cities
didn't die out slowly,
but it was abruptly cut off.
We see it again with an immediacy
that is unprecedented
in the history of archaeology.
Now then...
Debris flow.
Deposits...
from the pyroclastic flow.
Photo done.
On 5th October.
Dog, dog...
Dog.
Here he is.
Russian bombing of the port of Odessa
has caused the death
of four young Syrian citizens
between the ages of 18 and 24.
There was damage to ships
transporting grain
and to port infrastructure.
Fire Department.
Hello?
Hello?
Fire Department. Hello?
Good evening, send a patrol
to Portici right now.
My husband's trying to kill me.
I have two small children.
Give me the address.
Turn off the speakerphone.
I'll send the police immediately.
Hello?
Ma'am, the Carabinieri are on their way.
Tell me what the situation is.
Unfortunately, my husband gets drunk
and when he gets home...
Are you alone in the house?
They're small children,
they live in precarious conditions.
There's blood coming out of my mouth
and my eyes are unrecognizable.
He's beaten me up no end.
Is your husband still at home?
Yes, he's here,
you have to come and get him.
The Carabinieri are on their way.
Lock yourself in a room.
Alright?
If you need to, call me back.
If you want to stay on the phone,
I'll keep you company.
You need to get out!
You need to keep your hands off me!
Ma'am, listen to me.
Ma'am, ma'am!
It's useless,
the Carabinieri are on their way!
Ma'am, listen to me,
don't provoke him any further.
Get somewhere safe
with the children.
Alright.
Stay with me on the phone, alright?
I can't take it anymore!
I don't have anyone,
I only have my mom.
I can't take it anymore.
Calm down.
I can't take it anymore!
Call the Carabinieri,
I'll keep the lady on the phone,
while they're on their way.
The Carabinieri, yes.
They've already got the call.
I'll keep her on the phone.
Her husband is still hitting her.
He's insulting me again,
I can't take it.
I just want to be with my kids!
You gotta take this man away!
Just ignore him.
Stay on the phone with me.
The Carabinieri are on their way.
Alright.
My kids love him
because he's their dad...
But I can't take it anymore!
Are the children with you now?
Yes, they're here.
He's calmed down now.
We're getting you arrested!
Lock yourself into a room.
Help is on the way.
I feel like a prisoner.
But it's for my children's sake,
because they love him,
but they go through hell every day.
Don't worry, Mommy's here.
Carabinieri on the scene.
It's like being suspended in time.
Titti, when did you start
reading this book?
A week, ten days ago.
- And you've already finished it?
- I'm on the last few pages.
Les Misrables.
Miserable like you guys.
And who are these miserable people?
It's about the lower classes in Paris.
So it's in France.
Thieves, swindlers...
It's between the end of the 1700s
and the beginning of the 1800s.
So 1790...
The whole arc
from the French revolution
to the Paris Commune.
Which would also be a revolution.
I wouldn't be able to read it,
not even if it were shorter.
Bye Titti, see you on Monday.
Till Monday.
Bye Titti, see you on Monday.
- Have a good weekend.
- Same to you.
Translation by
Susan Adler