The inauguration and dedication ceremony took place today in memory of the young Civil War Victim Gabriele Guaraldi of the new Ronco Scrivia bridge, open to traffic since last December, following the demolition and reconstruction carried out thanks to a regional loan of approximately 2 million euros.
It was 1986 when the young Gabriele Guaraldi found an unexploded device in the river bed: unaware of the danger, he took it home, bringing it closer to the fire. The bomb exploded and he was killed. It was a tragedy for the whole country.
“This is a day full of meaning for Ronco Scrivia and for the entire valley – declares the president of the Liguria Region Giovanni Toti -. My thoughts go to Gabriele and his family, whom I thank for being here. This bridge, which was in poor structural condition, was demolished and rebuilt and today guarantees a fundamental, safe and modern connection to residents and important businesses on the two banks of the stream. A bridge that unites and which, with its dedication to the memory of Gabriele, also becomes an important symbol of peace, which we all feel the need of”.
“Thanks to the collaboration with the National Association of Civilian Victims of War – declares Rosa Olivieri, mayor of Ronco Scrivia – the idea of this dedication was born which we immediately agreed on, together with Gabriele’s family. I want to thank the volunteers of the Association, also for the awareness and information action they carry out in schools to prevent accidents like the one of which this young man was the victim. The bridge is an infrastructure that unites two banks of the river and an entire community and is also, with this dedication, the means to send a message of peace”.
“We are inaugurating a crucial structure for Ronco Scrivia which connects the center of the town with its hamlets Pietrafraccia and Minceto – adds Marco Bucci, mayor of Genoa and the Metropolitan City – and which has been at the center of a careful renovation work. Today, however, is an important day and deeply felt by the Ronchesi. We name this fundamental structure after Gabriele Guaraldi. His story is extremely touching and has left a mark in the country’s memory. I join in the family’s pain and understand how complex it can be for parents to accept such a tragedy. Gabriele’s memory, however, will continue to live in all of us today. This bridge, of strategic importance for Ronco, will be dedicated to him.”
“The attention of the Region for this very important area – continues the regional councilor for Infrastructure Giacomo Giampedrone – is demonstrated first of all by the investment for this bridge, which guarantees traffic for residents and also for an industrial area with companies of international importance. Not only that: for this community we invested to keep the ford on the river operational and guarantee the vehicular connection between the two banks while the reconstruction work on the bridge was underway. Furthermore, through a program agreement between the Region and the Ministry of the Environment, the modernization of the Ronco Nord purification plant is envisaged, for an amount of over 3.7 million euros”.
