Homes evacuated in Emilia-Romagna region as pounding rain ‘well beyond the worst forecasts’ sweeps in
Homes are being evacuated in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna as Storm Boris, which has killed at least 24 people in central and eastern Europe since last week, swept into the country, causing severe flooding and landslides.
Pounding rain hit Emilia-Romagna late on Wednesday afternoon and the situation rapidly worsened as night fell.
Read moreJader Dardi, the mayor of Modigliana, a town in Forlì-Cesena province that was also hit badly by devastating regional flooding in May 2023, said the river had “exploded”.
“The situation is very dramatic,” he told Sky TG 24. “It is worse than in 2023.”
Water surged downstream, causing floods in the hamlet of Marzeno in Brisighella.
“A sudden and large wave is arriving from Modigliana, passing through the hamlet of Marzeno,” according to a message on the social media page of Brisighella’s town hall urging people in the affected areas to evacuate their homes. Displaced people would be accommodated in a school, the post added.
Luca Della Godenza, the mayor of Castel Bolognese, said the situation was “well beyond the worst forecasts”.
Read more“The situation is getting worse and it’s getting worse more rapidly,” he wrote on Facebook. “The river level is constantly being monitored and has reached 6.19 metres in Tebano. The fire brigade and local police have been mobilised and will be using megaphones to warn citizens of the serious situation we’re experiencing.”
He urged residents in the area to ascend to the higher floors of their homes.
The Savena river in Bologna was also rising rapidly, the town hall warned on Wednesday night. Officials have ordered the evacuation of ground floor and basement homes in the affected areas.
Some roads have also been blocked due to landslides.
Severe weather warnings are in place in Emilia-Romagna and neighbouring Marche for the next 24-36 hours. Schools will be closed on Thursday and people have been advised to avoid travel and, where possible, to work from home.
Read moreThe flooding in Emilia-Romagna in May 2023 claimed 17 lives and caused €8.5bn (£7.2bn) worth of damage
Since last week Storm Boris has brought widespread flooding and torrential rain in the Czech Republic
The death toll rose to at least 24 on Wednesday as the Czech Republic reported its fourth and fifth victims
Scientists say that extreme rainfall and flooding have become increasingly common and more intense because of human-caused climate breakdown
The EU’s crisis management commissioner, Janez Lenarčič, said on Wednesday that flooding in central Europe and deadly forest fires in Portugal were joint proof of the climate crisis
This is fast becoming the norm for our shared future,” Lenarčič told MEPs
“Europe is the fastest warming continent globally and is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events.”
Italy -- Exceptional rains Wednesday in a drought-struck region of northern Italy swelled rivers over their banks
forcing the evacuation of thousands and prompting officials to warn that Italy needs a national plan to combat climate change-induced flooding
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A funny thing happened on Alejandro Escovedo’s way to the studio
As he was en route to Italy to record an album of new songs formed largely through improvisation, he listened back to Por Vida
a 2003 tribute album made by friends and admirers to provide financial support and uplift when he was very ill with hepatitis C
He was struck by how other artists had found new sounds and nuances in his songs
and thought he might be able to do the same himself
By the time he arrived at Waveroof Studio in Castel Bolognese
he was ready to build something new using his existing songs as a foundation
with help from co-producers Don Antonio and Nicola Peruch
a gallery of 14 of Escovedo’s songs painted with a fresh palette
Here “Castanets,” perhaps his best-known song
trades its fast-paced snap for a slinkier cumbia setting
with the title shifted to “Castañuelas.” “Everybody Loves Me” gains a bit of electronic jitter and distortion in the pitch
making it feel like a cowboy song sent from the future
“Bury Me” sheds its meditative groove to try on a more percussive treatment
The songs tap into Escovedo’s three-decade solo catalog as well as output from his early bands The True Believers and Buick MacKane
Escovedo has defied genre boundaries and moved purely in response to his hunger for new sounds and new ways to express himself through music
Echo Dancing is both a new approach and a continuation
As he drove through the Deep South on tour last week, Escovedo spoke by phone about Echo Dancing, reconstructing his songs, music criticism, memoir, and much more for No Depression’s “In the Deep End” series
Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity
but it was going to be an improvised record
and I knew what the instrumentation was that I wanted
I knew I needed [Don] Antonio on guitars and bass and mellotron and Nicola [Peruch] on all his keyboards and stuff
And I figured we could make a really cool record that way
I started to listen to this record called Por Vida
which was a tribute record they did when I was ill with hep C in 2003
