Earlier this month Italy marked the 40th anniversary of the death of Alfredino Rampi, the little boy who died more than 60 hours after falling down an artesian well in the Roman countryside. Despite the passing of four decades, the story still brings a shudder to Italians old enough to remember the tragedy in Vermicino.

In June 1981 the nation was gripped by the desperate race to save Alfredino, with the failed rescue attempt watched by up to 21 million Italians in an 18-hour live television broadcast. That painful memory will be reignited again with Alfredino: Una Storia Italiana, the first TV docu-drama made about the tragic story.