The avalanche on St.Primo Mount - 1946
St.Primo Mountain | The Lentina stone | The 1946 avalanche
A story by Carletto Sancassani (1939).
After having built the Albergone ("Albergo Parco Monte S. Primo", inaugurated in 1928) he moved on to the construction of the annex with garages attached, just to the front of the hotel itself.
An old farmer, on his way to the Alps in front the construction site, asked the workers in his dialect: "Cusa si dree a fà ?" ("Cosa state facendo?" "What are you doing?"). "The annex to the hotel", replied the workers. Hearing the response, the old man, shaking his head, said: "Alora si dree afa un cimiteri!" ("Allora state costruendo un cimitero !" "So your building a cemetery, then!").
This because, as that man remembered well, in the past, avalanches has fallen on that point. During the Second World War, the uncontrolled deforestation of that mountain worsened the situation and therefor, with no more trees that could stop the snow, the danger of avalanches multiplied.
And so, on March 14, 1946, an avalanche detached from the mountain and buried the annex. It was said that that it was involuntarily provoked by two foreign skiers, staying in the hotel. Eleven people were found dead, all people who were staying there because they worked there.
Only Colombo saved himself - he was found 36 hours later. He survived thanks to the fact that he found himself in a type of niche under a beam. His wife and their daughter, who were with him at that moment, died however.
During the Second World War, Colombo had already been trapped under the bombings in Milan, he had then come here with his family to work and this new terrible thing happened to him.
Ghisallo is one of the most noted places for cycling lovers world-wide; each year it is the destination of thousands of athletes who come here to visit the...continue |
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