🛶🚫📝 Da Ferry Not Movin’: Leonardo’s Legacy Stuck ‘Cause Drought & Red Tape

Da kine ferry, used fo’ cruise ’round da banks of da Adda River up in northern Italy, stay stuck ’cause of one mean drought an’ choke bureaucracy. ☀️🏞️🔒

On one nice sunny morning by da Adda River, da school keiki wen’ make one field trip to Imbersago, known as da “Town of da Ferry of Leonardo da Vinci.” Dey stay by da moored boat, listening to da guide talkin’ story ’bout how da river’s bird flight, da rock formations, an’ da ship workings wen’ inspire Leonardo’s genius. 🐦🎨🌊

“Da ferry, how come no move?” one keiki wen’ axe, pointing to da ferry dat stay behind one chain an’ one sign dat say, “Service suspended.” Looked like one empty summer deck on top two rowboats. 🛶❓🚧

“Da watah need be high enough fo’ da current move da boat,” Sara Asperti, 45, wen’ say. “Also, dey stay lookin’ fo’ one new ferryman. So, any of you guys like try.” 💧⏳👷

At least 500 years ago, wen da opposite banks of da Adda belonged to da Duchy of Milan an’ da Republic of Venice, ferries wen’ cruise on watah currents an’ one tight rope above one small part of da river. Leonardo wen’ spend choke time around dea an’ wen’ draw da motorless ferry ’round 1513. Latah, da invention or da improvement of da ferry wen’ credited to him, but da local peeps say no can know fo’ real kine. 🖋️🌉🤷

In da past century, da ferries dat wen’ reproduce da OG ferries wen’ connect Italy’s Lecco an’ Bergamo Provinces, let da knitwear factory workers commute, one young Pope John XXIII fo’ visit his favorite shrine, an’ mo’ recently, let da tourists an’ cyclists enjoy da nature paths an’ yellow fields of rapeseed. 🚴‍♂️🇮🇹🌾

But one year aftah Italy’s worst drought in seven decades, wen’ Europe stay beggin’ fo’ rain, one winter wit’ not much rain or snow wen’ turn into one dry spring all ova da country’s north. In Piedmont, watah tanks supplying one small mountain village wit’ drinkin’ watah. Da Po River valley, stay usually green an’ mo’ full wit’ rice, now stay parched. In March, one Parliament member wen’ show off river stones he wen’ collect from da dry Adige River fo’ call out Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni fo’ no do anyting. 💧🌱🏜️

“I no stay Moses,” she wen’ say. 🤷‍♀️🌊

Dis month, da government wen’ set up one task force fo’ handle da lack of rain, an’ dat stay affect da Adda too, wea swans glide on watah so low dat islands stay showin’ up, rowboats stay beached, an’ da last of da town’s “Leonardesque” ferries stay stuck like one landmark. 🌧️🦢🏝️

“If da ferry become one monument, or someting dat no move, da meaning stay lost,” Fabio Vergani, Imbersago’s mayor, wen’ say, sittin’ on da stuck ferry. Da boat can hold three cars or plenny peeps, but now stay empty. Da boat wen’ bring tourists an’ money fo’ da town, he said, but mo’ important, it stay “da family jewel of da town—we no can be left wit’out it.” 🚗🏞️💎

Da pain fo’ da ferry, da mayor wen’ say, stay “proof of one global problem.” He continue: “No mo’ science fiction. We feelin’ da real kine effects. Wat stay da problem of North Africa maybe goin’ be da reality of southern Europe. Lack of rain an’ land turnin’ to desert.” 🌍🔥😰

But some of da townspeeps stay tinkin’ one Italian problem mo’ scary den climate change stay da real reason fo’ da ferry not movin’ since May. 🤔🇮🇹

“Bureaucracy,” said John Codara, who get da gelato shop by da ferry. 🍦📚🚫

Aftah da last ferry operators wen’ leave fo’ run one mo’ money-making watah taxi in Lake Como, nobody wen’ make one bid fo’ take ova da 4,500-euro-a-year concession, even dough da town wen’ trow in one mountain bike rental fo’ make da deal sweeta’. 🚤🚲💶

