Born into a working-class family, at a young age Bertelli started to become involved in politics and do research on Veneto folk music, writing songs in the Venetian dialect.
In 1980 he began his political career in the PCI lists for administrative elections. Since 1985 he has worked for the IRRSAE of Veneto where he trained teachers and academic managers until 1994.
In 1987 he began to give concerts again after a silence of seven years, on the occasion of the publication of his LP Barche de carta, Tenco label, 1987.