The Mayor of Novara called Silvana Moscatelli, has 67 years. Receive me into his office in town with a handshake and a smile. It seems like many an encounter in the life of a reporter: One of the usual interviews. But it is not true. This is a special meeting because the mayor of Novara is blind. The only blind mayor of Italy: "There was one in a small town in Puglia, but many years ago," he says.
Throughout his life, until last spring, the view was perfect. The disease - a sudden darkness that no doctor has yet to explain - came in April 2010, in the days when Silvana Moscatelli has become the first city of Novara, taking the place of Massimo Giordano, elected regional council. I feel a little embarrassed about wanting to tell his story but the interview will slip away peaceful. In the end, you feel that you have received a mysterious force, perhaps even more courage to live.
Mr. Mayor, let's start with the usual Preliminary its previous history in a nutshell.
"I was born in Foligno, my father was an army general, are more than forty years in Novara. I taught letters in high school until 1993, when I retired and I am dedicated to politics. I am a widow for ten years, I have a daughter - Ilaria - 38 year old granddaughter and a 5 '.
She was until April 2010 to the budget commissioner and vice mayor. Then what happened?
"After the administrative Mayor Giordano has chosen to go to the region and we wanted to avoid new elections. From vice, would become mayor. "
She was good in those days?
"Apparently very well. My doctor ordered a routine exam. They find that a value of blood called CPK, and should be a maximum of 270, is 63,000. No human has ever had such high value: the record, if we use this term, was a young man who had arrived in La Spezia 43,000. The doctor says that risk kidney failure, and therefore life. I rushed. "
Remember when she entered the hospital?
"It was a Saturday. I am told that the disease called rhabdomyolysis, or something like that. I stick to drip to do the washing of the kidneys. "
The view?
"Nobody thought at the sight. I had ten tenths in both eyes. Never worn glasses in my life, only to read but was given the physiological age. On Monday, I begin to realize that vision is improving. Every day that passed, I saw less and less. I went home after twenty-five days and I could see something, say some shade. Then even those: more than anything. "
How could this happen?
I do not know. The doctors say it is a mystery because the eyes are still very healthy. Perhaps I had inflammation of the optic nerves: in both, and this fact seems to have very little previous.
has decided not to give up the mayor.
'It's clear that in those days around me there was much political unrest. Everyone thought that I would quit. For ten days stata ferma e zitta, mi sono chiusa in me stessa per riflettere. Mi sono chiesta se ero in grado di affrontare un impegno del genere. Le dico una cosa: io ho percepito subito che non sarei guarita. Ma ho pensato che la vita va interpretata secondo le modalità nuove che presenta, e che spesso non dipendono da noi. Ho pensato: se rinuncio, la città viene commissariata e tutto il lavoro fatto non verrà portato a termine. Ho concluso che per Novara era meglio un sindaco non vedente che un commissario».
Com’è la sua vita quotidiana, adesso?
«Entro in Comune alle 8 ed esco alle 19. A mezzogiorno mangio un panino al bar qui sotto. Vado a tutte le manifestazioni, ai dibattiti, alle inaugurazioni. Ormai i novaresi sanno. Mi hanno mandato centinaia di mail e di lettere di stima e di solidarietà».
Nessuno ha eccepito? Nessuno ha detto che una città così grande – Novara ha 103.000 abitanti ed è un capoluogo di provincia! – non può avere un sindaco non vedente?
«Mi dicono che qualcuno, e non solo dell’opposizione, ha contestato, dicendo che gli atti che firmo non possono essere legittimi. Ma la legge mi permette di firmarli. La mia segretaria me li legge e io li firmo. Ho inventato un riquadro di cartone dentro il quale passo la biro e firmo».
Come fa ad avere cognizione di tutto? Sembra impossibile.
«Chi vede non può capirlo, ma la memoria e la concentrazione are refined greatly. Even the perception of appearances: sometimes my niece tells me no onna , but you see us! , because I can always understand where he is. Believe me, it is. The city council in September 27 I pitted in memory all the data of the budget, that others saw on the slide. "
really do not hope to recover?
"There is always hope, but I feel that even doctors do not believe anymore. I was in Germany and they told me: Madam, you better do a course for the blind. My strength, let me tell you otherwise do not understand is that just took over a kind of acceptance. I understand that this new situation andava affrontata aggredendola e impostando una nuova vita».
Chi l’assiste?
«Tanti mi aiutano, naturalmente. Ma ho deciso di continuare a vivere da sola. In casa siamo io e il mio splendido cane, Pippo. Mi lavo, mi preparo la colazione del mattino e mi vesto da sola. Scelgo gli abiti che indosso: li riconosco, e cerco sempre di essere elegante perché non rinuncio alla mia femminilità».
Pippo è un cane per ciechi?
«Ma no, è il cane che avevo già. Le racconto questo. Quando ho capito che avrei perso la vista, i miei primi pensieri sono stati: non vedrò crescere la mia nipotina, e temo di perdere Pippo. E’ un cane che era stato abbandonato in a forest and tied to a tree, I had read his own story in La Stampa and receiving taken. I was afraid that he would feel abandoned again. I assure you that he received the news, they become more protective. "
Madam, how can he be so calm?
"Everyone was surprised. The other day I came here to talk about a writer Novara his project. He had not realized that I'm blind. At one point I got a book and I had to tell him. E 'was forbidden. He promised me to be reading this. And when he left he said: I'm leaving positively bewildered. "
you what - excuse me ma non trovo un altro verbo – «vede»?
«Buio, nero. Solo buio e solo nero assoluto. Conservo una memoria delle cose che ho visto prima. E qualcosa riesco a immaginare anche delle cose nuove: basta un rumore, un odore… Ad esempio quando ero in ospedale a Tubinga, un posto dove non ero mai stata, mia figlia mi accompagnava a passeggio in città e percepivo, davo forma e figura a qualcosa: un giardino, una strada, una piazza. E’ così. Ma voglio continuare a vivere, non mi arrendo».
L’intervista è finita. Silvana Moscatelli si alza per salutarmi, le sue mani cercano riferimenti in un mondo diventato misterioso. Solo in questo momento si avverte in lei qualcosa che sembra una debolezza. But perhaps it is a force.
Michele Brambilla, La Stampa
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