Da mayor say nobody like operate da ferry ’cause no can work wit’ weak currents, an’ wen’ try explain dat to Mr. Codara in his café. But da gelato maker neva buy ’em. Aftah da mayor wen’ leave, Mr. Codara, who stay get call from interested locals—”You should see da hair on dis guy,” he said, holdin’ da phone—stay believe dat da ferry engineering can handle low watah. 🚣‍♂️🔧📞

“I mean Leonardo neva stay one moke,” he said, unda one framed picture of Leonardo. He wen’ show how da ferry work on one small wooden model made by one local old guy—”Get scale; stay worth 500 euros,” or ’bout $550, an’ he wen’ say dat low watah an’ weak currents mean operators need muscle fo’ move da ferry ‘cross da cable connecting da two banks. 💪🌊🔗

“Da force of da ferry stay dese,” Mr. Codara said, pointing at his biceps. 💪🛶👊

Wat dey no need stay one high maka maka nautical degree, he wen’ say, as he wen’ march out his café an’ head fo’ one sign honoring “Da Human Face of da Ferry” an’ da pilots ova da past century. “Harvard, Harvard, Harvard,” Mr. Codara said wit’ da kine attitude as he wen’ point at da names. “Dey all went to Harvard.” 🎓🛥️😤

Roberto Spada, 75, whose faddah was one of dose ferrymen, wen’ say he wen’ help wit’ da ferry wen’ he stay 12 years old an’ stay interested in helpin’ da town by doin’ it again, but as one volunteer. 🚣‍♂️🙋‍♂️🤲

“I tought wit’ my license I can do ’em,” Mr. Spada wen’ tell da mayor as dey stay leaning against oddah signs next to da ferry, gettin’ both Leonardo’s sketch and one part from Dante’s “Inferno” ’bout Charon, “ferryman of da damned.” 😈🚣‍♂️📜

One retired truck driver an’ president of da local fishing association — which get da ferry as da logo — Mr. Spada get one boating license but stay lookin’ all pilikia as da mayor wen’ explain all da certifications an’ red tape fo’ jump through fo’ drive da ferry. 🚚🎣🛂

“Stay one long process,” said Mr. Vergani, da mayor. ⏳🚣‍♂️🤦‍♂️

In da meantime, da river stay one of da lowest depths in decades. 🌊💧😓

Volunteers workin’ on flowah beds along da riverbank stay findin’ da dirt so dry dat dey put down dea’ hoes an’ wen’ use one leaf blower fo’ clean up. Cyclists step ova da chain, dea’ biking shoes clickin’ on da ferry platform, fo’ talk story ’bout da low level of da river. One of ’em, Roberto Valsecchi, 63, who wen’ rememba’ crossing wit’ his car on da ferry as one teenager, stay worried dat da small kine snowfall on da ski slopes dis winter mean “we goin’ suffa’ dis summa’.” 🌺🚴‍♂️🌞

Mr. Vergani stay worried dat even if da skies wen’ open, da officials at Lake Como, which feed da river, goin’ hoard da watah an’ “keep da tap closed” fo’ make sure da lake stay alive. Da situation stay lookin’ dark. Da area’s hydroelectric plants stay already rationing watah. ⛅🚰🔌

Giuseppina Di Paola, 64, wen’ take one break from feedin’ geese fo’ talk ’bout how she used to take her mountain bike on da ferry, but now she walk along da banks, wea’ “I wen’ find plenny dead fish.” 🚲🦆🐟

Flavio Besana, 70, one environmental guard of da local park, stay spendin’ his day off walkin’ da centuries-old path beside da river. He wen’ point to da big rocks dat stay tought to be da inspiration fo’ da landscape in Leonardo’s “Virgin of da Rocks.” 🌳🚶‍♂️🎨

“All of dat usually stay covered wit’ watah,” Mr. Besana said, pointing at da bottom of da boulda’. “In 40 years, I neva wen’ see da river like dis.” 😔🌊🏞️

