Page 11 - Italian American Herald - December 2019

ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
NEWS FROM ITALY
After deadly flooding in Venice, cabinet declares state of emergency
ANSA
ROME – The Italian cabinet approved
a declaration of a state of emergency for flood-devastated Venice and other parts of Veneto on Nov. 14, earmarking 20 million euros for the first intervention in the weath- er-torn northeastern Italian region.
Premier Giuseppe Conte and his ministers approved a decree declaring Venice to be in
a state of emergency after floods brought the city to its knees, killing two people.
Conte tweeted: “State of emergency for #Venice deliberated in cabinet. 20 million earmarked, the first funds for the most urgent interventions, in support of the city and the population.
“This will make it possible to assign the first financial aid to pay for the emergency spending and restore services,” Conte said earlier in the day after a meeting in the city with Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, Veneto Governor Luca Zaia and Infrastructure Minister Paola De Micheli.
The devastation caused by the flooding has led to controversy about the fact that
the MOSE flood barrier system is still not operative after decades of work and billions of euros of investment.
“Our commitment to Venice is total,” Conte told ANSA on the way out of his hotel on the day the declaration of a state of emergency was issued.
“The situation in this unique city is dramatic. Lots of money has been spent,” he added regarding MOSE, which has been hit by delays and a corruption scandal.
De Micheli told Radio Capital that the aim was to complete the project by the end of 2021, while adding that “I hope that it is partially in use before then.”
On the day the declaration of emergency was issued, the government named
former state property agency Demanio chief Elisabetta Spitz as new extraordinary commissioner for the MOSE project.
The MOSE system must be finished despite its being already obsolete, Foreign Minister and anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Luigi Di Maio said.
Projects like MOSE, which are currently due to be up and running in 2021, were
St. Mark’s Plaza in Venice is inundated with high water.
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“born old and stuffed with kickbacks and corruption but now, although it isn’t the best possible solution, it must be completed as soon as possible to protect Venice immedi- ately,” he said.
“We won’t pretend not to see where the blame lies,” he said.
In September the updated 2018 balance sheet of the consortium building MOSE said
First generation Italian-American owned and operated
the flood barriers will be handed over to the city council at the end of 2021 to protect the lagoon city from acqua alta or high water levels such as the 6 foot tide that hit on
Nov. 11, the highest in 50 years.
The innovative and complex system of
barriers, which cost 74 million euros in 2018 alone, will be completed at the end of June 2020, ushering in the final phase of testing.
Vol. 3 / No. 8
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DECEMBER 2019 | ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM 11
ACHIEVERS
LOCAL
FOOD & WINE
Meet your master of ceremonies, Ron Oronzio. PAGE 4
Serpe’s Bakery rises from ashes, plans fall reopening. PAGE 6
Grape expectations: Varieties ripe
for rediscovery. PAGE 10
The Delaware Valley
AUGUST 2016
ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
A MONTHLY NEWSPAPER SERVING THE ITALIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY
Above: The Italian Band of Cleveland plays a lively
song to help kick off festivities at the annual Feast of the Assumption in the city’s Little Italy. Left: The “Assumption of the Virgin,” painted sometime in the early 16th century, is at home at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice.
Aug. 15, a day of faith and fun
Assumption Day also kicks off vacation season in homeland
By Joseph Cannavo
Unless they are practicing Catholics, Aug. 15 is just another day to many fourth- and fifth-generation Italian- Americans. Those who are devout in the United States know that it is actually Assumption Day, a Holy Day of Obligation set aside to honor the belief that Jesus’ mother was taken to heaven.
The holiday itself, like many others, has its origins in Pagan religious tradition. It was first observed in honor of the goddess Isis of the Sea on her mythical birthday. However, it was ultimately made a part of the Christian observance, and has functioned ever since as one of the most holy days
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