Il Tirreno Giornale
(PISA, Italia, Sunday 18 June 2000) by Alexander Bernini
Yesterday a guided tour of the upper floors for 100 students
The fortunate kids were the envy of those who could only look.
"The view is only known by the postcards"
Students on the Tower (Photo Fabio Muzzi)
PISA. "Mama, why yes for them and no for me?". Caps, short pants, little fingers that point toward the Tower and inside the suffering of an injustice. But the child will be able to " take revenge" within a year, when the climb along those staris will not be the privilege of a few. A fortunate privilege yesterday for little more than 100 students of the Pisan schools, superior and university, who have appropriated for now the most famous bell tower of the world. Out by the fence many people looked on with a pinch of envy.
Inside are the usual television cameras with crews from France, from England and from the inevitable Japan. And then when the first student descends from the Tower after the visit, more microphones and cameramen in great force are found under their nose, about the views Giuliano Amato had three weeks ago on his Pisan tour.
"A unique sensation, and it was the first time that I got on the Tower", confides Pietro, 23, a student of Civil engineering who will carry these feelings back to his home Foggia. "Climbing along the stairs gives you a particular emotion indeed, nothing like the sight from the lower part. And to think that anybody in his life will see the Tower only in postcard". Pietro like told student of civic engineering is, imagine the lifesaving work of the Tower he/she/it/you could leave it indifferent: "It is an impressive job that they have done - the techniques, all the devices have a certain precision. I believe that no monument in the world could be better supervised than the Tower".
The procession has been fairly fast, proper time for the studetns to listen to some historical facts and then go on up along the stairs. "Look, I believe that is one of the greatest efforts of my life." smiles Francesca, a student of Economy and Commerce. "I suffer dizziness and I can't wait to descend, but they have all guaranteed me that I will regret it If I don't see this". It is an irony of the fate: she would almost pay not to climb and instead out at the fence, tens of people would rather be in her place. "On the Tower there is always emotion", confides Matteo, a Pisan, "however this time the emotion is a little bit different, it was closed was for so long a time, I feel almost privileged. So many people that we looked at down there, and we were inside".
There has been space also for some laughter. A group of students descends and immediately one is stopped by the French television crew. The interviewer has no doubts, he gives the signal to his cameramen and parts with a beautiful question in French. The problem is that the student has doubts, rather; she listens a little bit amazed, tries to understand, with the eyes and mouth typical of one does not understand, not even a word, and at the end, an answer in French is very unlikely. There is general laughter and a feeling that the tape will go straight into the wastebasket.
Also this has doubtless been part of a different day, one in which the Tower has felt only a little bit less. No technicians and operators this time, only boy and girls that, pass after pass, admired and relished the monument, happy to be among the "few chosen".
A curiosity. In this climate of general festivity, there are also those who shoot pellets of cyanide. The Association for Consumer Rights deals with the proposal that a ticket to the Tower will cost 50,000 lire. There is not any more to say than their slogan: "Entry to the Tower 50,000 lire? Hold it!".
Translated by Gary Feuerstein, 18 June 2000, from the Il Tirreno article
This Page maintained by:
