A conversation with pensioners observing the excavations in Piazza Visconti
Rho – “Italy is all antiquity!”. A sly smile accompanies the joke Gianniwhile observing the six archaeologists at work on the construction site in Piazza Visconti, struggling with small mallets and brushes to bring to light the Roman road and the perimeter wall discovered during the action of the bulldozers for the regeneration of the area in front of the town hall of Rho.
Gianni, like the other Umarells, spends a lot of time every day behind the fence, in front of the National Bar, the point most sheltered from the passage of cars and bicycles. He observes and comments. “Are they looking for where Napoleon stepped? I’m there looking at every pebble… The past is the past. I would prefer to see a nice missile heading towards Mars…”.
We point out that in caring for the past there are the roots of the future, but Mr. Gianni is clear-cut: “I wouldn’t waste any more time…”. But he invests the time to spend the morning checking the developments of the construction site. Another pensioner, Paulappears more interested in the various steps taken by the archaeologists of C&V Studio di Archeologia: “What is the pensioner’s job? Put your hands behind your back and comment on the construction sites. You come here, you see. We chat. I followed every step. They dug and dug…”.
Every now and then someone asks the experts at work, who are ready to respond with great courtesy and attention. After all, seeing so much attention for their assignment is quite gratifying. Men and women, adults and children stop. Everyone appears curious and interested. On Monday, market day, it’s packed, but there’s no shortage of Umarells every day of the week.
Some retirees draw on their work experience to comment: “I was in the business. I know what I’m saying – he comments Giancarlo, who has only lived in Rho for five years but gets along very well – Looking at a street that has remained intact for over a thousand years it makes me think that it is better not to make comparisons with today’s buildings: this is still solid, now we don’t know how long the buildings of the 2000s will hold up”. Giancarlo asks if the market will return in front of the town hall, he inquires about projects and ideas. And he suggests creating, not in the centre, a beautiful market square, dedicated only to that. Next to him, newspaper under his arm, Paris urges: “I heard that the Superintendency wants to cover the Roman road. It would be a shame, Rho could become famous for these historical finds!”. Joking about his name, the same as the son of Priam, king of Troy and Hecuba, Paris admits his passion for history: “In Italy where you dig you find finds. A wealth. I love Rho and for nothing in the world would I go back to Milan, which I abandoned 60 years ago: there is too much traffic, too much chaos, here it is good. And it’s also good to do the Umarells”.
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