Farewell to Agostino 'o pazzo. Antonio Mellino, the reckless motorcyclist who lit up the Neapolitan nights of the 70s, died yesterday at 73 after losing a battle with health problems.
The man who eluded all pursuers, who flew over the cobblestones of the historic center, outrunning police and Carabinieri, has surrendered to the only opponent he could not defeat. The funeral will be held today at 3:00 PM in the Church of San Lorenzo Maggiore in Piazza San Gaetano.
The icon of freedom on two wheels
In the legendary 70s in Naples, "Agostino 'o pazzo" (the crazy Agostino) was an icon and a symbol of the desire for freedom, the desire to race, defying rules and restrictions. The nickname came from his unbridled passion for Giacomo Agostini, the champion who dominated world motorcycling with 15 titles.
But his real name was Antonio Mellino, a street kid who at 14 was already whizzing through the Vittoria tunnel on a Vespa, dreaming of speed and adrenaline.
His fame exploded during the legendary “four nights of Naples”, between 23 and 26 August 1970. Thousands of people descended on the city centre late at night to watch his antics.
Kids climbed lampposts to signal his arrival, and the streets were paralyzed in swastika-like traffic jams. To speed, he would trick his motorcycle, and to avoid it being impounded, he would dodge police officers and checkpoints, darting through alleys and lanes, mocking those who tried to stop him, and the city was with him.
The night of the clashes
But that time, Antonio-Agostino was no longer there; he had holed up because more than seven hundred police officers and carabinieri were waiting for him in the street: they wanted to arrest him for having rigged engines. The Neapolitan people came to his defense, the officers charged, and pandemonium broke out. Stones hit truncheons, tear gas hit cobblestones. The toll was heavy: 56 injured, 59 arrested, 232 detained.
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Instead, he was arrested on September 18th – in a car with friends; on a motorbike, it would have been a feat. The sentence was light because he had no criminal record, but his time at Filangieri made him realize that life is beautiful, as he himself said. Some swear they saw him fly from the second floor of a building on his slightly souped-up Gilera 125, jump off, and escape unharmed, before speeding away as usual.
From Cinecittà to the historic center
His driving skills earned him a career in show business: Umberto Lenzi cast him in "Stress" and "An Ideal Place to Kill," where he played himself. This was followed by Scola's "Maccheroni" and Liliana Cavani's "La Pelle." He met Ornella Muti and Irene Papas, and it is said he had a fling with Agostina Belli, with whom he also appeared in some motorcycle sequences.
He was a stuntman and stuntman in Cinecittà in the 70s, spending three months filming the American production "Warriors of the Lost World." Some say Carlo Verdone was inspired by him for the character in "Troppo forte." He also performed in the circus, with Heller Togni: "I used to jump eleven cars in a row on my motorbike. One time the board I used to jump was too soft, I bounced in the air and fell, piercing my knees. I quit," he said in 2003.
The antique dealer in Piazza Girolamini
After giving birth to four daughters, he became an honest antiques dealer, with shops in the historic center, in the area where he grew up and where he died, in Piazza Girolamini. It was here that he authorized Banksy to create "The Madonna with a Gun," a work that has become a tourist pilgrimage. "I enjoy my job, the people love me, and this square feels like it's mine," he said proudly.
But his passion has accompanied him throughout his life, and his legendary Gilera 125 has always remained under the house: "And who has ever left it? It's under the building. I also have a Kawasaki and a Guzzi 350." Lately, he had become a road safety advocate: "Motorcycling is exciting, but safety is what matters. I tell young people: respect the law, wear a helmet because it can save your life."
Emblem of a Naples where heroes often sided with rebels and scoundrels, his legend has grown over the decades to become a byword: anyone who's good on a motorbike instantly becomes "a new Agostino 'o pazzo." This time, however, the king of Neapolitan nights has stopped racing forever.
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Comments (1)
The life of Agostino 'o pazzo was truly interesting, with many adventures and problems. It's sad that he died, but he left a profound mark on the history of Naples. His exploits will remain in the memory of many.