Italy has a hero in coastguard Gregorio De Falco, who ordered captain Francesco Schettino to 'get on board' his sinking ship
Italy has been gripped by the tale of two very different men whose contrasting behaviour cuts to the heart of the Costa Concordia disaster.
As millions listened to the recordings, played and replayed on TV and radio news, of coastguard official Gregorio De Falco chastising cruise ship captain Francesco Schettino on the phone, the country discovered a stern hero to hang onto as it groaned at Schettino's apparently backsliding and reckless behaviour.
"De Falco, the voice of duty – 'He is the real Italy'" read a headline on La Repubblica's website after scores of Facebook and Twitter postings complained that Schettino's apparent hit-and-run accident at the helm of the 114,000 tonne cruiser recalled the worst Italian stereotypes.
De Falco's no nonsense condemnation of Schettino's allegedly casual bid to duck off the bridge and leave hundreds of his passengers to fight their way onto lifeboats – shortly after he had slammed the ship into rocks – was a tonic at a time when Italy appears consumed by news of tax dodgers and crooked politicians.
"His decisive tone recalled black and white war films and comic book heroes," La Repubblica enthused as Italy listened enthralled to the bald, grey-bearded coastguard ordering Schettino not to abandon ship.
"Thank heavens that for every Schettino in Italy there is a De Falco," wrote one tweeter, as T-shirts appeared immortalising De Falco's decisive order, "Vada a bordo, Cazzo!", or "Get on board, for fuck's sake!"
It was left to columnist and writer Beppe Severgnini to calm things down, noting that De Falco was just doing his job. "And if normality has become heroic, Italy is in trouble," he wrote.