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Swapping crime for culture

Dany MitzmanOctober 12, 2013

Gaetano di Vaio spent much of his life in and out of prison, ending up in Italy’s notorious Poggioreale jail. Known as the "University of Crime," the high security prison did indeed turn out to be an education for di Vaio, but not in the way he expected. Now the former career criminal is earning acclaim as a film producer.

https://p.dw.com/p/19yDI

Usually reserved for the most serious criminals and renowned for its volume of Mafiosi detainees, in Poggioreale, di Vaio found himself in a cell with a man who was later proved to be innocent. Di Vaio’s cell mate sparked in him an interest in culture which was to become a turning point for a new life away from crime.

On his release, di Vaio set up a refreshment stall in a temporary Roma camp to make ends meet. Gradually he became a part of their community, learning their language and eventually writing a screenplay about their life in the camp. Since then, di Vaio has continued to develop his career as a film producer and writer, and published an autobiography earlier this year.

Until recently, Di Vaio had lost contact with his former cell mate, but a lucky coincidence reunited the film producer with the man who first set him on the road to success.