Jun 29, 2024 10:21 AM
June 1974, June 2024. Exactly 50 years have passed since the construction of the first buildings in Cospea, in Terni, and the ‘former boys’ of the neighborhood decided to celebrate this special birthday on Friday evening at the local bar. An opportunity to meet up, rewind the tape of memories and also reflect on how Cospea has changed over the decades, from an expanse of fields crossed only by the former Flaminia (now via XX Settembre) to one of the most populous and commercial neighborhoods in the city.
In 1974 – some of the young people of the time say – «Cospea was made up only of the ‘sponge’ buildings in via Marzabotto (in addition to the ‘villas’, also in sponge stone) and those in via XX Settembre (in addition to the ‘skyscraper’) . All the rest were in fact fields, so much so that from via XX Settembre you could see the Liberati stadium. Via Alfonsine did not exist and to go towards Narni you passed via XX Settembre. There wasn’t a bar, a shop, a meeting place for the kids of the time, who had to go to the little bar on the San Giovanni field, passing through the fields where the Cospea shopping center is now (and where at the time they often arrived both the ‘wheelchairs’ and the circus). Or they had to go and get an ice cream at the Bar Patrizio, in front of the current Superconti in via XX Settembre. It was in the second half of the ’70s that the Esso bar opened inside the gas station in via Alfonsine, becoming the beloved meeting place of the kids of the time, who every afternoon and every evening (categorically until 10.30pm, not a minute longer, as was the wish of its managers) they were there playing pinball and above all table football.» «We ‘lived’ in that bar for years – says those who were there – experiencing joy, emotions, love, sadness, and unfortunately also anguish due to the early death of some friends».
«To play football, the boys of ’74 again cleared the field between via XX Settembre and the buildings of weeds and thorns, where today there is the church of San Giuseppe which was built a few years later, followed over the years ’80 from the skyscraper of the former Municipal Pharmacy and then from the Cesvol headquarters. In the very early 1980s, a football team was also formed which participated in the FIGC amateur championship for 2/3 years: Supercarni Cospea, which in the first year came second just one point behind the much more experienced and highly rated Clt”. In short, many memories, anecdotes and laughter followed one another during the special evening on Friday, but a thought also inevitably went to the many friends who are no longer with us. «In some ways it seems like yesterday, but… it’s only been 50 years! Long live Cospea! Long live all the Cospeans, those of today, those of yesterday and those of tomorrow!
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