Inauguració del nou pont de Gènova en memòria de vides perdudes

A heavy rain followed by a rainbow, the Italian anthem, and the reading of the 43 names of the victims followed by the honors of silence. This is how the Genoa Bridge inauguration ceremony of the new San Giorgio bridge began 2 years after the collapse of the former Ponte Morandi bridge el mes d'agost 14, 2018.

At the inauguration of the new bridge over the Polcevera district, was the President of the republic, Sergio Mattarella, together with the Premier, Giuseppe Conte.

Mattarella reserved his first thoughts to the families of the victims in the prefecture building where he had a private meeting with the committee of people who lost their loved ones in the tragedy. It is a “wound that does not heal” said President Mattarella, assuring that it is important there is a severe and rigorous responsibility assessment action.

The family members of the victims had been invited to attend the inauguration ceremony but had declined to attend, because they believed that the event was taking too festive of an address.

The government and local authorities attending the ceremony included the PM Giuseppe Conte, the President of the Senate Maria Elisabetta Casellati, the President of the Chamber Roberto Fico, and the Minister of Infrastructure Ms. Paola De Micheli. On the bridge was the Governor Giovanni Toti, the Mayor and Commissioner for Reconstruction Marco Bucci, and the architect and life Senator Renzo Piano, who donated the bridge project to the city of Genoa.

In the background during the ceremony, the song of the late Fabrizio De André, “Crêuza de mä” a symbol for the city from the album by the late Fabrizio De André, entirely sung in the Ligurian language, more specifically in the dialect of Genoa, was reviewed by 18 Italian artists for wanting by Dori Ghezzi the wife.

The architect Piano spoke of love for the new viaduct:

“We are not here to cut a ribbon, and perhaps it is not even easy to indulge in celebratory intent. The pain of the tragedy is still too acute. Today, Genoa starts again with its industriousness, as it has done in many moments of its history, relying on the strength of the work. It shows a country that knows how to get up, that knows how to go back to work. Genoa has to start again, and it does it from here. The bridge creates a new unity, generates new trust, has the function of bringing together – and I strongly hope so – the citizens of Genoa, of Italy as a whole, to the state.”

Mayor Commissioner Bucci also spoke to the families of the victims saying that “these things must never happen again.” The Prime Minister stressed that the bridge of Genoa is an admirable work – the result of the Italian genius; of a virtuous collaboration between politics, local administration, business and work; and also “the demonstration that our country knows how to get up and can return to run.”

Conte then recalled the topic of motorway concessions. “The government has deemed it necessary to promote and conduct a contestation process for the breaches that caused the collapse of the bridge,” he said, “and recently ended with the redefinition of the terms of the agreement, bringing the concession relationship back into balance with the possibility of guarantee investments and greater security for all citizens.

“We are working also to redefine governance. Our fundamental objective is to always protect the public interest, which has not been adequately guaranteed by the regulatory structure of the previous concessions.”

As the event drew to a close, there was a choir of the sirens of ships while on the bridge the passage in flight of the Frecce Tricolori, the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force, designed the colors of the Italian and Genoese San Giorgio flags in the sky. Then with the tricolor ribbon-cutting, Conte officially inaugurated the bridge.