The history of Carrara’s trade loses a cornerstone: he passed away at the age of 80 Vittorio Aprili, very well known in the city for having been the owner for his entire lifeMondial Toys, for years the most important toy store in the center. Mondial toys, in the Galleria D’Azeglio in Carrara, also known as Pretini Toys, Everyone remembers it with nostalgia, even though it has been closed for years now. Generations of children have entered at least once, dazzled by those shelves full of toys and then, having become adults, they returned bringing their children to what for everyone was a toy paradise. Mondial Toys had it all. Every novelty, toys of every kind, everything that was advertised on television you could be sure that you would find them there and that Mr. Vittorio Aprili and Mrs. Roberta, his wife, would have been able to explain to you how they worked. During the Christmas holidays, queues of customers even formed outside his shop waiting to come in to buy gifts for the children. Mr. Vittorio was an institution in Carrara and perhaps this is also why he had always fought for battles in favor of the city and for solidarity purposes. He took an active part in the committee that fought, in vain, to prevent the closure of the Monoblock as a hospital. He was then at the forefront to ensure that the structure was transformed into a clinic and that it was named after Professor Achille Sicari. He also worked to raise funds for the construction of wells in Africa. He was also a forerunner in the world of commerce, sensing well in advance the great development that mobile telephony would have and transforming, together with his son Nicola and his daughter Patrizia, part of his business into what is, still today, one of the first centers with the main telephone companies.
Vittorio Aprili had recently become the great-grandfather of Achille, son of his granddaughter Diletta Manuel who, together with Noemi and Matteo Aprili, were his beloved grandchildren. Noemi Aprili herself greeted her grandfather with a very touching message on Facebook: “Hello my grandfather, teach the angels to give toys to children, to cultivate your imagination and to embody the entrepreneurial spirit. He shows them the amazement at a nest and continues to make the world a better place even from above. I remember one of the last times I asked you: “Aren’t you afraid to leave?” You replied: “I can’t be afraid if I know that in an unknown part of the world, in Africa, children drink clean water. I will stay anyway”. Now go back to your blue island, the one you left many years ago when you woke up after a coma. Your happy island of Paradise awaits you, and I am sure that you will bring even more joy to all its inhabitants. Your spirit will continue to inspire, enlightening everyone you meet along the way, wherever they may be.”
The funeral will be held on Saturday 22 June at 10 am in the church of San Francesco in Carrara.
