News from Vernazza
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| Vernazza welcomed the first day of February with a rare coat of snow. |
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| The majority of Vernazza's residents lost their vehicles in the October 25th disaster. In January, Fiat Group Automobiles donated four new 4x4 Fiats to Vernazza for a car-sharing program. In addition, the communities of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Groppo and Volastra came together to donate a new 4x4 pick-up truck to Vernazza. |
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| Vernazza's Farmacia has reopened. By Italian law, a pharmacy must reopen within 90 days of a closure or lose its license. There may be only a table, chair and pharmacist inside, but the Farmacia is operating once again. |
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| Vernazza's first restaurant to reopen — the Belforte — is up and running. This is a welcome relief to everyone who misses the military cooks who, until they left a few weeks ago, had operated an emergency kitchen to feed work crews and volunteers. |
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| The new visitor information center "fits with the ambiance of Vernazza these days." |
From the Save Vernazza news page
January 25, 2012
"You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note." — Doug Floyd
Vernazza has recently been described as a town where "the stores are closed and wounds still open," where "the emergency is over, but the rebirth is far off." According to the January 12, 2012 article by local newspaper La Nazione, "the 'emergency' is over — but not in the mind of some Vernazzesi. The President of the Region of Liguria, Claudio Burlando, has declared the town "open to visitors." And Vernazza's Mayor Vincenzo Resasco has stated that Trenitalia (the train system) has received its official orders to allow any and all persons access to the village.
According to La Nazione "some in town are perplexed by these decisions and statements." One Vernazza resident notes, while walking down Via Roma, that the excavations to repair the sewage system have just begun. The repairs are expected to take two months, but some wonder why the town is allowing people to visit now "in these conditions." Questions and statements such as these are being born from the harsh reality that Vernazza is still a work in progress. Vernazza has one storefront open (the pharmacy), one restaurant, and one coffee bar. Work to secure the canal is ongoing. Today, Via Roma is a shell of its former self and one is unable to tell the difference between what was, prior to October 25, 2011, a storefront versus an old wine cellar. Work permits are being submitted and approved to continue the reconstruction to storefronts along Via Roma and we are cautiously optimistic that the majority of commercial activities will be operable by the spring.
To read the entire La Nazione article, as translated to English, as well as the original Italian version click here.
For photos and videos of how Vernazza looks as of January 21, 2012 click here.
With various articles in circulation claiming Vernazza's state of emergency to be over, Save Vernazza posed the question to Mayor Vincenzo Resasco in our meeting with Town Council members last week. The official statement from Mayor Resasco is that Vernazza is in fact "still under a state of emergency and continues to be under evacuation orders." Yes, the emergency crews (the National Guard and fire department workers) have pulled out but the urgent projects are now contracted to private firms. In our meeting, we discussed and gathered details regarding the projects involved in repairing the 108 million Euro worth of damages caused to Vernazza on October 25, 2011, when torrential rains and over 100 mudslides left the town buried in over 4 meters / 13+ feet of mud and debris.
Despite the difficulties of its current situation, the town of Vernazza is proceeding to contract new projects worth approximately 9.3 million Euro to secure the town, according to a "Work in Progress" document recently released by the town. These projects funded by money received from the Region of Liguria, in a few months' time are expected to result in the lifting of the evacuation orders that will allow Vernazza's residents to return home as well as place Vernazza in a better state to welcome visitors. Additionally, funds received by the Cinque Terre National Park will go toward the repair of hiking trail #2, from Monterosso to Vernazza, Vernazza to Corniglia.
For additional project details and to read the entire "Vernazza: Work in Progress" document click here.
Save Vernazza is now moving forward to evaluate and fund projects that focus on both the immediate and long term needs of Vernazza's residents and visitors. Some examples include:
- Benches for Vernazza's streets and squares.
- Reconstruction of Vernazza's Parco Giocchi (Playground)
- Solicitation of company donation(s) specific to paint, paint supplies and resurfacing materials for work along Vernazza's main street, from Fontanavecchia down to the square.
- Reparation to trail #8 (from Vernazza to the Sanctuary Madonna di Reggio) and trail #8a (from Madonna di Reggio to San Bernardino), to include funding for repairs to effected "muri a secco" (dry stone walls, a key factor in UNESCO's decision to grant Vernazza its World Heritage Site status). For photos of damage to trails #8 and 8a click here
Volunteer Coordination: In lieu of Vernazza's ability to accept volunteer's at this time we are gathering contact information on our volunteer page that will allow us to alert interested parties as initiatives come available. To submit your information, click here.
Within the next weeks we will be adding to our website further details of the "Save Vernazza" projects, their estimated costs, time-lines and any applicable fundraising initiatives. Please stay tuned and check back to our Rebuild Vernazza page for that information.
This past Saturday morning when walking down Vernazza's main street, a train pulled up and some tourists got off. As they descended the stairs it was evident by their expressions they had no knowledge of what happened in Vernazza on October 25, 2011. With no information center available, we decided to create one ourselves! Some printed materials, an old bookshelf, a piece of plywood and a curtain later we established the first Save Vernazza Information Center. Albeit rough and hastily put together, it fits with the ambiance of Vernazza these days.
Later in the afternoon a group of American students studying abroad for a semester at the University of Florence arrived. They asked, I explained, I cried, they cried. Here is an email from one of them we received the day after:
I am currently in Firenze as an Interior Design Study Abroad Student from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA. On January 21st 2012, a group of fellow students and I planned our first trip to Cinque Terre without any knowledge of the recent disaster that swept through the town of Vernazza.
As we traveled, we learned more about the tragic event but nothing prepared us for the sight we saw as we stepped off the train in Vernazza. I immediately was overwhelmed with sadness for those involved and lost, yet felt the warmth and beauty the town still radiated. In that moment I fell in love with Vernazza.
As we were waiting for our next train, a Save Vernazza table was set up and the woman began to share the stories of Oct 25th, those of which I will never forget. Again, in that moment I was forever changed and my journey to Italy had a deeper meaning.
I would be honored to give my services in any way that I can. You all are in my prayers, God Bless.
Jordan
The stories of what happened in Vernazza on October 25, 2011 are just a part of what make people care and want to be involved in the campaign to Save Vernazza. Jordan and his friends fell in love with her for the beauty she still radiates today, despite her "open wounds." For those unable to come see her, we will continue to keep you updated on her recovery. For those planning a trip to the area this year, keep the Cinque Terre in your travel plans.
When inquiring for accommodations in Vernazza, you may find room owners slow to respond and/or hesitant to confirm reservations at this time. Be willing to wait. Take the chance on her. But, be prepared to see her changed by the events of October 25, 2011.
A very well-traveled and wise man — Rick Steves — once said about Vernazza that she is "exceptional...(and) deserves a special dignity."
With your help we can rebuild this exceptional village.
"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." — Henry Ford
Coming Together, Keeping Together, Working Together We Can Make A Difference.
— Michele Sherman, Save Vernazza
For ongoing updates on the situation in Vernazza, and to make a contribution, visit savevernazza.com. You can also "friend" Save Vernazza on Facebook.