A city divided

The debate on the construction of the Tramvia in Florence has become fierce and these are the things you need to know before you vote in the referendum on February 17:

1- What is the Tramvia?
The Tramvia is a light rail, quiet and it does not emit exhaust.
Three lines connect more areas of Florence and the total cost of the work is estimated at 700 million euro.
2- The Referendum
Citizens will be asked their opinion of the Tramvia project.
Vote "NO" those who accept the construction of Tramvia, but this is an advisory referendum, and then the administrators of the city are not obliged to consider the results.
3- Cost and tickets price
Opponents of Tramvia project argue that too many public funds were employed for this project and that a Busvia would be much cheaper.
Supporters of the project promise that Tramvia tickets will cost like bus tickets (1,20 euro).
4- Traffic and pollution
The results of a study conducted by Ataf and Federconsumatori says that Tramvia will reduce the traffic by only 4 percent, but it will reduce carbon dioxide by 43 percent, nitrogen oxide by 37 percent and particulate matter by 21 percent.
5- Tracks, curbs and aesthetics
The protective curbs have been fiercely criticized, because opponents argue that these curbs would be an obstacle both for pedestrians and traffic, because Tramvia occupies 50 percent of any city street.
They also argue that the Tramvia can damage the beauty of Florentine artistic heritage.

Now, these are the major issues advanced by both supporters and adversaries, but, even if there are these great debates, you have to decide.

Andrea Vagnoli - Mauro Paradisi

The Tramvia in Florence

What is the Tramvia?

The Tramvia is a rail lighter than a regular train, which emits very little low frequency noise and no exhaust. Three Tramvia lines were proposed in Florence: the first one is already in construction, and will connect Scandicci and the Florence S.M.N. train station; the other two are only projects. Some days ago there was a referendum about the lines Two and Three, to see what people think about these rails. In particular, line two will pass right in front of the Battistero di San Giovanni, and it’s object of discussion.

A computer image about line Two

Subjects for and against Tramvia

The city is divided into two different ways of thinking: some citizens think that Tramvia would decrease traffic and connect the city centre with the suburban area; others think that this project is going to make the city worse, because it will cover lots of historical places.
So, taking stock of the actual situation, there are subject for and against this project.
The first one is about the costs: in fact the construction of all the lines would reach about 700 million Euro, too much for some citizens. Although the tickets are promised to cost the same as a bus ticket, opponents estimate that transporting every single passenger will cost about 13 Euro.
Other subjects for discussion are the traffic, pollution and vibrations caused by the Tramvia.
Some people think that the Tramvia could be a way to decrease pollution because it’s electrically operated and it would replace most of the busses which pass near the Duomo.
But the opponents reply that the Tramvia would only move the traffic in other areas. Moreover, the rails would occupy about 50 percent of the streets, getting traffic to increase. It would be difficult for some heavy vans or emergency vehicles to pass along these streets.
Other problems are, for example, about 7000 parking spots lost, to make room for the rails, the large number of trees cut down to build them, or the Tramvia unattractiveness.

The outcome of the referendum

On February, 17 there was the referendum. The quorum wasn’t reached (only 39 percent of citizens voted), but opponents won (about 52 percent against 47 percent). Anyway, the project seems to go on. We’ll wait for news.

Filippo Contardi - Martina Goretti

Chaucer: life and works

Geoffrey Chaucer  was an English author, poet, philosopher, bureaucrat
and diplomat. He wrote many works, he is best remembered for his
unfinished frame narrative The Canterbury Tales. Sometimes he is
called the father of English literature and is credited by some
scholars as being the first author to demonstrate the artistic
legitimacy of the vernacular English language.

Chaucer was born in 1343 in London.
His father and grandfather were both London vintners
and before that the family were merchants in Ipswich. There are no
details of Chaucer's early life and education. He worked as a
courtier, a diplomat, and a civil servant, as well as working for the
king. In 1359, in the early stages of the Hundred Years' War, he took
part in the war. In 1360, he was captured during the siege of Rheims,
and he becoming a prisoner of war. Edward contributed to his ransom,
and Chaucer was released. After this, Chaucer's life is uncertain, but
he travelled in France, Spain, and Flanders.
Around 1366, Chaucer married Philippa Roet.
It is recorded that he became a member of the royal court of Edward III.

Chaucer visited Genoa and Florence in 1373.
It is on this Italian trip that it is speculated he came into contact
with medieval Italian poetry, and he became interested in Dante,
Petrarch and Boccaccio. Chaucer obtained the very substantial job of
Comptroller of the Customs for the port of London, which Chaucer began
in 1374. His life goes undocumented for much of the next years but he
wrote most of his famous works during this time period. While still
working as comptroller, Chaucer appears to have moved to Kent, being
appointed as one of the commissioners of peace for Kent, at a time
when French invasion was a possibility.

He is thought to have started to work on The Canterbury Tales
in the early 1380.He became a Member of Parliament for Kent in 1386.
He is believed to have died ofunknown causes on 1400. There is some
speculation that he was murderedby enemies of Richard II or even on the
orders of his successor Henry IV.

Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales is the most important collection of stories of
Geoffrey Chaucer, write in prose and in verse. The tales are contained
inside a frame tale and told by a collection of pilgrims on a
pilgrimage from Southwark to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint
Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The Canterbury Tales are
written in Middle English. And the tales are considered to be his
magnum opus, some believe the structure of the tales are indebted to
the works of The Decameron (of Boccaccio), which Chaucer is said to
have read on his earlier visit to Italy.

