The educational project at “Dante Alighieri” school of Olgiate Olona
In order to provide continuity and sightedness to the memory of June 26, 1959, an educational project has been started in 2010 thanks to the intuition of Alberto Colombo supported by Beato Contardo Ferrini Institute and by the Municipality of Olgiate Olona. The project is addressed to the students in the eighth-grade of Dante Alighieri school and consists of: a multimedia conversation in the classroom about the historical fact and the commemorative events, dialog with the students, screening of the video of song Olgiate Olona, 26 Giugno 1959 composed by Nicola Puddu; production of a work written in Italian language follows. The works in poetry and prose are received anonymous; then they are selected and judged by a jury outside the school; the most deserving works - those which best reflect the historical fact and the commemorative events - are rewarded during the commemoration of June the 26. Because of their exceptional nature, some works received a Special award offered personally by Alberto Colombo with the authorization of Olgiate Olona mayor.
school year:
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Commemoration of June 26, 2019 - Ilaria Benetazzo, first classified
Commemoration of June 26, 2019 - Swami Giani, second classified
Commemoration of June 26, 2019 - Carlotta Gareri, third classified
Works awarded school year 2018-2019
In 2019, the educational project in memory of the plane crash has been addressed to 67 students in the eighth grade of Dante Alighieri school. The following are the translations of the works rewarded during the ceremony of the 60th anniversary of June 26, 2019. In that occasion, Matilda Marchetta was awarded with the merit certificate for her poem Ali bianche, first classified and Special Award in 2016, best work of the first ten editions of the educational project.
First classified, the poem Nel nulla by ILARIA BENETAZZO:
Nel nulla
(into thin air)
I can’t think of anything,
I can’t hear anything.
I died on that day.
Yes, right on that day.
What was supposed to be a happy day
then turned out to be the last of my unhappy life.
I was on that plane to visit new places:
they will always remain hidden and unknown to me.
I can only imagine them now
that I am lost in discolored fires.
On that day my body went out forever,
but my soul did not,
it remained close
to the people I cared about most.
To remind them
that I loved them immensely.
And I still do it from up there, gently.
Second classified, the poem La memoria ritrovata by SWAMI GIANI:
La memoria ritrovata
(recovered memory)
A day like many others,
but flew away like a wind blow,
a little girl, breathing
the heartbeat of the woman
who held her close to her chest,
a traveling family
looking for a new world
and a woman whose only reason for living
was to feel the breath of her baby
on her lap.
Aspirations that have turned out to be illusions...
There are days that are made to be forgotten
days when the hours are not enough
and days when memory is built
to overcome the oblivion of death.
Third classified, the poem Stelle cadenti by CARLOTTA GARERI:
Stelle cadenti
(falling stars)
Life and death.
Day and night.
Something changed on that June 26,
the time stopped for a moment.
There was no escape for those seventy lives,
they faded like dreams in a flash.
Those people knew the end,
but they tried to keep their lives close to them
all clinging to one hope
which was never enough however.
Some stories remained anonymous
among those seventy hearts and those seventy souls
that were taken away to the universe;
everything was lost in a moment
only smoke and ash remained;
here, such a thing never happened,
in a town lost in nothingness
which cradled these lives.
Emotions that cannot be described
we simply have to live together with.
Now I write this verse
with a totally different heart
to remember,
but not to forget above all.
Commemoration of June 26, 2019 - The students authors of the most deserving works of the educational project
Documents and articles related to the educational project 2018-2019
July 5, 2019 - Article published in La Settimana
Disastro aereo, ecco gli studenti premiati
June 28, 2019 - Article published in La Settimana
Sessant’anni fa il disastro aereo, gli studenti ricordano la tragedia
June 21, 2019 - Article published in La Settimana
Gli studenti ricordano il disastro aereo
February 4, 2019 - Article published in La prealpina
I lavori degli studenti per il disastro aereo
January 29, 2019 - Article published in Malpensa24.it
I ragazzi delle scuole medie di Olgiate ricordano la tragedia aerea del 1959
January 28, 2019 - Article published in LegnanoNews.com
Disastro aereo di Olgiate Olona, decima edizione del progetto didattico