'La Roma non si discute, si ama': 30 years on from Rascel's death

The actor, songwriter and entertainer died on 2 January 1991. Rascel was an all-round artist but, above all, he was an embodiment of Roman spirit and a prophet of Roma fandom.

He was born on 28 April 1912 in Turin when his parents happened to be on tour in the city. His father was a singer, while his mother a classical dancer. Renato Ranucci grew up in the Borgo district of Roma, just a stone's throw from St Peter’s Basilica.

Even as a child, Renato spent his time dancing, singing and acting. Inspired by a brand of French face powder, he adopted the stage name “Rachel”, later changing it to “Rascel”.

In the 1940s, his light-hearted songs and nursery rhymes were heard all over Italy.

In 1954, together with the playwrights Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovannini, he composed the song “Arrivederci Roma”. The song is known all over the world and paints a beautiful picture of the Italian capital. It expresses Renato Rascel's deep love for Rome.

Roma the city, and Roma the football team.

Brought up in the Borgo district, as a young man he supported the local side Fortitudo and even played in its youth teams. When the club Roma was founded on 7 June 1927, from the merger of Alba-Audace, Fortitudo-Pro Roma and Roman, the young Rascel had no doubts about his loyalties.

He supported Roma and did so in a profound, visceral manner. Always, and no matter what.

On 17 June 1951, on the stage of the Teatro Sistina, he announced that Roma had been relegated from Italy’s top-flight, on the first and only occasion in the club’s history. He said: “Ladies and gentlemen, from this moment on Roma are in Serie B.”

He immediately added the immortal words: “La Roma non si discute, si ama” [‘You don’t question Roma, you love her’].

And Rascel loved Roma through thick and thin. When revealing the most moving memory that bound him to the club, he said: “It was the last day of the Serie B season and the team was playing in Verona. A draw was enough to secure promotion to Serie A. I went, as did thousands of fans, to Piazzale Clodio, where loudspeakers had been set up that were connected to a telephone in direct communication with Verona.

“We followed the game with our hearts in our throats. Towards the end I couldn't take it anymore. I was constantly looking at my watch and counting the minutes and seconds until the end of that ordeal. The final whistle signalled the end of so much anxiety, the end of our time in Serie B and the return to Serie A.

“I remember the outpouring of jubilation that permeated the crowd, as if it had been my doing. Hundreds of fans picked me up, lifted me into the air and carried me in triumph. Everyone was singing the praises of our great Roma team, and I remember shedding tears of joy as the fans hugged me, held me, and carried me on their shoulders. It was magnificent.”

On 15 May 1983, after Roma v Torino, Rascel was seen embracing Paulo Roberto Falcao. One week earlier, at the Marassi in Genoa, Roma secured their Scudetto triumph.

Those moments at the Teatro Sistina were long behind him, but Rascel had not forgotten them. He had seen Roma come into existence and remained steadfast in his love for the team, even in its darkest hour.

He bestowed unto us a phrase that is not only a slogan but a lesson: “La Roma non si discute, si ama.”

Ladies and gentlemen, from this moment on Roma are in Serie B... Ma la Roma non si discute, si ama

- Renato Rascel