one year after his death
Today, March 25 2001, it is exactly one year since Paolo Farinella died.
I wish to share with all his friends and colleagues a nice picture of him that I have
found by chance, hidden in the last bit of a film I had completely forgotten about. It
must have been around May 1999, Paolo was back in Pisa from Trieste for a few days, and we
were just chatting in my office. I had a camera, to take pictures of some instrument
parts, and needed to finish the last bit of a film that was already in the camera. So, I
just took a picture of Paolo. After that, I completely forgot about it, until I found it
almost by chance. Indeed, it was my daughter Alice, looking for something in my room at
home, that saw it falling off a tower of old papers. Paolo is sitting at my desk, he
wears a nice colourful jumper and smiles nicely. It is amazing how quickly we forget the
eyes and the smile of people that we not see anymore...At least I do, and that is
why I like so much to look at this picture.
Last year, on Sunday April 2, we had a touching celebration of Paolo at "La
Limonaia", in Pisa. Many of his friends came, from all over Italy and even from France
and the US., We shared our memories and our grief. An American colleague and friend, Joe
Burns, could not come from so far away, but wished to participate. He sent me by e-mail a
few lines he had written thinking of Paolo, and wished them to be read to his freinds. I
did't check my e-mail that morning, and didn't read his words. But I liked them a lot, so
here they are.
Joe Burns, Thinking of Paolo, April 1 2000