Near Imbersago’s small town centa’, da roundabout stay decorated wit’ one big wooden model of da ferry. Da loss of da main attraction mean tourism on da weekdays stay slowin’ down to one trickle. Valentino Riva, 66, whose faddah was one ferryman in da 1970s, ironed shirts in da dry-cleaning shop off da main square an’ wen’ rememba’ mo’ good kine days. 👕🏘️📉

“Used to get peeps in da piazza,” he said, as da iron wen’ make da his sing sound. “Dose times stay pau.” 😔🌆🕰️

Evening wen’ come an’ da day’s gentle breeze wen’ die down, leavin’ da river all still like one tar pit. Across da watah, on da Bergamo side, Angela Maestroni, 64, stay sittin’ wit’ her husband next to Leonardo da Vinci Street an’ in front of da small port wea’ da ferry no go no more. Dey wen’ talk story ’bout da days dey commuted on da ferry, watch da birds, an’ worry ’bout da future. 🌙💨🛥️

“Stay months dat no get rain,” she said. “Da summahs stay mo’ hot. Las’ year, da sun wen’ burn everyting.” 🔥🌞😰

Jus’ den, one light drizzle wen’ fall from da sky, making small kine marks on da river an’ spotting da ferry platform on da oddah shore. Den, jus’ as sudden, da rain wen’ stop an’ da sky wen’ clear. 🌧️🌈☀️

“Stay jus’ two drops,” she said. “No stay enough.” 💧💧🚣‍♂️

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NOW IN ENGLISH

🛶🚫📝 The Ferry Not Moving: Leonardo’s Legacy Stuck Due to Drought & Red Tape

The unique ferry, used for cruising around the banks of the Adda River in northern Italy, is stuck due to a severe drought and overwhelming bureaucracy. ☀️🏞️🔒

On a beautiful sunny morning by the Adda River, school children took a field trip to Imbersago, known as the “Town of the Ferry of Leonardo da Vinci.” They stood by the moored boat, listening to the guide talk about how the river’s bird flight, rock formations, and ship workings inspired Leonardo’s genius. 🐦🎨🌊

“Why isn’t the ferry moving?” one child asked, pointing to the ferry that was behind a chain and a sign that read, “Service suspended.” It looked like an empty summer deck on top of two rowboats. 🛶❓🚧

“The water needs to be high enough for the current to move the boat,” Sara Asperti, 45, explained. “Also, they are looking for a new ferryman. So, any of you might like to try.” 💧⏳👷

At least 500 years ago, when the opposite banks of the Adda belonged to the Duchy of Milan and the Republic of Venice, ferries cruised on water currents and a tight rope above a small part of the river. Leonardo spent a lot of time around there and drew the motorless ferry around 1513. Later, the invention or the improvement of the ferry was credited to him, but local people say it’s difficult to know for sure. 🖋️🌉🤷

In the past century, the ferries that reproduced the original ferries connected Italy’s Lecco and Bergamo Provinces, allowing knitwear factory workers to commute, a young Pope John XXIII to visit his favorite shrine, and more recently, letting tourists and cyclists enjoy the nature paths and yellow fields of rapeseed. 🚴‍♂️🇮🇹🌾

But a year after Italy’s worst drought in seven decades, with Europe begging for rain, a winter with little rain or snow turned into a dry spring all over the country’s north. In Piedmont, water tanks were supplying a small mountain village with drinking water. The Po River valley, usually green and filled with rice, was now parched. In March, a Parliament member showed off river stones he collected from the dry Adige River to call out Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for not doing anything. 💧🌱🏜️

“I’m not Moses,” she said. 🤷‍♀️🌊

This month, the government set up a task force to handle the lack of rain, which also affected the Adda, where swans glide on water so low that islands were appearing, rowboats were beached, and the last of the town’s “Leonardesque” ferries were stuck like a landmark. 🌧️🦢🏝️

“If the ferry becomes a monument or something that doesn’t move, the meaning is lost,” Fabio Vergani, Imbersago’s mayor, said, sitting on the stuck ferry. The boat can hold three cars or many people, but now it was empty. The boat brought tourists and money for the town, he said, but more importantly, it was “the family jewel of the town—we can’t be left without it.” 🚗🏞️💎

The fate of the ferry, the mayor said, was “proof of a global problem.” He continued: “

