Genoa dreams of another symbol a year after the collapse of the Morandi bridge

• The collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa, "a tragedy announced" since 2016
• Italy: The demolition work on the Genoa bridge whose collapse caused 43 deaths began
• Victims: Victims of the Genoa Bridge tragedy: Samuele died with his father and mother
• Reconstruction: The bridge of Genoa was destroyed whose fall caused 43 deaths

Italy lives with shock the collapse of the Morandi bridge of the A10 toll road in Genoa, which exactly one year ago, at 11:36, caused the death of 43 people. It was raining heavily, as in the rest of Italy. After lightning everything would end up in rubble. Among the victims, an 8 year old boy. The injured were 16 in total.

Many of the people in the area affectionately called the structure the "Brooklyn Bridge," one of the city's main access roads. The lack of maintenance on the part of the concessionary company, Atlantia - of the Benetton family -, awoke in the Italians a feeling of helplessness and anger at one of the greatest negligence of recent Italy. The structure, known as the Morandi bridge in honor of its author, collapsed in 100 meters of free fall taking with it about 30 cars and three large trucks.

The symbol image of who could be saved was that of Luigi Fiorillo, a 38-year-old married man with two young children, who, with his truck, came to a halt in time just at the edge of the cliff: "There was a time when everything shook "The car in front of it disappeared as if the clouds had swallowed it. I looked up, but then I saw one of the pillars of the bridge fall down," he explained. "Not only did I stop immediately, but I did it so that the wheels were quickly blocked. Instinctively, when I found myself empty in front of me, I turned back, as if trying to escape from that hell," Fiorillo described: "When I left the vehicle and I realized where I was, I ran. " A year later, Luigi Fiorillo says that "two days later" he had to go back to work.

The lack of maintenance, the age of the bridge, the bad weather and the excess of vehicles were the factors that caused an accident that shocked the whole country. It was, beyond internal politics and its propaganda, the first true institutional challenge of the current Italian Government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, the result of the unusual union between the 5 Star Movement of Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini League, today in full crisis of government.

Lara Spezie has been a widow after the fall of the Morandi Bridge. In an interview with the Italian edition of 'Vanity Fair', he explains that he learned of the collapse through his mother: "He told me that a disaster had taken place." "She turns on the television and calls Luigi right away," her husband, 34, with four children. Soon he had to assume what happened. "The last time I saw him was in the early morning. When he got up, I woke him up and then I kept sleeping. Before leaving, he always kissed me," he explains. That day a year ago, in addition, he wrote a message on WhatsApp: "Luckily today I will have to work less, I would have to return soon. I will be home first thing in the afternoon." Life, she says, "is not so different from before," he says, referring to everyday life with his children. But when talking about her husband, she explains: "I miss all the little things that aren't so small then. I don't have anyone to wait for at night anymore. I miss him so much."

A year later, the total demolition of the Morandi bridge has been completed. "The last remaining parts of the bridge in the west direction have been shot down," explains Vittorio Omini, director of demolition tasks to the Italian media, adding: "15,000 cubic meters of material have been removed, 35,000 if they also include other buildings. " According to the first estimates, the first foundations of the new bridge could be built next September.

Andrea Cerulli, a 47-year-old Genoa port worker, died in the accident. His son, every day, asks his mother: "Mom, does dad love me? Why has this happened to me?" Roberto Robbiano, 45, died with his wife Ersilia and son Samuele on the way to the boat that would take them on vacation. Marta Danisi, 29, and Alberto Fanfani were planning to get married when their car rushed during the collapse. Before the bridge gave way, friends Matteo Bentornati, Giovanni Battiloro, Gerardo Esposito and Antonio Stanzione were going to fly by plane, but then decided to take a car trip to visit Nice and Barcelona.

Except for the issue of debris collection, Italy looks skeptically at this first anniversary. A year ago, the current Giuseppe Conte Government, which had only been active for a couple of months, made all kinds of promises to prevent Genoese and Italians from feeling abandoned by their political class. When Salvini and Di Maio arrived at state funerals, they were met among cheers. However, half of the families of the victims did not attend the official events; a large part of them did it in protest.

A year after betting on the idea of ​​nationalizing highway management and after blaming the European Union for everything that happened - as the Interior Minister, the sovereignist Matteo Salvini- said. Today Italy commemorates the first anniversary of what happened in the crisis of the Executive. All promises to finance a major maintenance operation for the main Italian bridges and highways have been forgotten.

It was even proposed a kind of "Marshall Plan" to the Italian from the transalpine government to employ more people in the country's infrastructure. There was talk of the idea of revoking the concession to Atlantia throughout Italy, something that later ended up being simply a political slogan. However, Genoa dreams of the new bridge that is already underway, by the work of the famous Italian architect and Senator Renzo Piano, born precisely in the capital of Liguria. It will be more than one kilometer in length and its cost will exceed 200 million euros.

Keys of the Morandi bridge

What?

Why?

The lack of maintenance by the Atlantia company was the main reason. Situation that was aggravated by the bad weather and the excess of vehicles that traveled it. The country was shocked by the accident.

And later?

It was completely collapsed last June through a controlled explosion. About 3,400 neighbors were evacuated and some lost their homes. The city awaits the construction of a new bridge.

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