ROBERTO TESTA HAS HIS WORK CUT OUT. As one of the men charged with the personal safety of Italy’s social and political elite, in a country with endemic corruption, organised crime, economic instability and a history of political kidnappings and assassinations, he lives in a state of constant alert.
During shifts that last up to 14 hours, he is a ghost at his client’s side, silently gathering intel, pre-empting threats and planning escape routes. “Even during the moments of waiting, you cannot lower your guard,” he says.
A former commando in Italy’s equivalent of the SAS, Testa is in his fifties – the best bodyguards, he claims, draw on decades of tactical experience. But with that knowledge come stiff joints and old wounds. So Testa and his team use tactical…
