From Bergamo. Thank you Polish Brothers

15 Polish doctors arrived a few days ago in Italy to help Italian doctors overwhelmed by the dramatic epidemic. I would like to thank Polish people for this sign of support and solidarity.

I think that “solidarnosc” is the first word that I learned in Polish, this difficult but fascinating language. I have many Polish friends and now I have learned many more words, but for certain situations or feelings, there is no need of words.

Poland and Italy are so far apart, in a geographic sense, but there is so much history that tights us together: Bona Sforza, then the Polish Legionaries under the command of General Jan Henryk Dąbrowski, then the Garibaldini Bergamaschi soldiers under the command of Colonel Francesco Nul lo (born in Bergamo, died in Krzykawka during the Polish insurrection of 1863), then National Polish Anthem mentioning Italy and National Italian Anthem mentioning Poland; and of course our beloved Papa Giovanni Paolo II, he has been like a Father for all Catholics, moreover for Polish and Italian people.

Several historical documents and facts witness the brotherhood of Poles and Italians.

I live in Bergamo, now sadly become world famous as one of the centers of the virus disease in Italy. I am thinking about this while I look out from my home window; I can see the old town Città Alta, the skyline is probably well known by many Poles also because several flights connect (sorry, connected) everyday Warsaw, Krakow, Katowice, Gdansk to Bergamo Orio al Serio airport.

But from my window, I can also see one of the buildings of the Hospital Papa Giovanni XXIII, where so many doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, workers are fighting this deadly war.

Spring is trying to explode and it seems that it does not dare yet; the flowers want to bloom, but even they understand that something is not right, the streets are silent, the mountains around Bergamo, still covered with snow, overlook the town apparently whispering to the human beings : “Don’t worry, this tragedy will finish, all will go well, andrà tutto bene !”

Italians that were born after the 2nd world war have had the luck to live in a relatively pacific, healthy and comfortable way; ok, the economic situation hasn’t been brilliant for the last few years. But now we feel like during a war, we even have to stay in a queue to enter a supermarket and buy food, the Government is giving vouchers to people without a job (many); thinking that we don’t have the freedom to go anywhere we like, it is almost like if we were under a communist regime !

But we are strong, we shall overcome !

Polskie tłumaczenie: