Cesare Bocci, unique energy in Israel, a life experience

“Whether you believe in a God or not, there is a particular energy in Israel. For me this trip was above all a life experience, an enrichment, but I also feel a strong responsibility towards the public, who he has always appreciated us”: this is how Cesare Bocci tells ANSA of his human and professional commitment for the episode-event “La Terra di Gerusalemme”, created for the program “Journey into the Great Beauty” in view of Christmas and broadcast on Sunday 18 December in prime time on Canale 5. “It was truly a special job, it is the first time that we have gone abroad for the program and for me it is also the first time that I have gone to Israel, a country at the crossroads of cultures, religions, peoples A land that has bewildered me, so complex from a political point of view, but wonderful for its history, art, architecture”, continues the conductor, who has been busy in the theater these days with the rehearsals of “The Son” by Florian Zeller, translation and direction Piero Maccarinelli, on stage from January, and that on December 29 will be in prime time on Rai1 with “An uncomfortable legacy”, a film from the “Provided it ends well” cycle. “I was struck by the gloomy churches and the shocking light of the desert, and in the Holy Sepulcher the continuous succession of religious functions, for Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Apostolic Armenians”, says Bocci again, who for this episode (an RTI production, written by Raffaella Soleri, with the collaboration of Silvia Ladisa and the editorial consultancy of Marcello Fidanzio) filmed last July, he had his daughter Mia with him as an assistant. “In sacred places I expected silence, like the one there is in St. Peter’s”, continues the actor, “instead our way of understanding spirituality does not exist there: everyone prays but in freedom, at the Wailing Wall there is it was those who cried, those who were more radical and even those who took selfies. But the power of places is incredible”. In this journey of discovery, even human, Jerusalem, the golden city, poised between tradition and modernity, holy for Jews, Muslims and Christians, represents the fulcrum and at the same time the emblem of the contradictions of a land that is undoubtedly complex, but blessed with unparalleled beauty. And the public will see a lot of beauty in this special itinerary, in two hours of pure wonder and intelligent disclosure: the Fortress of Masada, Qumran and the Dead Sea; the Temple Mount, the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock; the Holy Sepulchre, even in the quiet of the night; the Grotto of Bethlehem and Galilee; the Western Wall and its tunnel; the Old Town and alleys of the Suk, all places enhanced by latest generation shooting techniques, particularly effective for offering privileged observation points and revealing rare or never-before-seen glimpses. Is there any place that most impressed you? “The Holy Sepulchre, with its enormous flow of people, and the privilege of being able to enter the tiny crypt, thanks to the intercession of a Greek-Orthodox guardian”, continues Bocci, “obviously the Wailing Wall and the Esplanade of the Mosques , incredible places, but also a Koranic school in the city center full of children listening to music, from the Ballo del qua qua to the Maneskins”. After Perfect Strangers on Rai3, what was it like going back to work with his daughter, who this time remained behind the scenes? “I feel good with her, the experience on Rai3 was wonderful but also full of concern for me because Mia was her first time. I wanted to protect her but she knows how to protect herself, and her preparation surprised me. Now after the degree is studying to become an actress and who knows if we will meet again”, says Bocci. Her next projects? “On January 19 we will make our national premiere at the Teatro Goldoni in Venice with Il figli, part of the trilogy by Florian Zeller, directed by Maccarinelli. Then from January 25 we will be at the Parioli in Rome and we will continue the tour until March”, he explains, “in the next few months I will be at the cinema with the film Nina dei lupi, directed by Antonio, which I have just finished shooting, while on December 29 I will be on Rai1 with Una scomoda patrimony: Euridice Axen and Chiara Francini act with me and I will speak with an accent Sardinian, after all my character is called Lussurgiu and the fiction is set in Carloforte”. (HANDLE).