Francesco Fiumalbi
On 30 October and 2 November 2010 are two articles appeared in The Nation, signed by Charles Baroni, inherent in the seemingly dormant debate on the "Lighthouse" of the Rock.
I was moved to write this article, also because rocking the boat, at least initially, I think I was too. It was early August, when I reported to the Office of Culture of the Municipality of San Miniato to submit for publication on this blog a few images inherent in the Rock. I also requested to have information on the "Lighthouse". I was sent to the Pro Loco, where Ms Nicoletta courses are available to help in the search said. He pointed out, thanks to Mr. Nacci, the "Lighthouse" which came from the German Government War Veterans Association, as conciliatory gestures after the destruction that took place in San Miniato in the summer of 1944. I spoke of it to Don Luciano Marrucci that, after some time, thanks to Facebook, has launched his appeal, collected by journalist Baroni.
" Tourism in San Miniato. I think that San Miniato could play two trump cards (sources in fairies and the site of necropolis known as the goat), but the real wild card is slipped into the ground and was the lighthouse on the Rock: an incredible, an incredible night call to visit this city during the day. "
These are the words of Don Luciano Marrucci. The proposal was also supported by John Smith, "leftist", and said he was willing to talk about the Mayor Vittorio Gabbanini, who spoke on November 2 more in the pages of The Nation.
Let us then investigate the story of the lighthouse, its location until the present day.
The door of the lighthouse, particularly
photography made possible by the generous consent
Mario Caponi
As reported by the Canon Galli-Angelini, in Bulletin of ' Academy of Euteleti No 24, 1947: "After the War of 1915-18 the top of the castle was placed a revolving beacon that every night, throwing his powerful beam of light from the Monte Albano Monte Pisano in the valley of the Arno and the hills that run , beautiful, from San Gimignano, Volterra, recalled the many people who live in the area around the sacrifice of those who had donated to the Motherland ".
was then a light "votive", chosen as a war memorial by a committee composed of citizens, as also noted Carlo Baroni in his article of 30 October, several groups: Orphans, Widows and Mothers of War, the Committee of Votive Chapel and Mercy. To finance the installation was promoted a National Lottery, which, thanks to their success, gave money to the lighthouse and the purchase of an ambulance and the Mercy Seat. The lighthouse was located in 1928 and remained there until 23 July 1944, when the fortress was demolished by the retreating Germans. Even the Canon Galli-Angelini in her diary held during the difficult days of the passage of the front:
" Thursday, July 20, 1944
E 'already done the wiring to detonate the mines put in rock. An electric wire painted red lead from the Piazza del Seminario, the steps of the Loggia, the lawn of the cathedral along the clerk, and brought to the Tower .
"Sunday, July 23, 1944
Late in the evening the Germans, before leaving San Miniato, performed the last destruction of many homes and buildings, and finally around 22.30 pm they explode mines placed in the rock, which instantly fell with great noise. First we heard a big bang followed by a roar and a great glow, and then a black cloud enveloped the hill. When it subsided the fortress was no longer there. So he told an audience that was in Scacciapuce, to the Capuchins. (...) "
The tower, recalls Mario Caponi, San Miniato born in 1923 in his diary, was undermined from within. The explosive was placed on the ground floor and caused the collapse of the rock itself, although some debris fell to the downstream going to partially block May 24 avenue and boulevard Don Manzoni, that is the road that leads from St. Francis in Piazza del Duomo.
Mario Caponi went on the morning of Tuesday, July 25, 1944, in rock to see what was left of the old building. The "Prato della Rocca" was littered with rubble and among them, managed to retrieve a door of the "Lighthouse". In the days after, Mario Caponi, as he says "not crazy", painted with tempera to oil the metal fragment that picked up that day and still jealously preserved in his house.
The door of the lighthouse
photography made possible by the generous consent
Mario Caponi
wire in orange plastic, is a fragment of the "wire stained red lead "mentioned in the Canon Galli-Angelini, defined such as the plastic at the time was almost unknown.
on the door, Mario Caponi would, in brief, write the history of the monument down, because it was not quite obvious, in those days, which was then rebuilt as it happened.
" La Rocca di San Miniato, built by Otto I in 968 and destroyed by the retreating Germans, the date of July 23, 1944. This plate belonged to the lighthouse votive that San Miniato had erected on the tower in memory of those killed in the victorious war of 1915-18 .
These are the words written on the door by Mario Caponi.
now trying to understand how the lighthouse.
First, being well past 66 years since the last time was on, it should be noted that there are conflicting opinions. In particular we will analyze the testimony of Mario Caponi and Don Luciano Marrucci.
Mario Caponi said that the lighthouse was placed on a pedestal, which formed a kind of terrace which is accessed through a simple ladder. From the media ran a "neck" on which were placed three branches, each one for each light. Above the "onion" with three bright eyes, each for every color of the Italian flag: green, white and red. However, Mario Caponi increasingly clear that a rule was the only lighthouse on "white", which actually tended to yellow, while the other two lighted only on special occasions.
