A Reflective UNESCO Ceremony

Yesterday the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, visited Auronzo di Cadore as part of a ceremony inaugurating the Dolomites into UNESCO's natural heritage fund. What should have been a festive day turned out to be very subdued because on August 22, 4 emergency workers were killed in a helicopter mission on Monte Faloria, in the heart of the Dolomites.

The accident has rocked the community and country. A Suem helicopter (Servizio urgenze ed emergenze mediche del 118) from Pieve was flying toward the scene of a mud slide, triggered from intense rains, to check for potential victims. On the way there, the helicopter hit electric lines which caused the death of the 4 people inside, including a distinguished alpine climber from the area.

In this case, those who come in the aid of the fallen were victim to that same end. A helicopter which usually saves lives, took them suddenly and unexpectedly.

The funerals were also held yesterday. A moment of silence was observed at the UNESCO ceremony in their honor.

May they rest in peace.


Images from http://www.tgcom.mediaset.it

Viareggio's Tragedy Update

The death toll has reached 25 with the latest train-disaster victim being Federico Battistini, 32 years old, who passed away in a hospital in Pisa. Thirteen people are hospitalized with serious injuries. Rescue workers continue to look for the remains of a man who is missing since the tragic event. Andrea Falorni was walking his dog at the time of the explosion.

Mounting Death Toll

Viareggio's disaster counts 17 dead, including 2 babies who died today, 25 severely injured and 1 missing.

News is coming forth that there is evidence of rust on the GPL container's axle which caused a thin but deep opening and allowed the gas to leak out.

An official inquiry is in course to establish and verify the reasons for the disaster.

That fateful train began its journey in Novara, Piemonte and could have effected any number of the urban areas it was travelling through.

Italy is taking a harder look at the routes this kind of dangerous material travels as it makes its way down and around the "boot".

Viareggio's Tragedy

Last night, devastation hit Viareggio in the form of fire. Five houses collapsed, many cars were burst to a crisp and at least fourteen people were victims of the worst train disaster in Italian history.

As a cargo train was passing through the Tuscan town of Viareggio, part of its load of combustible GPL fuel tanks was derailed, caught fire and sent flames 40 meters (130 ft) into the air. The fire quickly spread to neighboring buildings and caused some sleeping souls to lose their lives.

The country is in shock. Berlusconi is in the city promising emergency relief. This is all within a few months of Aquila's horrific earthquake.

Italy can't take much more bad news this season.

Our thoughts are with Viareggio.



Pictures of the train station district of Viareggio from flickr account: rabendeviaregia

Dolomites: UNESCO World Heritage Site

On Saturday, these fabulous and revered mountains were distinguished as a World Heritage area by UNESCO. It took the commission less than an hour to weigh the decision.

These rose-colored mountains cross five provinces including Trento, Bolzano, Belluno, Udine e Pordenone. Now various cities are jockeying to host the UNESCO offices for this disinction, which will guarantee more tourism for their area, most likely. Will Cortina in the province of Belluno win, home to the 1956 Winter Olympics Games?

Some spokesmen, such as Reinhold Messner, are worried that the new flurry of activity will bring tourists who are just interested in the "post card" aspect of this natural treasure. These potential tourists/intruders may contribute to hurting the ecosystem and rock formations. I would like to hope that the new status brings extra respect and funding for all aspects of its safe-keeping.

Pictured here is one of the most famous sights nestled in the mountain chain: Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

The Dolomites are the second park area to receive UNESCO's title in Italy, after the Eolie islands of Sicily and their naming officially places Italy in first place for the number of World Heritage treasures in one country. Naturally, the others are all cultural treasures, as in Venice and the city center of Florence.

Earthquake outside of Aquila

For a week now, the province of Aquila has been digging itself out of devastating earthquake activity that first rocked everything on Sunday night, listed as a 5.8 on the Richter scale. The body count is up to 287 today.

These people know they live on a fault line and feel seismic activity on a regular basis but they continue to live there. It's part of their ancestory. They feel tied to the land. It's a horrible tragedy but they are just the unlucky generation. These shocks hit very hard occassionally and the inhabitants have to bow to the power of Mother Earth as she moves. Sometimes she swallows up buildings and people along the way.

It's been impressive to watch the emergency system of fire fighters, civil servants, rescue teams and first aid agencies coordinate rapidly and effectively on a national level to help the local victims immediately. Italy is a country that is usually a disorganized mess yet they show they can move better than Americans in real time of need. I am referencing New Orleans' after Hurricane Katrina and the US's sloppy effort.

Kudos to Italy on this point.

Unfortunately experts predict a decade of reconstruction to restore what was lost. There is also a lot of speculation that many recently built structures were constructed without respecting building norms in the pursuit of saving a buck or related to mafia construction companies. Those buildings were the ones that possibly crushed most of the victims.

I had never been to Aquila and now the art works are destroyed, in many cases. I wonder what will be salvaged and how.