by Rossella Conte
“I’m alive only by a miracle, I still can’t believe what happened.” Isabella Bondi, owner of the newsstand in Piazza Sant’Ambrogio since 1990, still looks in disbelief at the portion of cornice that collapsed onto the street, right on her newsstand. The debris, which fell from a building in Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, not only damaged the roof and the shutter of her business, but also hit the newsagent who was slightly injured on one arm. She shows it to people who approach: “A man saved me. When he saw the plaster coming down he pulled me away, I hadn’t realized anything. However, some splinters just grazed my arm. I bled a little but that goes away quickly, it could have ended much worse.”
It is 7.20 when a storm of bricks and rubble falls to the ground in the central and very busy Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, a stone’s throw from the market. The causes of the collapse are still to be ascertained, but it is very likely that it was a water infiltration from the roof. The facade of the four-story building was redone about 12 years ago, so recently, at least according to initial information. The investigations will clarify what happened and verify any responsibilities.
Luckily the detachment took place at 7:20, at that time almost no one passes by the square. Only a small group of five people were a few meters away. “Yes, it could have been a massacre,” Bondi continues. She was arranging newspapers in the window when she heard a roar. “Then everything came down. I was very scared,” she explains. The firefighters and the municipal police immediately arrived on the scene.
The area was cordoned off while waiting to remove the debris, and the shops on the side facing the church and the first stretch of Via Pietrapiana remained closed all day yesterday to allow for further checks on the building. The newsstand, however, will not raise its shutters today either. The shopkeepers involved are considering taking action to request compensation for the damage and lost earnings due to the closing hours.
“The building at the center of the collapse has insurance – continues Bondi -, so there shouldn’t be any problems”. Patrizia Mariabelli, owner together with her sister Paola of the Forno La Pagnotta that overlooks the square, was at work at that time: “Suddenly I heard a big bang, I saw a black cloud rise and then some people flee. I was scared, I thought the worst” she says. Simone Scavullo of the Citizens for Florence committee was also on site: “We were close to tragedy”.
