After the Storm

Well, the excitement of yesterday finally wore off late last evening. The finality of it sunk in today after taking a tour on the bicycle after lunch. The initial tally is estimated at 5 million euro in damage. Estimated somewhere between a F1 and F2 on the Fujitsu scale. So, strong enough!!!

Most of the damage was to two industrial parks. So, lots of sheet metal, fiberglass roofing panels and insulation is strewn all about. I amazed myself that I didn't puncture a tire riding through the industrial park with the other curious seekers. A couple interesting pictures with a corn field completely flattened and all the leaves stripped off the stalks... metal panels torn and twisted in all kinds of shapes... some of which are wrapped around objects into modern art... walls torn down... cars that look like they've been to the auto wrecker... the smell of pine sap in the air from lots of down trees... roofs with holes... and then the actual industrial park buildings... all mangled, broken windows and twisted frames, piles of detritus all about, bits of asbestos roof panels (damn them for not removing sooner as required by law)... lorries that have been picked up, turned around and thrown down... I saw one guy driving a car away that looked like it had been to the Mad Max Thunder Dome... front window completely smashed in, missing half the front end and doors mangled. Another guy was putting his bicycle in the back of his car... all twisted, but still didn't fit in his car. I was thinking... why salvage it?

So there you have it. My choice from the outing is this historic farmstead less than a chilometer from the office. Cascina Bandeggiata. Initially built in 1721 and heavily modified in the early 1900's. I've been meaning to blip this structure for a long time and was just thinking yesterday morning that the timing was perfect after bringing in the wheat and the bright yellow summer sun... too late! I said I'd do it during my lunchtime ride, but I didn't go out yesterday due to the weather. haha Most of the roof is missing now and the center tower is completely gone. All kinds of terracotta roof tiles are scattered everywhere on the ground. Some of the walls around the stables were knocked down... It is currently in private ownership and will be a pity if they don't build it back... I doubt it.

On a side note... looking in large, notice the two love birds in the round attic window. Love endurs, even after the storm. They didn't seem to mind that there house now is roofless - and quite happy to cuddle and coddle there for all to see!

;-)