And it was then that I listened to a track by Calexico
They did this gorgeous job of “Wave.” And then I started listening to more of that record where people interpreted my songs
and there were just some cool variations and unexpected twists and turns that other people had found in my songs
I’m going to join in and excavate these older songs and let’s see what we can find
How did you choose which songs to go back to
It is funny because some of it was just accident
I’d listen to a bunch of songs and one would pop out
I wanted to do “Five Hearts Breaking” off of Gravity
and it just didn’t fit the style that we were doing
So we discarded that one and then just moved on
But it was all a matter of me just listening
finding songs that I felt like maybe had been underappreciated or overlooked
did you have any sort of guideposts or anything in particular that you were going for
but there were songs like the version of “Castanets” that we do
it’s called “Castañuelas” now — over COVID I had gotten really interested in listening to music from Latin America and such
And I came upon this movie called Ya No Estoy Aquí
which translates to “I’m No Longer Here.” It’s a movie about these kids that live in kind of the projects of Monterrey
and they have Bowie-like haircuts and different colored hair and cool clothing
And they have this whole cult and culture around this slowed-down cumbia
They do these really cool dances and stuff
And I just started playing that little riff that you hear at the beginning [of “Castañuelas”]
We also threw a little dub reggae in there
it’s not a pure cumbia by any stretch
used some of the old lyrics and created some new ones
So that one was really cool because it really departed from the original
I felt a little nervous when I heard about a new version of “Castanets,” and I had to work with myself a little to get over that preciousness and enjoy “Castañuelas” on its own merits
Did you have to push past anything like that
Did it take some courage to mess with these songs
I think we were really prepared to really just let go of the past and create something new and embrace it
So every day we were only listening to the song for the structure and sometimes the tempo
we weren’t really concerned with the past version
It was a lot easier in that way because we were just open to whatever was coming through the speakers at the time
“John Conquest” is a song from your Buick MacKane days in 1980s Austin
and fires back at a local music critic who wasn’t exactly a fan of the band
What is your relationship with music critics in general
Do you think they help or hurt what musicians are trying to do
When I began listening to music and really developing a sense of what rock and roll was
I just couldn’t get enough of records and all the great magazines
There was a guy on Main Street in Huntington Beach
So he would always order all the English press
And they all had great writers as reviewers
So I had a really broad sense of what rock and roll was doing not just in America
And I love the writers because they were my encyclopedia
So as I started to play and get reviews of different stages of my career and stuff
I’ve always had a great relationship with writers
because I never was a chart-selling artist
I’ve never sold a whole lot of records
the critics were the ones who were kind of championing my cause or whatever
So I’ve always had a valuable relationship
and I get on with them because I think we all have the same love for music and want to spread the news
I read somewhere a year or two ago that you were working on a memoir
There’s a lot of information to kind of sift through
he’s a professor at University of Texas at San Antonio and a beautiful writer
We just had a week in Santa Fe where we got some really good stuff
and we’re about to do another week of writing when I get back off this tour
And we’re almost at that point to where we feel like it’s done
I’m working with a theater group in Calgary called One Yellow Rabbit on a one-man performance of the memoir
Your career has really crossed genres; you’ve never put out music that has been easy to shove into a box
Does that make life harder for you as a musician
because like I was telling you about creating Echo Dancing
you’re very fortunate if you can create your own voice
those of us who were not the originators of rock and roll or whatever have been choosing bits and pieces from here and there
And as we listen to David Bowie or Roxy Music or bands like that
that really kind of have this broad canvas of colors and sounds and ways to express words
I’ve really tried to follow in those footsteps
but we also loved dub music and tried to marry those two things with the experience we had from being in punk rock bands
But then when Chip [Kinman] and I were forming the band
Stan Getz and Tapper Zukie and Muddy Waters
And if somewhere in there you’ve carved out your own place
Because I’ve always felt like if you had your own voice
no one could ever really slag you about it
And maybe they don’t like it or whatnot
it’s probably not the wisest thing to do
it was never in the rock and roll section in record stores
owner of Austin’s Waterloo Records store and the Watermelon Records label
