CHIARAVALLE “Nec aspera terrent”, difficulties don’t scare me. The Latin motto explains the strength of mind that those who write an undertaking bordering on the impossible must have, like the crew of the Amerigo Vespucci, the Navy ship which for the first time in its more than ninety-year history circumnavigated under sail and without the aid of engines, Cape Horn, the terrible passage between the Atlantic, Pacific and Antarctica. There is a Chiaravallese in the crew that accomplished the historic feat: Paolo Pizzichini, 42 years old, on board the Vespucci with the role of head anesthesiologist.
INSIGHTS
The story
«I graduated in Ancona – says Pizzichini from the other side of the world – I attended the military academy in Livorno and I held various positions in the Navy including medical director of the San Giorgio ship, head of the healthcare unit at the San Marco marine brigade , responsible for managing all the doctors on board at the Command in Chief of the Naval Squadron. I am currently an anesthesiologist at the military polyclinic in Rome. I was a doctor at the Presidency of the Republic at Palazzo Chigi. I have a second law degree. I have a black belt in judo.”
The Chiaravallese recounts the emotions and fears in the dubbing of Cape Horn. «The ship managed to sail around that terrible passage despite a very strong wind and 7 meter high waves. The navigation was very challenging: we slipped between two storms, taking advantage of the wind at the stern. The waves were so high that my accommodation was submerged and I could only see water through the porthole. The ship swayed and several objects fell, including a bookcase despite being nailed down. We felt fear but we knew that good fortune would smile on us. Audaces fortune iuvat!». Fortune favors the bold. Paolo Pizzichini talks about life on board the Vespucci, the Navy’s jewel training ship with 230 crew members, which left on 15 March from Buenos Aires for a 2-year world tour to promote tourism in the Bel Paese, touching in particular the lands with strong Italian emigration. «On board we read, study, go to the gym, sometimes we have fun with karaoke, we keep watch on the bridge. Time passes and we are alone, we miss our family and Italy but we are proud to represent our country in the world. The ship is 96 years old and is spectacular even if, where the Pacific and Atlantic meet, the winds are very strong, with incredible turbulence. We have reached Valparaiso in Chile and I will remain on board until June 15th: I should disembark in Acapulco in Mexico where I will be relieved.”
Memories
A heart sinking. «I miss everything about Chiaravalle and the Marche, especially the donut de Memma, a specialty that I can only dream of here. I hope to be transferred soon to Ancona, to the health company.” Meanwhile Paolo Pizzichini continues his journey on the Vespucci looking for his route. One of his favorite songs, Prospettiva Nevski by Battiato, reads “and my teacher taught me how difficult it is to find the dawn within the dusk”. Paolo Pizzichini can observe hundreds of sunrises and sunsets over the ocean. And he dreams and lives.
2024-05-10 03:00:58
#scary #Cape #Horn
