On Saturday 3 May, the wife of celebrated Italian author Andrea Camilleri, Rosetta Dello Siesto, was laid to rest in Rome.
A funeral service was held at the Church of Cristo Re, where family members paid tribute to her life with affection, humour, and deep emotion.
Rosetta, remembered for her warmth, elegance, and discreet kindness, passed away almost five years after the death of her husband, who was best known as the creator of Inspector Montalbano. The couple shared a life that spanned more than six decades.
During the ceremony, granddaughters Alessandra and Arianna gave a poignant and playful eulogy, imagining Rosetta’s afterlife full of familiar comforts and routines. “Prepare a parking lot for the Volkswagen Beetle, which only she can drive,” they said, “and various little shops where she can go shopping every morning and, as always, lose her wallet, her purse, her phone… only to find them again, as always.”
Above all, they imagined “a double bed for her and Andrea, for the evening, where they will tell each other about their day and have a good laugh before falling asleep.”
The scene painted by her granddaughters reflected the quiet rhythms of Rosetta’s life and the enduring bond she shared with her husband. The priest leading the service echoed this sentiment, describing her as a woman of “generosity, the desire to always do good and in a discreet way,” and underscoring the “great love” that bound her and Andrea “for life”.
A partnership of more than 60 years
Rosetta Dello Siesto and Andrea Camilleri were married in 1957. The couple had three daughters: Andreina, Elisabetta, and Mariolina. They were fiercely private about their personal life, preferring to live quietly in Rome, even as Camilleri’s fame soared in the later stages of his life.
‘There isn’t a line I’ve published that hasn’t been read by her,’ the writer once said.
Camilleri, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 93, was interred at the Cimitero Acattolico (Non-Catholic Cemetery) in Rome. He described the cemetery as “the most beautiful spot in the city.” Following Saturday’s funeral, Rosetta was laid to rest beside him, bringing their lifelong love story full circle.
