Courage and solidarity Several months have passed since the profound and lethal "earth breath" of May 20th which made us discover how fragile we are....

After the earthquake on May 20th, from the early hours of the morning, everyone was in the Prefecture, ready to face the unimaginable. A wonderful chain of solidarity and efficiency was created, with the Fire Department tirelessly making safe public and private buildings and churches, as well as recovering historic and artistic treasures. I will never forget the faces of the mayors of the worst hit towns as they entered the Prefecture at about eleven o'clock that morning. Exhausted and stunned but ready to become indispensable reference points for the entire community, without a thought for rest, selflessly dedicating all their time and energy to the local people. We must also thank the Municipal Police, the Chief and all of his officers, who worked indefatigably for days; the splendid work of the Army and Civil Defence volunteers: so many uniforms and so many hearts ready to give themselves to others just for the pleasure of doing it!
After the first moments of fear and pain, the entire community of Ferrara have shown the ability to instantly tune their instruments and, just as quickly, assemble an extraordinary orchestra that can produce the most beautiful sound - that of the iron will to start again, to get up and restart without delay.