At the end of February 2020, the corona pandemic struck Bergamo and its environs, with a terrible force.
For a period, the area had the most deaths in all of Italy, and in the world.
"Biological bomb" is being investigated
The legal process will soon begin, which will try to find possible culprits for things going as badly as they did.
The prosecutor's office in Bergamo is currently investigating, among other things, the Champions League match between Atalanta and Valencia, which was decided on 19 February last year, to see what role it played in the spread of infection.
Bergamo Mayor Giorgio Gori called the quarterfinals a "biological bomb".
The Italian supporters celebrated intensely to say the least after the 4-1 victory, something that is believed to have contributed to the huge spread of infection in northern Italy.
From party to nightmare
Football supporter Alberto Fenaroli describes how life quickly went from euphoria to nightmare.
- We went from a party, to being there and watching the match - and a week later the infection exploded.
When the return match went, we were all trapped in our houses and watched it on TV.
We all have friends and relatives who have become ill.
We heard the ambulances and we saw the pictures of the trucks driving with all the coffins.
It feels so unreal, almost like something in another life, says Alberto Fenaroli.
The relatives' organization is pushing
Luca Fusco is the chairman of the relatives' organization "Noi Denunceremo", which is a driving force in the legal process.
- The prosecutor's office in Bergamo is investigating whether it is possible to establish a connection between the match and the spread of infection.
There is a lot of talk about this match because it was so eye-catching.
There were 40,000 people in the same place and the next day the first covid-infected person was found in Codogno, says Luca Fusco.
How long will it take for this wound in Bergamo, Italy, to heal?
- It will never heal, he says.