Luciano Marrucci, while, that the lighthouse was made up of a single lamp, white or yellow and does not remember the terraces or platforms.
To get an idea we can also see a historical photography, we can not publish because protected by copyright, owned Fratelli Alinari. To see it is very simple:
Paste the following url into the address bar of your browser
http://www.alinariarchives.it/internal/Default.aspx
( to put the direct link, known as "link", you need the permission!)
Top left, in the "Wizard", type: Federico Torre Miniato.
then appear two images, the second of which is what interests us most. Click on image for more details.
The photograph, however, does not help us much: it shows clearly only one eye, but it is not known if there were others. In 1930, when it was taken, there is no trace of the platform and recorded by Mario Caponi also drawn by him on the door. Could it be that the terrace was built at a later time.
So remain unclear, the questions about how much light and if it had with a platform.
The German Government, in the '50s, when the tower was rebuilt according to the design engineers and Baldi Brizzi, War Veterans Association donated a new lighthouse to be placed on top of the spool higher once construction was completed. This article is completely different in the features, the original, even if it consists of three lights, green, white and red, as described by Mario Caponi. Around 1990, the lighthouse went to the War Veterans Association Pro Loco di San Miniato, who still keeps in its own stock.
The beacon sent by the German Government
Photo by Francesco Fiumalbi
by kind concession of Pro Loco di San Miniato
As also mentioned by John Smith in the October 30, 2010, throughout the postwar period there has always been strong opposition to the restoration of the lighthouse on the Rock, as it was considered one of the many means of propaganda of the then fascist regime. We will
now closer to understanding the local and national context in which it was decided to install the spot.
Mario Caponi recalls that the then Municipality of San Miniato was demonstrated, since the end of the "Great War", one of the most common active at national level for the celebrations of the painful Italian victory. Not to mention the memorial plaza in San Miniato S. Catherine, and a Egola Bridge Piazza Spalletti Stellato, Mario Caponi says that San Miniato was the first town in Italy to create the so-called "Avenue of Remembrance," which still exist forever. One is located in the capital, and the road from Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, leading into Piazza del Duomo and should be the first made. The others are at Cigoli (the stone is cut to 30 March 19 ...) and Balconevisi (later, made in 1926).
Targa Balconevisi the beginning of the town as a castle.
Photo by Francesco Fiumalbi
In this sense, it is necessary to recall the gravestones placed in every parish church, on the front or inside. Each village had its own commemorative inscription. And all dating from the early '20s show (For example, the epigraph placed at the base of the tower of a bridge Egola back on July 30, 1922). The "March on Rome" took place October 28, 1922.
Not that this page is meant to make the historical revisionism, indeed, but it is difficult to determine objectively what there was of fascism in these celebrations. Or rather, the regime certainly used it, but he was probably the original creator. Even so, in support of the plates and inscriptions, no trace of the "symbols" of fascism, not even scratched, partially destroyed or summarily canceled, as it is to be found elsewhere. It seems that these works are more commemorative the result of a strong popular sentiment then. In the town of San Miniato those who fell in the Great War were over 300 people and really felt a sense of sacrifice for national unity, after the victory of 1918 could be considered truly accomplished.
So, what to do? Restore the lighthouse or not?
Don Luciano Marrucci has always said enthusiastically. Contends that it was something incredible, beautiful and projected the image of San Miniato in most of Tuscany. Remember that Lea Leoni Benedetti, who recently passed away, declared himself willing to even make a contribution because the economic return on the Rock lighthouse.
also agree Mario Rossi, a former member of the PCI, which speaks clearly of the "wall to be removed, also by virtue of a return in terms of tourism.
La Rocca with Faro
Photomontage of Francis Fiumalbi
differently, however, Mario Caponi, " has been a long time , and the image of the fortress of San Miniato and this is now. It had to be restored immediately, but now it's late and then it would be a danger to aircraft .
The thought of Alfonso Lippi, Mayor of San Miniato from 1990 to 1999, in a 1996 letter sent to the Pro Loco and reported by Carlo Baroni in the October 30, declared: " Some say that is a form to remember the fallen of all wars, repeating the same argument of the '30s, not realizing that if certain externality could somehow respond to the rhetoric of the aesthetic of that time, the same can not be said for our " .
Along the same lines Lippi also held in 1996 by the Italian Communists, as shown in 2 November, called for "(...) give up the reconstruction of the symbols of fascist rhetoric (...) .
The current mayor, Vittorio Gabbanini, it is that possibility, at least to address the issue again. We'll see how the debate will evolve.
And you? What do you think?
You can leave a comment below, explain your opinion!
Or if you're in a hurry, but you mean your still at the beginning of this page, top right, you will find a special survey fast.
Thanks to Don Luciano Marrucci, Mario Caponi, Mr. Nicole Naccarato and courses of the Pro Loco Culture and the Office of the City of San Miniato, notably Mrs Franca, for their contribution in writing this article.
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