which put out Gravity] had to call record stores all over the country
just trying to set ’em right on my music
when they were trying to get my music on radio
the program directors would say things like
How do you expect us to play his music?” “We already have one Mexican band
Maybe life would’ve been easier had I changed my name
but I was very proud of my name and love my name
By Hilary Saunders on April 1
By Stacy Chandler on January 12
FRESH TRACK: Steve Bardwil Band – “Send ‘Em Love”Check it outSPONSORED BY Steve Bardwil Band
Devastation in Italy floods as rescue efforts continue
Firefighters rescue an elderly man in the flooded village of Castel Bolognese
Exceptional rains Wednesday in a drought-struck region of northern Italy swelled rivers over their banks
Muddy water rages through a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
A man walks his dog along a flooded street in Castel Bolognese
A family is rescued in flooded village of Castel Bolognese
A boy pedals in a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
Rescuers checks buildings in the flooded village of Castel Bolognese
People are on a truck after being rescued by firefighters in the village of Castel Bolognese
A cyclist rides through a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
A man walks in a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
Firefighters and army soldiers arrive in a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
A car lies on a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
A couple makes its way through a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
A man holding a child looks at the swollen Santerno River with behind the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit
The weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola has been canceled because of deadly floods
Formula One said it made the decision for safety reasons and to avoid any extra burden on the emergency services
F1 personnel had earlier been told to stay away from the track after floods affected large parts of the Emilia-Romagna region
A view of the swollen Santerno River with behind the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit
The Savena river in the village of Rastignano
Firefighters on a flooded road in the village of Corticella
A man pedals in a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
A man walks past fallen trees along a flooded road in Bologna
This photo provided by the Italian Carabinieri police shows flooded fields in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna
Unusually heavy rains have caused major floodings in Emilia Romagna
where trains were stopped and schools were closed in many towns while people were asked to leave the ground floors of their homes and to avoid going out
This photo provided by the Italian Coast guard shows rescuers saving a man from the roof of a flooded house
in the area of the town of Faenza in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna
A man walks in the flooded village of Castel Bolognese
Italy (AP) — Exceptional rains Wednesday in a drought-struck region of northern Italy swelled rivers over their banks
The heavy rains also forced Formula One to cancel this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix to not overtax emergency crews that were already stretched thin in responding to the rivers of mud that have torn through the region
wreaking havoc on infrastructure and homes
Days of rainstorms stretched across a broad swath of northern Italy and the Balkans
landslides and evacuations were also reported in Croatia
said eight people were killed and others unaccounted for in flooding that forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people
a tourist town famed for its Byzantine-era mosaics
about 14,000 people were ordered to leave their homes as a precaution because of fears that three rivers could overflow their banks
Among the dead was a farmer who defied floodwaters to try to save equipment on his property
Rescue helicopters plucked people from rooftops as floodwaters rose ever higher in homes
a coast guard member pulled a woman out through a skylight from her home and held her tight as the two were winched to a hovering helicopter and pulled inside
“Even upper floors aren’t safe any more,’' Gian Luca Zattini
Italian Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci called for a new nationwide hydraulic engineering plan to adapt to the impact of increasing incidents of floods and landslides
he noted that an average of 200 millimeters (7.9 inches) of rain had fallen in 36 hours in the region
with some areas registering 500 millimeters (19.7 inches) in that period
“If you consider that this region averages 1,000 millimeters (39.3 inches) of rain in a year
you realize the impact that these rains have had in these hours,” Musumeci said
he said that Italy is increasingly experiencing tropical weather seen in parts of Africa and other areas around the world
with long periods of drought punctuated by intense rainfall that can’t be absorbed by the soil
and what has happened in these hours is evidence of that,” Musumeci said
instead of increasing its absorption capacity
it ends up cementing and allowing rainfall to continue flowing over the surface and causing absolutely unimaginable damage.”
