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1) NURSE GETS VIRUS JUST BEFORE RECEIVING THE VACCINE
2) PRIEST FAINTS DURING MASS, GOOD SAMARITAN GETS COVID
3) ALCOHOL POISONING SPIKES BETWEEN FLORENCE YOUTH
4) A VERY PARTICULAR HOOLIGAN IN LUCCA
5) LOOKING FOR THE CHILD HELPED BY HIS GRANDPA DURING THE WAR

BACKGROUND MUSIC
Title: Siege (Argofox release)
Author: Zentra
License: Creative Commons Attribution
Links: youtu.be/57Dgj1nssXA
https://soundcloud.com/argofox/zentra-siege

LINKS TO ARTICLES
https://iltirreno.gelocal.it/cecina/cronaca/2021/03/01/news/l-infermiera-57enne-del-reparto-covid-e-il-tampone-positivo-il-giorno-del-vaccino-1.39968283
https://iltirreno.gelocal.it/pontedera/cronaca/2021/03/01/news/ho-pensato-a-un-infarto-e-ho-aiutato-don-ettore-ora-sono-in-quarantena-1.39971499
https://corrierefiorentino.corriere.it/firenze/notizie/cronaca/21_marzo_02/firenze-effetto-covid-cresce-l-allarme-alcol-giovani-oltrarno-l-ultimo-coma-etilico-4089bd22-7b16-11eb-a431-957d0ab51442.shtml
https://iltirreno.gelocal.it/lucca/cronaca/2021/03/01/news/arrestato-di-nuovo-il-danneggiatore-seriale-e-pericoloso-qualcuno-deve-intervenire-1.39968551
https://firenze.repubblica.it/cronaca/2021/03/01/news/seconda_guerra_mondiale_inghilterra_borgo_san_lorenzo_neda_totoonchii_bambina-289724539/?rss
https://www.lanazione.it/cronaca/bimba-salvata-soldato-inglese-1.6080419

SCRIPT
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you may be, however you might be listening, welcome to another episode of What’s Up Tuscany, the daily podcast from L’Arno where you will find the most interesting news of today, Tuesday March 2nd 2021, as selected by our journalists. As usual, we invite you to subscribe, share this podcast on social media and let us know what you think of it in the Arno Facebook page or on Twitter. The links are here below in the description.

Let’s start today with an article we read Monday evening on Il Tirreno, a story that puts a face and a soul to those contagion numbers that we hear every single day. Daniela Parenti, a 57 year old nurse from Cecina, on January 13th was scheduled to receive the first dose of the COVID vaccine. Shortly before getting the shot, she felt something was wrong. A quick swab revealed that she had just been infected by the virus. Daniela, who worked from day one in the COVID ward, therefore was forced into quarantine, a process that lasted 35 days. To make things worse, the fact that she had spread the virus to some of her family members. Luckily no one was hospitalized and everyone, Daniela included, managed to beat the virus. All the precautions were useless but Daniela feels she’s lucky. The fear and apprehension are still vivid but she hopes to be able to breathe some freedom soon. From your mouth to God’s ear, ma’am.

Let’s keep in topic with an article we read this morning on Il Tirreno. In Bientina, a small town in Valdera that has been hit hard by the pandemic, during Friday’s Mass, the vicar, don Ettore Baroni, fainted while celebrating. Fearing for a stroke, one of the faithful, Stefano Susini, immediately rushed to his aid - an instinctive gesture that could have serious repercussions. Don Ettore, in fact, had a high fever after being infected with the COVID virus. The entrepreneur is now self-isolating with his wife, while the church has been temporarily closed. Stefano would do it again, though. Quote “I was worried when I saw don Ettore fainting. When the ambulance arrived, I stayed there to help him get on the gurney. I thought it was nothing serious but then I started thinking it could be COVID” end quote. A simple, very human gesture that could come with a high price tag for this Good Samaritan. These are seriously weird times...

Let’s move on now to a story we read this morning on the Corriere Fiorentino, one that talks about how many youngsters are trying to numb their pain with alcohol. Valentino Patussi, head of the Alcohol Addiction Service at the Careggi hospital is worried from the explosion of alcohol poisoning in the Florence area. The latest accident happened Sunday morning when two American students in the Oltrarno area asked for help at 3 AM when a friend fainted after a private party. It is not an isolated accident. Of the six thousand alcohol dependencies followed by the Careggi centre, 10% have between 11 and 15 years of age while 45% are between 16 and 18. Quote “if during the lockdown alcohol consumption dropped significantly, now we are experiencing a spike, especially in very young patients. The problem is mostly reported by the families, who are much more present, as many work from home. What are the causes? A simple change of behaviours. These are the same kids that used to go to discos. If before you waited until the evening to go get a drink, people now start in the early afternoon” end quote. Alcohol-fueled binges that sometimes last until late at night...

Let’s try to lighten the mood with a story we read Monday evening on the Lucca edition of Il Tirreno, that of a very peculiar hooligan that has been targeting people downtown since last October. The author of a long series of accidents is a 76 years old pensioner that, once in a while, goes out and smashes anything that gets in his way - cars, road signs, postboxes, everything. Latest episode involved a large vase in front of a pub on the Viale di San Concordio. The pub owner, Nicola Centoni, is beyond himself. Quote “he turned over a vase that could weigh 100 kilograms, making it fall from a wall, he is very dangerous. We know who he is, he strikes only in this area. It’s the third time he damages my property. When he gets angry, he just lashes out” end quote. The senior citizen was arrested but it’s quite likely that he won’t be detained, just as it happened the last two times. One time he was arrested while damaging a car with a large stick, while on January 23rd he was caught after placing two large gas tanks in front of a party office. A really unusual story indeed. We will let you know how it develops in the coming episodes.

Let’s close today’s episode with a story we read this morning on La Nazione, a story that brings us back to the tough days of Winter in 1944, when the front was slowly moving through our region. In Borgo San Lorenzo, two British soldiers of the Royal Scots, while on patrol, found a young child hiding in a destroyed house. She was lost and hungry so they helped her find her family. As food was scarce for civilians, they brought them something from the regiment’s canteen. The family was so thankful they invited the soldiers to a home-cooked dinner. The nephew of one of those soldiers knows this story very well: his grandpa told it all the time. Now that he’s married to a woman from Florence, he sought out the help of people on social media to find that young child, to know if she remembers the soldier that helped her back then. His grandfather, Harry Rodney, died in 2012 but the picture he shot with that child from Borgo remained with him for all his life. He couldn’t forget the expression on her face when he found her. Let’s hope someone helps them to get in touch. We could all use a happy ending.

That was all for today, I’m your host Luca Bocci and I’ll see you tomorrow for another episode of What’s Up Tuscany, the daily podcast from L’Arno where you’ll find the news that, according to us, are well worth a second look. Thanks for listening and goodbye.