Roberto Mantovani: nights, defeats and medals of the Bologna 5 taxi driver

If the cover flaps describe a work more or less well, the thanks pages reveal its backstage with sometimes curious details (someone sooner or later will compile an anthology of the most original “thanks”). An example is the discovery of Roberto Mantovani, the Bologna taxi driver 5 character from the novel Léon by Carlo Lucarelli, who really exists with the same name and the same initials. Indeed, in fiction he only plays “a reduced version of himself”, because in life “he is much more incredible, exceptional and fantastic than I have described him”as well as being with his partner Annabella “one of the nicest, most positive and generous people I know”.

Double thanks because, adds Lucarelli, Mantovani introduced him to the “magical world of taxis” and to discovering “things about Bologna that I didn’t know”. Medal of civic merit, promoter of a fundraiser that yielded more than eight thousand euros to the Bolognese Women’s House to which he also dedicated the livery of the car, Mantovani is active on Twitter and on the radio, telling the stories of the night and his commitment against racism and homophobia (for which he has also suffered death threats). Odd taxi driver in the category, points the finger at the share of colleagues “vulgar and unworthy, defenders of selfish privileges and supporters of ridiculous battles”.

Why did you choose this job?
It is an adventure that turned seven on April 1 last year. I drove a tow truck and when I lost my job, having no specific qualifications, I realized that the most suitable life for me was that of a taxi driver. So I bought a license paying even a little more because I wanted Bologna in the acronym. I was born in this city in ’69 and I’ve always lived there. The more time passes the more I fall in love with it and identify with its values.

Which ones are they?
She is hospitable, generous and smiling. While some large Italian cities harbor a feeling of hatred among themselves, everyone loves Bologna. I’ve never heard of anyone expressing an aversion to her.

Why does he prefer the night shift?
My favorite is from 17 to 5: if I’m fit I work twelve hours in line. The night is better because I’m not bored and I come into contact with a varied humanity that I like to be interested in. There may be customers returning from an emergency room or who have lost everything at Bingo, those who are euphoric or those exhausted when they leave a club. I absorb their moods, I am saddened by the dramas or I am happy with them. Twenty, twenty-five rides a night. An emotional swing. Lucarelli read my stories on Twitter and contacted me, so we became friends and he also helped me raise the money for the Women’s House.

Why is your account @RobertoRedSox?
I am passionate about baseball. On a trip to the United States, I fell in love with the Boston Red Sox because they were the laziest team. Unfortunately I must have been lucky: in 2004, when I started following their events, they started winning again after 86 years.

And you say “unfortunately”?
Because a victory is fine every now and then, but winning too much isn’t nice: you become obnoxious. Defeat reveals greater qualities. There is sadness on leaving the stadium that has immense value. It’s too easy to get attached to winners, but true passion is expressed when your team is struggling. As long as I followed football I always supported Bologna.

The club indulged her enough.
The best years were when you fought until the last day to avoid relegation. For me it was worth more than a Scudetto.

Roberto RedSox also plays baseball.
Those are the times I work during the day. Ours is an amateur team called Bandigas, from bandiga, a dialect word that means a great party with a good meal: a joyful word.

What did he do to deserve a medal of valor from the mayor?
In the pandemic, during the lockdown, I made Bologna 5 available free of charge to the citizens. I delivered clothes to wash, I carried the shopping, I picked up the medicines at the pharmacy for anyone who asked. Every now and then they tried to give me a tip, categorically rejected.

Always?
I confess that I gave in once, to a lady who offered me a bag of tortellini. To refuse them in Bologna is a personal offense.

What is he planning?
Perhaps another initiative for the Women’s House, because cases of violence have increased after the pandemic. Then I’m trying to write a book about the world of taxis. Since I have become a positive symbol of the category, I would like it to improve. In Bologna there is a high-level taxi system in terms of professional and human quality, but this is not the case in all of Italy, indeed we are not even a nationally guided category. Yet we believe we have the strength to support ridiculous battles like the one against the Pos. My colleagues went to the streets to protest against Uber while some cooperatives decided to work together. We suffer from an illogical rejection of modernity, from a mentality that protects even the unpresentable. Proceeding at this rate, the risk is that we will be annihilated by progress.