the mayor said there was no electricity and many families were running out of food in an area that was hit by floods earlier this month
“Two weeks ago we had a flood and we were left to believe it happens once every 100 years,’' Luca Della Godenza said
Compounding Italy’s vulnerability to climate-change induced flooding are already fragile hydrological conditions in much of the country
Italy also must grapple with the decades-long practice of people building in areas prone to mudslides or floods — homes that are often allowed to stay in place thanks to occasional government amnesties
a total of 250 mudslides were reported by residents
toppled trees and buckled roads in their path
Musumeci said 50,000 people lost electricity
and more than 100,000 lost cellphone or landline use
Many residents evacuating homes put vital belongings in the rubber boats they’d normally tow each summer to the region’s flourishing beach resorts on the Adriatic Sea and pulled them through deluged streets
Some regional train routes remained suspended Wednesday around Bologna and Ravenna
who was traveling to the G-7 meeting in Japan
said the government was monitoring the situation and was prepared to approve emergency aid
the swollen Una river flooded parts of northern Croatia and northwestern Bosnia
where authorities announced a state of emergency
The mayor of the town of Bosanska Krupa in Bosnia said that hundreds of homes had been flooded
“We have an apocalypse,” Amin Halitovic told regional N1 network
“We can no longer count the flooded buildings
Dozens of landslides were reported in eastern Slovenia
many of which endangered homes and infrastructure
hundreds of soldiers and rescue teams continued bringing food and other necessities to people in flood-hit areas who have been isolated in their homes
Previous versions of this story have been corrected to show that the last name of the Italian Civilian Protection Minister is Musumeci
and Frances D’Emilio contributed from Rome
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lives in the Dominican convent in Castel Bolognese
She chose to be a cloistered nun when she was 17 years old
Interviewed by Italian news outlet Il Messaggero
Sister Serafina said that before becoming a cloistered nun she was a knitter and helped her sister to knit sweaters in the workshop
she discovered her vocation at the young age of 17
and her parents stood by her at that important time
They didn’t hinder her choice; far from it
She chose the monastery of Castel Bolognese
Teresa Moro (prioress in the 1960s for a long time)
"It was precisely on the occasion of her profession in May 1942 that I visited the monastery of Castel Bolognese for the first time to try out its monastic life and rule
Sister discerned that the Lord had definitely called her
I entered the monastery for good,” she said
“My dad accompanied me on the train." Today
she’s the only surviving member of the community to have seen the destruction of the monastery during the war:
We rolled up our sleeves and began reconstruction; our relatives also came by bicycle from the Venetian plain with food and basic necessities; my dad was among them
In Castion di Loria they had held a lottery to collect aid for us
even stayed here a few months to help us with the reconstruction
Sister Serafina has held many positions at the monastery: "I worked as a knitter
I had the privilege of pinning a golden star on the new mantle of the Patroness of Castel Bolognese
I served as Novice Mistress for many years," she continues in Il Messaggero
"I accompanied the singing of the Nuns and the faithful with the sound of the organ for many years as well
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2023 at 4:41 AM EDTBookmarkSaveLock This article is for subscribers only.Floods in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region could have caused damages to crops for about €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion)
according to a preliminary estimate by farming association Confagricoltura
cancel Formula One Grand PrixAssociated Press
Full Screen1 / 18Previous photoNext photoA man walks in a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)Firefighters and army soldiers arrive in a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)A car lies on a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)A couple makes its way through a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)A man holding a child looks at the swollen Santerno River with behind the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit
The weekend's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola has been canceled because of deadly floods
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)A view of the swollen Santerno River with behind the Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)A man pedals in a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)Firefighters rescue an elderly man in the flooded village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)This photo provided by the Italian Carabinieri police shows flooded fields in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna
(Carabinieri via AP)This photo provided by the Italian Coast guard shows rescuers saving a man from the roof of a flooded house
(Guardia Costiera via AP)A man walks in the flooded village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)Muddy water rages through a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)A man walks his dog along a flooded street in Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)A family is rescued in flooded village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)A boy pedals in a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)Rescuers checks buildings in the flooded village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)People are on a truck after being rescued by firefighters in the village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)A cyclist rides through a flooded street in the village of Castel Bolognese
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)Copyright 2023 The Associated Press
ROME – Exceptional rains Wednesday in a drought-struck region of northern Italy swelled rivers over their banks
"Even upper floors aren't safe any more,'' Gian Luca Zattini
"If you consider that this region averages 1,000 millimeters (39.3 inches) of rain in a year
you realize the impact that these rains have had in these hours," Musumeci said
and what has happened in these hours is evidence of that," Musumeci said
“Two weeks ago we had a flood and we were left to believe it happens once every 100 years,'' Luca Della Godenza said
Compounding Italy's vulnerability to climate-change induced flooding are already fragile hydrological conditions in much of the country
Many residents evacuating homes put vital belongings in the rubber boats they'd normally tow each summer to the region's flourishing beach resorts on the Adriatic Sea and pulled them through deluged streets
and Frances D'Emilio contributed from Rome
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Exceptionally heavy rainfall in northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region last week led to a series of floods and landslides that have killed at least 15 people and forced more than 40,000 from their homes
but cleanup efforts have just begun as residents
and volunteers clear out mud and recover what can be salvaged
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Worldwide
Latest travel advice as Storm Boris causes extreme weather and landslidesTwo regions in northern Italy have weather warnings in place and schools in the area have been forced to close after suffering heavy rainfall
We’ve unfortunately become accustomed to extreme temperatures throughout the summer months in Europe
but the climate crisis is also bringing wild
heavy rainfall and severe storms to the continent
Storm Boris has already swept through central Europe, causing catastrophic damage in Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania and Austria. The storm reached northern Italy on Wednesday, with local governments forced to issue severe weather warnings
Here is everything you need to know if you have a trip booked to Italy.
