He works with death, side by side, a daily confrontation with pain, suffering and trauma, in contact with lifeless bodies. The undertaker is not a job like any other. Federica Maddanu, born in 1988 from Baunei, a degree in motor sciences and four children, was born and raised in the family funeral home. «I saw them work and for me it was all normal. After my studies, my father asked me if I would like to help out. I think he brought up the courage to undertake this profession, he has always maintained that there are no jobs for women or men. At the beginning it wasn't easy to feel at ease, I felt the weight of the possible judgment of others. But today I do it with ease, I carry out all the tasks, from office work to washing and dressing the deceased, from transporting the coffin to driving the hearse. Today I say thanks to my father," he says.
He is only 23 when one night in 2011 he finds himself inside the mortuary of the Lanusei hospital. Support, observe, help: the preparation of the body takes place in total naturalness. The undertaker is an almost entirely male profession, even if the female presence has been steadily increasing in recent times. Not in Ogliastra. Federica could be the only woman to hold the professional role in perfect equality with her male colleagues. «In my opinion, a female figure is needed, we have greater attention to detail and sensitivity. You have to treat people with your heart: my goal is for family members to have a beautiful memory of the deceased, it will be the last they will have», he explains.
The trick
He recalls the time when there were just a few days left before giving birth, twins, and he had to rest, but the responsibility of work was too strong a call: «I thought and thought about the fact that the person who died that day would have liked to be made up. Of my own free will I took the make-up kit and ran to her, I also painted her nails. That was right. Once I even applied a fragrant face cream, as if I was caring for a living person, I wanted it to be beautiful. I don't know if I do this because I'm a woman. I care a lot about him, and that his family members recognize him fills me with pride».
