Oggi

Submerged Italian Town to Reappear

An Italian town in the Lucca province of Tuscany is expected to resurface after 25 years under water. Fab briche di Careggine, which was flooded back in 1946 to construct a hydroelectric dam, has not been seen since it was last drained in 1994. The town, which was built in the 13 th century, has been drained just four times since it was first flooded—in 1958, 1974, 1983, and 1994. Next year, there is a strong possibility that the lake resting upon it—Lake Vagli—will be drained once again to give tour ists the rare opportunity to walk among the ruins of the historic underwater town. When the lake was emptied in 1994, it attracted more than one million visitors.

A personal story by author Paul Salsini about visiting Fab briche di Careggine in 1994 appeared in Italian America’s Fall 2018 issue. You can view this issue of the magazine by logging onto www.osia.org or visiting www.issuu.com

The ruins of Fabbriche di Careggine. (Ivano Stefani)

Italy Reopens

After more than two months of mandatory lockdown, Italy has eased into phases that saw the reopening of shops, restaurants, and bars. International flights and travel across the borders to Italy have resumed, though it is expected that tourism will be down. Those arriving in Italy will not have to quarantine.

As of early July, Italy had more than 35,000 deaths related to COVID-19, fourth highest behind the United States, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.

Did You Know?

The term “quarantine” originated under the Venetians in the 15 th century during the onset of the bubonic plague, or Black Death. According to a document from 1377, ships arriving in the port of Ragusa—now Du brovnik, Croatia, but under Venetian rule at the time— were required to anchor for 30 days before landing. In 1448, the Venetian Senate extended that period to 40 days—or quaranta giorni—which gave birth to the term “quarantine.” According to present-day estimates, the bubonic plague had a 37-day period between infection and death, making the Venetian Senate’s 40-day quarantine very effective. E guarirai da tutte le malattie … ed io, avrò cura di te (And you will heal from all diseases … and I, I will take care of you)

By Giovanni Guida

Against a dark sky, God opens his arms with a solemn and peremptory gesture. He dematerializes the molecular struc ture of COVID-19 to prevent its proliferation and thus avoid its spread on Europe and on Earth. Giovanni Guida’s work is meant to be a wish to humanity to defeat this pandemic and rediscover the limits of man and the value of the community.