Tour guides write to Count: let's provide our expertise to help the country

TheANGT - National Association of Tourist Guides has sent an open letter to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to submit a proposal: make the skills of tourist guides available to work together to turn Italy around. Below is the full text of the letter.

"Most Illustrious President,

Angt - National Association of Tourist Guides - is constantly and with much respect following the tragic events related to Covid 19. As an association, we wish to express our unconditional gratitude to all those who, according to their duties, with dedication and great competence are in the front line, never sparing themselves, to fight this disease that has disrupted the lives of many of our compatriots. The epidemic stole the lives of those who fought to save the lives of others, disrupted social relationships, created uncertainty and hardship.

If we could use an artistic metaphor, we could certainly compare the current moment to Giorgione’s “The Tempest,” where, in the dense cloudscape, we catch a glimpse of lightning ripping through the sky, a light that is ominous but also one of hope,with the life of a young mother in the foreground feeding her baby.

The government you preside over together with ministers is working hard to provide answers to those who suddenly and without escape have lost their jobs. Among them are tourism workers and tour guides, who are pervaded by a sense of anguish every time they see the images of empty, silent, soulless cities broadcast, devoid of the creativity and vivacity that through their work they are used to bring to life, telling their story, soul and infinite beauty.

As of April 1, tour guides will also be able to access the Euro 600.00 bonus provided by the Cura Italia Decree, an amount that certainly does not repay the work that has been lost and will continue to be lost. We now consider the first part of the tourist season cancelled, but we want to be realistic and we are practically certain that we could slowly resume our activity only next year: in fact, tourism needs planning and with the current problems it will be really hard to restart before 2021.

We have read in the last few days that the government is preparing another decree for April, perhaps with a measure that could lead to a slight increase in refreshments for tour guides as well, but that, again, will never be enough to compensate for the work that is no longer there.

In spite of this pessimism that now pervades everything and everyone, Angt thought of submitting a proposal to you to give a sign of hope, but above all to contribute with its professionals to begin that path of rebirth from which we cannot disregard and toward which we should all put our physical and especially intellectual strength.

Tour guides are a huge pool of expertise: archaeologists, art historians, restorers, archivists, teachers, tourism graduates, they speak the most common and rarest languages. As Angt we would like to make these skills available during this period of forced rest. In what way? We leave it up to you President and the ministers to decide how we can treasure these skills, also in collaboration with the regions, in cultural heritage, libraries, archival heritage, consistent with security measures.

This is a noble gesture that gives dignity, to say thank you to Italy and to all those who have contributed, and continue to contribute, to make our lives safer and to save us from this storm that has hit our country and that has troubled our souls and turned our lives upside down.

We want to share with all Italians a message once again through a work of art, Piero della Francesca’s Resurrection, preserved in the Civic Museum of Sansepolcro, “the most beautiful work in the world” was called and we conclude by saying that Italy is the most beautiful country in the world and that after the storm there will be light and beauty for all of us.

With esteem,
The President of Angt
Addolorata Persano"

Pictured: Piero della Francesca, Resurrection (1450-1463; fresco, 225 x 200 cm; Sansepolcro, Museo Civico)

Tour guides write to Count: let's provide our expertise to help the country

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