My article about the Ealing Symphony orchestra concert and the excellent acoustics of Lucca’s Santa Maria Corteorlandini was going to be mentioned by the organiser of the next concert at the same venue, Elio Antichi, on the first of September, when a tragedy struck Lucca and Elio, out of respect, cancelled the concert.

Every year the city’s major event is the Luminara, an occasion when its most precious relic is celebrated and the whole town is illuminated by myriads of candles. September is the big month for Lucca; “il settembre Lucchese” is built around the Festa dell’Esaltazione della Santa Croce where the Volto Sacro or Holy Face – the ancient relic supposed to be a likeness of Christ and carved by St Nicodemus – is paraded within the walled city in a mammoth candlelit procession and where the whole evening is climaxed by a stupendous fireworks display.

I’ve described this occasion in more detail in my posts at:

https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2016/09/21/lucca-by-candle-light/

https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/holy-face/

Sadly this year two workmen involved in setting up the candles on some buildings in Lucca’s Via Vittorio Veneto died when the jib of the crane supporting the platform, from which they were installing the candles, gave way because of a hydraulic piston failure. This sent one of the workmen to his immediate death from a height of ten metres. The other workman expired shortly afterwards in Lucca’s hospital.

The workmen’s names were Eugenio Viviani, 54 years old from Santa Maria del Giudice e Antonio Pellegrini, 61 years old, from Lammari.

‘Morti Bianche’ (white deaths) is the name given to Italy’s fatal work accidents. Unfortunately, there are still too many of these happening in this country. No-one should have to die at work and yet in 2016 alone there were 1018 ‘morti bianche’ in Italy. This compares with just (!) 136 such deaths in the UK.

We all know that Italians love taking risks and that maintenance controls aren’t what they should be but this tragic accident has cast darkness over the forthcoming Luminara celebrations. Literally too, for there will be no candles lit at this year’s Luminara and there will be no fireworks to round off the evening as a sign of respect. It’s truly a sad moment for the families of the dead and, indeed, for all people who love Lucca.

PS I’ve since heard that the city will be lit by candles but that the palazzo from which the two workmen fell to their death will be kept unlit as a sign of remembrance for this tragic incident which has truly shocked Lucca.