A tour… in reverse. No, don’t worry, General Roberto Vannacci has nothing to do with history, but anyone who saw today’s stage of the pink race and knows a little about the city could only be surprised to see that, unlike the daily , this time the runners reached the finish line in the wrong direction. Yes, they walked along Via di Borgo Giannotti after crossing the Monte San Quirico bridge and, once they arrived at the roundabout in front of Porta S. Maria – yes, right there where the administration would like to build a gigantic 50 million euro car park – instead of turning left, they took the ring road in the opposite direction than usual, keeping the Walls on their left instead of their right. Obviously there were no problems, but seeing the direction of travel reversed had a certain effect.
An extraordinary day, truly, for the city of Lucca which had not experienced such an emotion for forty years and which the organization of the most important cycling competition in the country wanted to dedicate on the occasion of the anniversary of Giacomo Puccini’s death. It’s a shame, however, that the television reporter didn’t want or was able to mention that Giacomo Puccini, despite being born in Lucca, didn’t particularly love her. Just like Mario Cipollini, the champion from San Giusto di Compito who lives in Monte San Quirico a stone’s throw from where the snake on wheels passed, but whom no one, literally NO ONE, mentioned neither before nor during nor after this stage . Not even when the work of the artist who created the marbles placed in various points of the historic center was presented: no trace of Supermario. A ridiculous omission, but which, obviously, was not highlighted by any representative of the institutions. As if the winner of 42 stages of the Giro d’Italia had never existed. Luckily this is a right-wing administration and, therefore, in theory, against political correctness and the tendency to erase the past.
More or less specious controversies aside, it was a success both with the public and elsewhere. According to the police station, there were more than 15 thousand enthusiasts upon arrival and another 5-6 thousand along the route. So, making an estimate, one in four Luccans was watching the race. Maybe a little exaggerated, but there were a lot of people and they had a lot of fun. Mario Pardini, who had more than one reason to smile today, released a long statement: Today was a historic day for Lucca: the Giro d’Italia returned after 39 years and once again projected the city into the spotlight of the entire world. It is too often stated as a “historic day”, sometimes depriving these two words of meaning and substance, which together define a legacy, today more tangible than ever: Lucca seen worldwide, Lucca at the center of the national and international sporting panorama, Lucca as a stage final of the legendary pink race, already unforgettable also for the participation of citizens and local activities in the event, for the empathy shown towards a great event which today – in Lucca – has demonstrated once again that it is capable of uniting a people under the color (pink) of the sport. I want to thank the RCS staff, the police forces, the municipal offices and all those who contributed to the infinite emotions of this event. Lucca was involved in the Giro d’Italia, as one is involved in a hug or a song: a positive impulse whose long-term wave will have beneficial effects for years to come and which will remain etched in everyone’s memory. And who cares about Cipollini, despite the fact that he is, after Giacomo Puccini, the most famous Lucca native in the world.
But political correctness always and everywhere triumphs. Of course, who knows how much the left-wing exponents will have boiled with irritation at watching the live television broadcast, great publicity for the city of Lucca and for the Lucca Summer Festival mentioned several times, as well as the Lucca Comics & Games. There isn’t much to say: Lucca is beautiful and its value far exceeds the price of any imaginary ticket. Today the sun, after days of whims, made an unforgettable day even more wonderful and lively. The organization, in fact, was almost perfect, with traffic picking up shortly after the race passed and no complaints. It was impressive to see how quickly the barriers along the route were removed. Congratulations to all. If there were more stages like this in Lucca, we wouldn’t need a new stadium or a giant car park to host who knows who and when.
Photo shoot by Ciprian Gheorghita
