VIAREGGIO. Age is just a number, and has nothing to do with feeling young or old. To believe it, it would be enough to know Ciro Andreozzi, born in 1930, who became a scout last Thursday at the age of ninety-four. During the ceremony, in the church of Don Bosco at Marco Polo, Ciro recited the Scout Promise aloud, vowing to do his best to do his duty to God and his country, and to help others in all circumstances. «The idea of joining Masci (the Italian Catholic Scout Adult Movement, ed.) came to me when I saw some of them, in uniform, collecting food at the Coop», says Ciro, excited. «There, I understood that I could become a scout too, despite my age. I said to myself, why not?”
Deep down, Ciro has always felt like a scout. After a life spent working in Pisa, in a pharmaceutical chemical laboratory, the “very young elder” continued to work independently, even after retirement. «I don’t know how to stay still – he jokes, with the energy of a child – after retirement I could have chosen to spend my days sitting on a bench reading the newspaper, but what would have been the point? I preferred to continue working and having fun. I skied, played hockey and danced! In fact, to tell the truth, I never stopped dancing. Even today, at parties in the oratory I go wild”, he laughs with the contagious irony that everyone in the oratory knows.
For years, in fact, Ciro has been part of Caritas, and is committed to helping those who need it most, taking care of the city canteen and the various collections of clothes, food and medicines. «I lived through the war – he continues – and when they call me to ask me for some bread, I get up and run to them, even at night. I have gone hungry, and I know the importance of helping others. I chose to join the scouts precisely because I share their ideal of brotherhood towards others. Maybe this is also why I became a kind of grandfather to many kids. Grandpa Ciro, that’s what they call me.”
Everyone’s grandfather, who with his enthusiasm and altruism is an example, not only for the young but also for the older ones. Or for those who have already been in the scouts for many years. «Ciro, after understanding that it was not necessary to have been a scout as a child, expressed his desire to join our family», he explains Fabiano Fattorini, magister of the Masci Viareggio 2 community «and for us it is a pleasure to welcome him. Not only for his great life experience, but above all for his spirit, who is younger than the best cub.”
And just like a cub, Ciro continues to dream: «They renewed my license for another two years, so, as long as I can, I want to continue moving, travelling, and above all helping others. It’s the love I give, and the love I receive, that keeps me alive and makes me feel young, both inside and out!
In short, it is love, the fuel that keeps Ciro alive. It’s love, what he gives and what he receives, that never makes him grow old. They’ve always said, that this is the trick. Dante wrote it seven hundred years ago that love moves the sun and the other stars. And it moves everything around us. Even Grandpa Ciro.
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