Limone Faces Floods and Landslides as Officials Call for Improved Drainage

With his pants, shoes, and t-shirt still stained with mud, Franceschino “Chicco” Risatti, deputy mayor of Limone and president of the “Riviera dei Limoni” association which brings together hoteliers from various towns up to Salò, walks back and forth with his cellphone pressed to his ear. He’s been working for hours, since the alarm was triggered.

“We really didn’t need this – he explains – because it’s useless to say that repeated incidents like these are a terrible calling card for our area. I see that tourists are understandably shaken, taking photos, talking among themselves: no, this is really bad publicity. And yes, however, half an hour after the landslide – he continues – four companies were already at work in the areas affected by floods and mud. Everything worked perfectly: Gardesana, covered in debris, was closed for less than an hour, and everything in town was immediately cleaned up.”

We only had one moment of fear: we feared that people might have been sleeping inside a buried van, but fortunately our concerns proved unfounded. As for the mountain – he concludes – it’s clear that more work will be needed to create drainage outlets toward the lake and to remedy past mistakes, when channels like this one were closed. What happened demonstrates that nature, in one way or another, always takes back what has been taken from it.”

Internal reactions and future concerns

Inside the “Panorama”, the atmosphere is heavy. Only Fabiano Fava, who coordinates and welcomes guests at the hotel, speaks, and his words sound like a real outburst.

“How is it possible – he snaps – that even in 2001 such incidents still happen? They worked on the channel to secure it until just a few months ago, spending hundreds of millions, and this is the result? Roads closed to the south and north, even though they were very commendable in building the new tunnel, fires, landslides, and all sorts of inconveniences for guests: at this rate, Limone is truly at risk of dying tourism-wise.”