In anticipation of the day dedicated to Florence and promoted by the new City Council, and gladly receive public a letter from John Rodella, an activist of the Friends of the Earth away from 1998.
John, a professional photographer, kindly gave us some of his photos, which we publish in support of the article, taken in the city and unfortunately shows what he says.
"Dear Michael, I'm glad
's initiative" Give a kiss to Florence "carried out by' current mayor, which allows me to make some considerations. The first is, I think, to awaken in us the" sense Civic "dormant now forgotten by many previous administrations: one of the involvement of all citizens, in other words those who would like a city, (our) most 'liveable and who will fight sincerely against the deterioration now it' s obvious a few years ago, enough to make us feel powerless in the face of prevailing laxity, often due to not taking account of the few forces that had a glimmer of initiative "to do"!
You know better than me, in attempts to make us promoters, when ten years ago we started with the 'Councillor then to' Environment Sergio Paderi with the implementation of "Environmental Watch" in the Florentine squares, in gardens, for " Forte Belvedere "for the" Loggia dei Lanzi "All the Real and the District Councils.
We had some little experience, then, but we wanted to start another path that seemed to say, "come out" even by those places in our members to be vigilant, to see the document and not to solve problems along the streets, sidewalks, trails those related to mobility 'light (pedestrians and bicycles). The first of our association and the Environmental Surveillance intended only make "recommendations" to the authorities, especially the Municipal Police, which at first we could find available, (remember the detachment of Porta Romana) with specific verification of abandoned motorbikes, ferrous scrap bike abandoned both in racks and on sidewalks, potholes in the pavement or asphalt missing, dead pigeons, fountains, dirty, dog faeces and not, flowerbeds trampled by various camps, road signs damaged or no longer 'readable etc ...
Unfortunately, all this hard 'little ... Maybe we gave
annoy someone or felt that there claims the right to services that were commonly delegated to the traffic police, or those were too many "reports" that the city could not support? It 's so we were deprived even of what the historical site that was for us a very important observation in piazza S. Spirit given to us in that command of the brigade in a free loan. When I arrived in Florence in '85 Mantua, everything seemed fine, palaces, churches, ancient streets, I say to everyone: a city on a' man. I chose this city ', not for work (though they possessed one) and even to love someone. I was bewitched by his light colors of its landscape, its hills e. .. also the sense of freedom that a single life I could give.
Sometimes during the 'year came to visit my mother and I remember that she went to visit museums, churches and then wander through the old streets of downtown. And I invite you to observe all that for me was the "beautiful" once told me: "But if I look in the air I do not see where you're going!" A safe distance of time I realized (now that my mother has disappeared and I have a few more years'), the difficulty of walking on uneven streets and sidewalks ... and girotondi between a bike and Gymkhana on allucchettata (already) narrow sidewalks or scooters on pedestrian crossings. And if you go by bike you can not go to that nonsense as the "sense right "it just gives the motorized vehicle, as if riding a bike in the center was a sport for someone to time wasters who have nothing to do. A cyclist has to pay attention to a myriad of details including the coach of tourists lost if air always take it very comfortable. so long now I enjoy more 'this city, I try to leave the house as little as possible ... What a shame! I thought something had improved over the years and yet it is precisely those "little things" that contribute to improving the quality of life that make you feel those who live in the heart a person is "lucky" that had been distorted.
with you Michael about these things we talked about it many times, but now I want to once again to express confidence in this new council, because the hope and the only thing I have left. I believe that many Florentines have left the old town to build a new home elsewhere, beyond the boulevards or in other metropolitan suburbs, for the reasons described above, because they understood that we live a bit more 'outside the village and interest (the houses in the center are too expensive!). Today the town is mainly inhabited by a humanity that pout pourry various exploits Florence for their own ends, but that often does not love her. This we can easily be found by looking at doors, the shutters, the sidewalks of homes often dirty, from which we get only a sense of abandonment. We see from 'misuse where waste bins are placed are not compatible, the rudeness of patrons of nightclubs that until then 'alba do not make you sleep, why come out of these, continue to speak out loud as if the decibels of the music were still present there, for not to mention the fact that makes the 'alcohol, urinating anywhere, leaving dirt everywhere. The times, we know, have changed and it is right to pursue the fashion to have the SUV or large-displacement motorcycles darting at night in the streets of Florence, just because it is especially important to "show" and "own" more 'to appreciate the world around us.
You can tell from this tourism "hit and run" where no one is prevented from bringing home some souvenirs, and when I see the "junk" or those ugly posters that make up the carpet in the center, where almost no image as Florence is concerned, I feel defeated by the culture of bad taste. To observe the tourists taking pictures without looking first, (because if so then they will see on the PC at home), it seems to me that we have lost the sense of emotional admire to know.
And, as a result of your post on the issue "rounds" to your blog: http://chepianetafaremo.blogspot.com/2009/07/tra-ronde-e-intendenti.html are d 'agreement that we can , we must react against a reaction that we recognize as instrumental to a more 'police (see the name) with a form of environmental surveillance as the 'we understood we had to first in the late nineties and that reminds me of the "Hells Angels" in Milan where even the "diversity" and minority groups (such as immigrants or homosexuals) are considered of these groups committed to solidarity. Here, it is from this basis that I would go to anti-discrimination even try to turn back to Florence a liveable city. "
Love, John Rodella
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