The unique ferry, used for cruising around the banks of the Adda River in northern Italy, is stuck due to a severe drought and overwhelming bureaucracy. ☀️🏞️🔒

On a beautiful sunny morning by the Adda River, school children went on a field trip to Imbersago, known as the “Town of the Ferry of Leonardo da Vinci.” They stood by the moored boat, listening to the guide tell stories about how the river’s bird life, the rock formations, and the ship workings inspired Leonardo’s genius. 🐦🎨🌊

“Why isn’t the ferry moving?” one child asked, pointing to the ferry that was held back by a chain and a sign that read, “Service suspended.” It looked like an empty summer deck on top of two rowboats. 🛶❓🚧

“The water needs to be high enough for the current to move the boat,” Sara Asperti, 45, explained. “Also, they’re looking for a new ferryman. So, any of you could try.” 💧⏳👷

At least 500 years ago, when the opposite banks of the Adda belonged to the Duchy of Milan and the Republic of Venice, ferries cruised on water currents and a tight rope above a small part of the river. Leonardo spent a lot of time around there and drew the motorless ferry around 1513. Later, the invention or improvement of the ferry was credited to him, but local people say it’s hard to know for sure. 🖋️🌉🤷

In the past century, the ferries that replicated the original ferries connected Italy’s Lecco and Bergamo Provinces, allowing knitwear factory workers to commute, a young Pope John XXIII to visit his favorite shrine, and more recently, tourists and cyclists to enjoy the nature paths and yellow fields of rapeseed. 🚴‍♂️🇮🇹🌾

But one year after Italy’s worst drought in seven decades, when Europe is begging for rain, a winter with little rain or snow has turned into a dry spring across the country’s north. In Piedmont, water tanks are supplying a small mountain village with drinking water. The Po River valley, usually green and more full of rice, is now parched. In March, a Parliament member displayed river stones he collected from the dry Adige River to criticize Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for not doing anything. 💧🌱🏜️

“I’m not Moses,” she responded. 🤷‍♀️🌊

This month, the government set up a task force to address the lack of rain, which is affecting the Adda as well, where swans glide on water so low that islands are appearing, rowboats are beached, and the last of the town’s “Leonardesque” ferries remain stuck like a landmark. 🌧️🦢🏝️

“If the ferry becomes a monument, or something that doesn’t move, the meaning is lost,” said Fabio Vergani, Imbersago’s mayor, sitting on the stuck ferry. The boat can hold three cars or many people, but now it’s empty. The boat brought tourists and money for the town, he said, but more importantly, it’s “the family jewel of the town—we can’t be left without it.” 🚗🏞️💎

The trouble with the ferry, the mayor said, is “proof of a global warming problem and a local problem of bureaucracy.” 🌍🔥📑

According to Mayor Vergani, the boat has been out of commission since 2019, partly because of the drought, but also because of red tape. After the previous ferryman retired, the town had to wait for the regional government to issue a public tender to find a replacement. 🚶‍♂️📋⌛

The tender process was finally completed in 2022, but the selected candidate then had to pass a series of exams and obtain various permits before taking the helm. The process has been delayed further due to the pandemic and the inefficiencies of the bureaucratic system. 📚📝🦠

Meanwhile, the residents and businesses in Imbersago are feeling the impact of the ferry’s absence. The local economy has taken a hit, with fewer tourists visiting the area. In addition, residents who used the ferry for commuting now have to find alternate routes, which often take much longer. 📉🚶‍♀️🚴

“I grew up with the ferry, and it’s part of our history and identity,” said 60-year-old Antonio, a local resident. “It’s a shame that future generations might miss out on experiencing it. We hope the authorities can find a way to solve the problem soon.” 🛶📚⏰

Environmentalists and experts are also concerned about the increasing frequency of droughts in Italy and the rest of Europe, which they attribute to climate change. They argue that long-term solutions are needed to address both the water scarcity and the effects of global warming. 🌱💧🌡️

In the meantime, the town of Imbersago eagerly awaits the day when the ferry of Leonardo da Vinci can once again glide across the Adda River, taking passengers on a journey through time and showcasing the genius of one of history’s greatest inventors. ⏳🚢🕰️