The laying of a bouquet of flowers with the club colors of Aquila Calcio, red and blue, and a brief moment of contemplation. Thus, like every year, the “L’Aquila Front” yesterday commemorated the tragic accident which occurred on 3 June 1979 under the arches of the medieval aqueduct in Piazza Garibaldi in Sulmona, in which four young L’Aquila fans lost their lives: Maurizio Climastone, Paolo Centi , Carlo Dionisi and Carlo Risdonne.
The victims of that disaster followed, together with many other rossoblù fans, their team traveling to Cassino, to attend the play-off valid for promotion to Serie C2, which L’Aquila Calcio played and won against Avigliano that same day. A plaque, located in Largo Faraglia, commemorates that tragedy which occurred forty-five years ago.
The buses with the L’Aquila fans, after crossing Corso Ovidio, headed down towards Piazza Garibaldi. The victims of the accident were looking out the bus window and were crushed between the window and the arches of the medieval aqueduct. A terrible and immediate death, which nothing could be avoided by the emergency services that quickly arrived on site.
That tragic Sunday was also an election day, and voting operations had begun at the polling stations just over an hour ago. The news spread quickly in the city, leaving everyone dismayed and saddened.
The message from the L’Aquila Front, in memory of the four fans, reads: “Carlo! Maurice! Paul! Carlo! To you, who (as Dante Capaldi wrote forty-five years ago) sacrificed your lives on the rossoblù altar, may our devout homage reach you.”
Yesterday’s commemorative event not only paid homage to the young lives broken, but also renewed the bond of the L’Aquila community with its history and its football team, remembering how strong the bond between fans and team is, and how deep both the pain for the loss of those young enthusiasts.
Domenico Verlingieri
