Stella (Savona) – The mayor of Lucca Mario Pardini he traveled three and a half hours on the outward journey and as many on the return journey to reach the Savona hinterland (“your motorways are not very fast” was the semi-ironic comment) with the precise intention of introducing himself to Stella and healing the wound with almost all Italy after the brawl a month ago over the failure to name a street after Sandro Pertini. But when he found himself immersed in the former President’s house-museum filled with memorabilia, photos, pipes, paintings, letters, documents, coats, he was enchanted and probably thanked for this opportunity offered by fate.
Even more so when Marco Nicolinivice president ofSandro Pertini association which manages the museum (open Saturday and Sunday morning, ed.), told him the anecdotes of each object on display. “You could listen to it for hours, it gives you chills” are the words of the Tuscan.
“For example, I’ll tell you the anecdote about the bricklayer’s hat – said Nicolini – The guards who followed Pertini in Rome when he was walking told it to us. One day, seeing a construction site, he asked a bricklayer to come down and the newspaper hat asked him. It reminded him of his time as an illegal immigrant in Nice when he was a bricklayer and washed taxis at night. He was illegal, he couldn’t have money sent to him…”.
Another story. “Here is when he auditioned as an extra at Paramount – continues Nicolini – they didn’t take him, he said it amusedly”. Then in the museum there is the nautical style bed, “specially made by a craftsman from Genoa”, in which he died in his home in Rome. And the last pipe he smoked is on the bedside table, while the others are in a cabinet.
“And here are the cigars he gave to a taxi driver from Genoa (Mario Casazza) who then gave them to us to display: he didn’t have the courage to smoke them, having received them from Pertini they were sacred to him” concluded Nicolini. But every single object in this house is special. It is no coincidence that the Pertini museum is highly visited on weekends and on Sundays guest book, where everyone leaves a dedication, those of great personalities stand out. Starting with the president Mattarella.
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