The meeting with the judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino when they landed on the island of Asinara to prepare the proceedings of the Palermo maxi-trial against Cosa Nostra . Moments that remain in the memory of those who have explored every corner of a vast territory, between dirt roads and dust, a wild contrast that goes well with the natural beauties and the immense environmental and cultural heritage that Asinara preserves.
Gianmaria Deriu, 63 years of Ittiri, retired prison officer continues to monitor the protected island. At Asinara he has lived there for over forty years now , as the last custodian who tells of the most dangerous prisoners in Italy and the magistrates who fought against them.
Borsellino and Falcone arrived on the island in the summer of 1985, their base was the "Casa Rossa", a guesthouse surrounded by sentinels and guards. “I remember the day when dozens of folders arrived, documents on which to build the practices of the maxi trial – says Deriu – documents arranged in a room on the various shelves. After dinner, the judges locked themselves inside that room and remained there until three in the morning: the smoke was cut into slices".
They worked in a kind of bunker and allowed themselves a few breaks during the day. Remember their kindness and helpfulness. "I was 27 at the time, but only later did we understand the value of these people dedicated day and night to working on those papers" adds the former prison officer. “What I can't forget is the day in which Borsellino asked me who was in charge of the kitchen. A prisoner came towards me and I indicated him, the judge recognized him and immediately asked to replace him with a prison guard, such was the fear of an attack and the need to guarantee maximum security of the operations". Stories also told on the occasion of the visit of Pietro Grasso, former president of the Senate and former magistrate, to the island of Asinara.