Northern Italy has been impacted by the heavy rain so far
It swept through the Emilia-Romagna region on Wednesday and Thursday, with floods leading to evacuations and school closures
The storm reportedly exceeded the most extreme weather forecasts.
Locations such as Modigliana, a town in Forlì-Cesena, as well as Marzeno in Brisighella also experienced floods. Luca Della Godenza, the mayor of Castel Bolognese, told the Guardian: ‘The river level is constantly being monitored and has reached 6.19 metres in Tebano
The fire brigade and local police have been mobilised and will be using megaphones to warn citizens of the serious situation we’re experiencing.’
Severe weather warnings are currently in place in Emilia-Romagna and Marche
Schools are closed today (Thursday 19) and people have been advised to work from home.
Travelling to Italy has not been advised against by the FCDO
and its general recommendations for what to do in floods reads: ‘Heavy rainfall is common throughout Italy in winter
weather reports and follow the advice of local authorities in affected areas.’
It’d be best to check directly with your travel provider if you plan to visit an affected area – you can read more about your rights as a traveller in this guide.
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Devastating floods in Emilia-Romagna region have left several dead and thousands homeless after torrential rains triggered landslides and caused rivers to burst their banks
Devastating floods in Emilia-Romagna region have left several dead and thousands homeless after torrential rains triggered landslides and caused rivers to burst their banks
Photograph: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph: Nicola Marfisi/AGF/Shutterstock
Photograph: Alessandro Serranò/AFP/Getty Images
Photograph: Guido Calamosca/LaPresse/Shutterstock
teams and media personnel descend on Imola for the race
torrential rain lashed Italy’s northern region over
Emilia Romagna the ‘eye of the strom’ over the last 48 hours
causing extensive flooding and killing at least two people
An elderly cyclist drowned when he was swept away by flood waters in the town of Castel Bolognese
The body of a man aged around 70 was found in a house that collapsed in the nearby village of Fontanelice
a spokesman for the fire service told Reuters
The rain follows months of drought which raised concerns about the low water level in the Po
which runs West to East through the northern part of Emilia Romagna
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement she was in “constant contact” with the authorities involved and expressed “solidarity and closeness” to those affected by the flooding
The Imola Regional Weather Service issued a highest-alert
red-level rain warning with forecasters predicting almost 160mm of rain on Tuesday and a further 110mm on Wednesday
The rain is expected to ease ahead of this weekend’s race
but predictions indicate that Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session will be hit by fresh rainfall and a potential storm
The threat of more floods and landslides prompted calls for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to be abandoned
unless the situation turns into a proper insurance-covered force majeure for FOM
wet weather at this time of the year is common and the month of May at Imola tends to be a ‘wet’ one as history has shown over the years
the fire brigade said it had carried out around 400 rescue operations
Rail operator Trenitalia said several services were suspended while a number of streets were closed
The head of Italy’s civil protection agency said he was travelling to the flood-hit area and Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin promised help for those affected
he wrote on Facebook: “The government stands by the people in difficulty: today for the emergency
which must be backed by adequate economic resources
but from now on to accelerate (infrastructure) measures that are needed for safety.”
Adding to this growing pile of evidence was hearing students and designers talk about how lockdown restrictions had required them to do creative problem solving, which often involved handwork. The pandemic, by necessity, highlighted the tactile aspect of making and materials. What resulted, often, were pieces that felt more personal, at a time when people were dressing primarily for themselves, favoring a separates-based, rather than total-look, approach to fashion.
