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I’m brokenhearted.

It’s been a terrible week for the Cinque Terre.

I’ve seen too many photos from afar of a place I’ve loved ripped to shreds.

Houses gone. Businesses ruined. People have died.

But my husband says, “I liguri sono forte”- Ligurians are strong. Being one himself I guess he knows.

It’s true. The sheer will of the human spirit pierces through shitty times. People are organizing, mobilizing, cleaning, crying, giving and laughing while working their tails off, in the mud and muck, together.

Yes, October 25, 2011 was a terrible day. But do you remember the good ones in Cinque Terre?

Have you meandered through olive groves on the walking trails?

Had an aperitivo on the Via dell’Amore?

Snapped photos of the old men tying nets in the Riomaggiore marina?

Bent your neck over the stone wall to stare into the frothing waters of Corniglia?

Stood in the moonlight to watch a concert in the piazza of Vernazza?

Jumped off the rocks into the blue waters of Monterosso?

I have.

And I am going to do it all again.

I have also made a donation to the Italian Red Cross. I would be thrilled if you would too. It takes three minutes and you can do it online here. Use the dropdown menu to choose “Emergency Tuscany and Liguria.”

Cinque Terre Flood

Funds raised will help our beloved Vernazza and Monterosso in Cinque Terre and it will also support less affluent towns out of the golden strip of tourism like Aulla, Pignone, Borghetto Vara and Brugnato. They sustained ridiculous damages too.

Hey, sharing this via Twitter and Facebook would make you a star. Millions come through this region every year. Everyone who has visited has an impassioned story. It is just that kind of place.

Could you let them know?

If you would like follow the ongoing cleanup of Monterosso you can check out Kate’s blog Little Paradiso. For coverage on Vernazza you can follow Nicole’s blog Cultural Comments.

Thank-you for being here.

All the photos are taken in Monterosso al Mare by Kate Little

10 Responses

  1. Dear Bianca & Alessandro,
    I am so sorry to hear about this disaster …as you know I’ve never been but have felt connected through you. I will help in any way I can.
    xoxo Love Donna

    1. Ciao Donna,
      Thank you for saying so. And one day you probably will go to Liguria. You have supported so many causes through your music that it doesn’t surprise me in the least to see you here. Thank you for your words. xoxo

  2. Thank you for posting this… though it must have been difficult to put the post together, the images and your words made sure I made a contribution.

    I have “jumped off the rocks into the blue waters of Monterosso”… and I’m going to do it again, too.

    1. Jeff,
      That is very kind Jeff.
      You’re right, this whole situation has been really hard to watch. My family in La Spezia has been safe and my friends in Cinque Terre, apart from exhaustion, are OK too. But I feel relatively helpless.
      When Haiti was hit last year I had never been there or knew anyone from there- but my mom and I managed to raise $200 in donations for the Red Cross. So supporting Cinque Terre is fairly knee jerk.
      See you on the rocks of Monterosso Jeff!

    1. Nicole- it is the least I can do. Thank you for your diligent reporting out of Vernazza.

  3. I am so sad to hear of the floods in Monterosso and surrounding towns. Im from australia and I visited Monterosso in 2008 after wanting to go there for over 10 years. It is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been and holds an exceptional place in my heart. I will definately go back to stay in the amazing Monterosso and I wish everyone all the best in their efforts to return the town to it’s beautiful best

    1. Kate,
      Your sentiments are felt by so many and It is wonderful that you share them with us. Thanks.

    1. Hi Nicole,
      Wow, how sweety -sweets of you! Look, the people who work together are the people who prosper together. Times of crisis can bring out some ugly faces, but more often than not they shine a blinding light on courage, leadership, strength and the true capabilities of the bottled strength of the individual.

      Bloggers: we are the new media landscape. We don’t hide. We take action. We never wait for someone to hand us a story or an inspiration. With social media and our own blogs every one of us has a much bigger voice than we did before. And we are using it for good. We can publish a blog post, tweet, write, rant; our reach is huge. Together we have told thousands of people about the flooding in the Cinque Terre and we have inspired people to act: more blog posts, books, photos, art and financial support have all been generously donated. It is our way of putting on the gumboots and grabbing one stone at a time.

      We won’t wait for government or newspapers to tell us how to act and what to talk about. We all have our stories to tell. Thank you for understanding that we need to tell it TOGETHER. xxBianca

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