Character Relationship Map: The Assisi Underground

Characters

• Padre Rufino (played by Ben Cross) — protagonist

  A Franciscan priest in Assisi, Rufino is the central figure in the effort to rescue Italian Jews after the Nazi occupation begins in 1943. Asked by Bishop Nicolini to help, he hides people in monaster...

• Bishop Nicolini (played by James Mason) — supporting

  The bishop of Assisi, Nicolini asks Franciscan priest Rufino to covertly rescue Italian Jews from the Nazis. His appeal sets the rescue effort in motion, with Rufino arranging shelter and disguises in...

• Mother Giuseppina (played by Irene Papas) — supporting
• Col. Müller (played by Maximilian Schell) — supporting

  A German colonel in Assisi during the occupation, Müller is associated with the Wehrmacht command structure. In a pivotal episode, a German colonel uses his influence with the district’s Wehrmacht gen...

• Capt. von Velden (played by Karlheinz Hackl) — supporting
• Paolo Josza (played by Paolo Malco) — supporting
• Col. Gay (played by Giancarlo Prete) — supporting
• General Bremer (played by Tom Felleghy) — supporting
• Vito (played by Maurice Poli) — supporting
• Luigi Brizzi (played by Riccardo Cucciolla) — supporting
• Cardinal Della Costa (played by Edmund Purdom) — supporting
• Carlo Maionica (played by Samuele Goldzader) — minor
• Giorgio Kropf (played by Angelo Infanti) — minor
• Pietro (played by Venantino Venantini) — minor
• Lt. Poddu (played by Paolo Giusti) — minor
• Prof. Riety (played by Roberto Bisacco) — minor
• Couness Cristina (played by Delia Boccardo) — minor
• Mrs. Eva Rieti (played by Didi Ramati) — minor
• Gino Bartali (played by Alfredo Pea) — minor
• Rabbi (played by Marne Maitland) — minor

Story Analysis

A Franciscan priest orchestrates a covert Jewish rescue network in Nazi-occupied Italy, relying on ecclesiastical sanctuary and military complicity.

Plot Progression

1. Sacred Mandate — Bishop Nicolini commissions Father Niccacci to launch a covert rescue operation. The priest rapidly establishes a sanctuary network across Assisi's monasteries and convents.
2. Shadows and Vestments — Jewish refugees are smuggled into religious houses and disguised as friars and nuns. Intensive Latin prayer training ensures their concealment remains flawless.
3. Crossfire and Conscience — A secret medical supply chain emerges as the German colonel aids civilians. SS patrols intensify, raising the stakes and threatening the underground network.
4. The Colonel's Gambit — Father Niccacci is captured and faces execution. The German colonel leverages military influence to secure a reprieve, allowing the network to safely disperse.