At that point fashion was a matter of play for Gigli, a man known for his sophistication and flair. “My style was not extravagant, but it was different,” the designer remembers, giving as an example his penchant for having tailored shirts made using Indian textiles. In 1979 he had the opportunity to create collections with a custom tailor in New York. Having done so successfully, when Gigli returned to Italy soon after he had many offers of work.
Gigli started showing in Paris for fall 1989. At the the close of his debut there, he received a 25 minute standing ovation. This spring 1990 show, newly digitized for Vogue Runway, was his second in Paris, and it memorably featured Venetian glass.
Gigli’s impact on fashion went beyond clothes; he proposed a nuanced way of looking at femininity, at a time when womens’ roles were in flux. On one end of the spectrum of stereotypes was the Business Woman, with big hair and big shoulders, tie optional; on the other the Trophy Wife (or mistress) aka the Social X-Ray, wearing her status on her sleeve. Mike Nichols’ 1988 movie Working Girl, explored the mind/body divide women had to navigate in order to be taken seriously.
The 1980s were about excess and extremes; Gigli, dubbed by Vogue as “the master of understatement,” preferred gray areas, notably the intersection of fragility and firmness, strength and softness. He balanced the extreme romanticism of his work with a dandyish androgyny. “When I see a girl take one of my shirts and put it on, or maybe the jacket, for me, that is the freedom.”
Gigli’s work was very gestural. His draping borrowed from classical and rococo cultures both, while his tailoring took cues from the 18th and 19th century. In addition, notes the designer, “you can find little touches of the ’60s and London” in the work.
The inspiration for the collection was Venice, a theme that was most dramatically expressed through Gigli’s use of glass from that floating city. Using rejected pieces from chandeliers he not only crafted earrings that fell below the shoulder, but constructed garments with glass. Some critics took the latter, which were always intended to be show pieces, at face value, but he was able to find a company that could reproduce the earrings in lighter and more durable Pyrex.
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Tell us about your first impressions when you arrived.There are some places you go just for the food, and La Tavernaccia is one of them. Don’t get us wrong: the décor’s neat too—crammed tables make for cozy dining, the bare-brick walls and old copper pots hanging from the ceiling bring a home-away-from-home vibe. But it's what you'll eat that will knock your socks off.
What was the crowd like?Expect an energetic crowd and lots of big family dinners. Book a table, especially at Sunday lunch, because it gets busy.
And how did the front-of-house folks treat you?The service wavers in quality, depending on the night. This isn’t uncommon at Rome restaurants; even if you get a surly waiter, the food more than makes up for it.
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The Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix at Imola will not be held this weekend due to extreme weather in the northern Italian region
At least three people died and thousands were evacuated from their homes as devastating floods hit the Emilia Romagna region
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini had earlier called for the race to be postponed "to concentrate all efforts on coping with the emergency"
Last year's race drew a weekend crowd of 129,000 and 64,000 on the Sunday
The Imola circuit has the Santerno river flowing alongside it and while the paddock remained free of flooding
water levels were rising and surrounding areas including car parks and some access roads were waterlogged
Officials said at least eight people had died and thousands were evacuated from their homes in towns and cities across the region
Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali
who was born in Imola and worked at the track in his youth before joining Ferrari
said the decision not to proceed was correct
"We need to ensure safety and not create extra burden for the authorities while they deal with this very awful situation," he said
The race was scheduled to be the sixth round of the season and the first in Europe
Ferrari joined other drivers and teams in supporting the cancellation
"Even though it's our home race and therefore even more important to us
the main priority at the moment has to be the safety of all those living and working in the affected areas," the Italian team said in a statement
Principal Fred Vasseur said it was "heartbreaking to see what people are going through"
Mercedes seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton told fans on social media: "We wish we could be racing but this is definitely the right decision."
Formula One personnel were asked to leave the circuit on Tuesday amid fears of flooding
Cars were not due to be on track until Friday but advance team and technical personnel had arrived to set up the garages and hospitality
The Grand Prix was scheduled to be the first triple header of the season
with Monaco and Spain following on successive weekends
Red Bull have won every race so far and double world champion Max Verstappen is 14 points clear of team mate Sergio Perez
safety to all those involved and in the region is paramount and has to take priority," the team said on Twitter
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