Fabio Bartolozzi

The Wife of Bath

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales (ca. 1387).
One of the most amusing tales is the one of The Wife of Bath, through which we can give a closer look at the role of women in the Middle Ages.

(this is an illustration taken from Ellesmere manuscript)

The Killed Neighbour

This is my story...

It was summer. A hot and dry summer. Nobody was at home in Laurel Street; nobody except Miss Keeler, a young woman who had just moved there, Mr Johnson and Mr Bennett, two old men who hated each other from a very long time.
The crime happened at night: Mr Johnson heard a loud sound coming from the kitchen, so he went to see what was happening there. As soon as he opened the door, he was stabbed several times with a knife. His corpse was found by Miss Keeler the following day.
Five days after there was the trial. The only enquired for that which was called the Laurel Murder was Mr Bennett, suspected for his frequent quarrels with Mr Johnson. He was sitting in the dock when Miss Keeler was called to testify.
“So Miss Keeler, what do you remember of that night?”
“I remember, sir, that I was watching TV when I heard a strange sound coming from the hall. So I exited from my flat and I saw Mr Bennett walking furtively down the stairs. Then I returned into my flat.”
“Are you sure? Can you swear that?”
“I swear it, sir.”
“Thanks Miss Keeler.”
Then it was time for the defence.
“Miss Keeler, we can demonstrate your guilt. You said the false. That night Mr Bennett had a broken leg and he couldn’t walk. Besides, you could only obtain profits with Mr Johnson death: he is your relative, and you would inherit his flat and all his possessions!”
Miss Keeler couldn’t do anything but admit her crime. So Mr Bennett was acquitted, and the woman was jailed for life for murder.

Giuntini Simone

Halloween Night...

It was Halloween night and too many odd people were walking in the street, there were many noises, voices and sounds of all kinds in the air, for this nobody noticed what was happening.

It was a normal house, like many others in that street, it was white painted with a veranda on a little garden surrounded by a wooden,it was, white too. It was unusually quite, none decoration, none light, nothing at all. All this appeared very strange to Ellison that knew very well the odd Miss. who lived in that home, Miss. Meredith.

Every year Miss. Meredith rivaled with Miss. Elisabeth, that lived next door, to create the most terrifying hangings and the most delicious bisquits for the children of the neighbouraugh.

So Ellison become curious and she went into the house to see what was happened. The main door was half-closed, the television was alight, in the kitchen there was a great confusion of little ampullas and unusual powders, on the stove a pot full boiled giving a strange bitter-sweet smell.

Ellison, had about strange situation, went away from the house to call the police, but that was Halloween’s night and at the police telephone exchange belived in a bad joke, so Ellison called Derek, one dear friends of her, because the police didn’t arrive.

When Derek met Ellison; they came into the little white house, in any rooms just when, in the bathroom, they found Miss.Meredith dipped into the tub with cutted veins. This was a dreadful scene, bloody was everywhere, in the water,on the floor and bloody splashes were on the wall.

When the police arrived the two guys were still there in front of the bathroom motionless and terrorised.

The police made all the remarks, noone notice was leaved by Miss. Meredith, none evidence of effraction was on the door. What strange dearth was Miss. Meredith’s one.

It was dawn, at last, and the witch’s night was finished leaving a new mistery after it.

Lia Fabbri

A more different night in Florence...

Here's my story....

At 11.45 p.m. on January 4th the police of Florence was called by an old man, who had seen a young girl dead.

It was a cold night: it was snowing and all the streets were illuminated by many dim streetlamps; I had to write my first report and I was very keyed up.

That night was different from the others, because a poor girl had lost her life without clear motive. She was seen by an old man, who every night went out for a walk with his dog. That night, however, this man had seen a leg stick out from a bush: it was a young girl’s leg.

After the old man’s call, the Florentine police arrived quickly and immediately they started to analyse the poor young body. A group of policemen interrogated the old man: they asked him what he had seen that night and if he had noticed something unusual. He answered that he had seen nobody: he had gone out only for a walk.

Four policemen put themselves to search for something that could help them to understand what had happened a few hours before. Three dogs started to inspect the place: one of them found a bracelet. The police asked the old man if it was his, but it wasn’t. The man was very scared, because he realized he had discovered something dangerous, but a policeman calmed him down and explained him that everything would be solved as soon as possible.

Then other officers came and during the night they analysed a lot of clues that were found in the park. Only after three days, they managed to explain the event: thanks to the young girl’s mobile phone and the bracelet they could arrive at a conclusion. I carefully watched the whole scene: I had never witnessed such a clear and quick solution of a murder before .

The bracelet belonged to one of the young girl’s friend, who was very jealous of her, because she was the ex-girlfriend of her boyfriend. That night she had phoned the young girl over her mobile phone perhaps to meet her, but the other girl became mad with jealousy, because, as she explained to the police, she found a lot of her text messages from the girl in the her boyfriend’s mobile phone. So she killed her.

In the end the other girl was devastated by what had happened : she could not understand why she had lost control of her emotions and how she could have killed another person.

This was a very sad story; a young girl had lost her life because of someone else’s jealousy.

Passions should not make people so blind, because they may become destructive for all mankind!

Greta Perini