The glance
The gate smiles at me scornful. The rust certificates that it hasn’t been taken care of. But not for a long time, cause the scars are localized, not spread. They are specially on the borders, where the bad weather had probably more opportunities to take effect. Where now there are two wide open eyes, with no innocence, eaten by rust, a too recent chain passes through, with no sign of strain, if i don’t consider the plastic, too thin and inadequate to resist if compared to the other materials. The chain is that kind used for bicycles: absolutely useless. It seems as if there isn’t a real will to keep people away from entering. Tha gate itself is that kind that you can take off its hinges with a glance. There are no guards around, no junk, no graffiti. It looks as if this area is snubbed by everybody, the good and the evil (but who are the good ones and who the evil?). I almost think it’s not abandoned, it’s so different from Bovisa. I now start understanding the fascination about each destination: never the same. At the beginning i used to think: broken glass, weeds and nasty people... but here everything is so tidy it looks like it has been freezed a special moment, i wonder which and why.
In the meantime i’ve studied: the Richard Ginori it’s an important ceramic industry, with an important history. It’s the join of two groups: the Ginori (which has it’s origins since 1300) and the Richard (born in 1800 in Milan). Today it still produces pieces designed by the famous italian architect Gio Ponti. In short... it’s a shame i didn’t know anything about it! I haven’t found any news about the factory in Milan, so i don’t know when they were closed (i’ll just have to ask to someone who knows better thn i). I’ve read an article from last year which said that there lived 150 immigrants, clandestine and not, who got the hold on some areas inside the big factory. They managed to find the way to get electricity, so they could use the fridge and watch tv. A real well organized comunity. Many of them were women from the north east of Europe, with a job as maids for italian families: they couldn’t find a decent home, so they got what they found, trying not to give up to certain comforts today essential (as the fridge). This news consoles me, cause i can’t think of a bunch of assassins maids. At the worst they could insult me... but it would be in russian anyway, so i wouldn’t understand. But i have the feeling that things have changed in the last year, so i go searching for proofs.
