The school continues

We’re back in our car, ready to reach the first redlight to go back, when suddenlty few meters ahead we realize that the building we stopped to see wasn’t the one we saw at first. It’s impossible to find another parking lot, so Alessandro stops where he’s not supposed to and sends me out to view the right building, waiting for me in the car, with the blinkers on that seem to push me away. What i see from the street is fascinating itself. It looks like a haunted house: a low grey building, with no windows at all, no glass, with a greyish covering, emphasized by the bare trees resting during the winter. If it was spring i’d probably wouldn’t have noticed it: it would have been completely hidden by the green flourishing trees (as much as they can get over here). I reach the other side of the street. On the tips of my toes i look over the nth rusty gate, but less off its hinges than the other ones i’ve seen before. I take some pictures and look around. What i see leaves a bit disappointed and charmed at the same time. Behind the wall all i see is the building i noticed from the street and a large area full of chilled weeds, traces of forgotten old asphalt and few bags of trash. I wonder way trash never misses. Farther on i see a series of small buildings that seem to be also abandoned. While i’m thinking an attendant of the cityhall distracts me from my thoughts, asking me for pure personal curiosity, what am i doing. I don’t really know why, but i find myself telling a series of half truths and following lies. I explain i study architecture (truth) and that i have to do a project on this area (lie): i don’t know why, but i didn’t feel like telling him about my thesis. It’s shocking how i’m able to say the wrong thing in the right moment. He’s an attendant of the cityhall: he goes around the city all day long working. Who else better than him should know all the forgotten areas of th city? Obviously i think of this only after. I’m just too shy and i get very anxious when somebody speaks to me when i’m not prepared. The guy smiles at me sly while he speaks to me, which makes me feel uneasy. Would have he stopped me if i were a boy? Would have he stared at me with that dreamy look in his eyes? This is probably the reason i try to cut this uncomfortable conversation. Improvising is not up to my ally. I wouldn’t have thought of nothing smart to ask if it wasn’t him to tell me that he has noticed me before peeking in the deposit area. He explains to me that the cityhall has giving them that area to keep their stuff while they work in that area. It’s been a while they are there and he had the chance to realize the dayly movements inside the abandoned area. Both the buildings are used by clandestines to live. They enter from the deposit climbing the wall, passing in front of the attendants without worrying too much of their presence. The guy doesn’t seem to feel contempt nor pity for them: he just couldn’t care less. He tells me the two buildings are part of the same area, divided only by the school, still in function. Ah, that’s right... i’ve seen it but i didn’t really care for it. He suggestes to there and ask more information. The gate is wide open: when i used to go to highschool during school time the gate would be closed. But it’s lunch time and the students are probably home already. On the right there’s a bunch of people chatting, but i prefer to step inside and alk around by myself to get an idea of this area. On the right there’s the main building, much bigger than the others. On the left there’s a series of low buildings. I’ve already seen this scene... of course! They are the same ones i’ve seen few minutes ago from the gate of the abandoned area. At this point i verify they are not abandoned, but probably are school laboratories. This reminds me of my old school: it was so ruined that from outside i would have bet it was abandoned. Our laboratories were inside old stables of the royal villa of Monza. This scenary makes me feel at home. Between one building and the other there’s a bunch of gloomy kids staring at me suspicious. To tell the truth i’m the one suspecting on what they are doing hiding behind a building with smoke coming out from behind one’s back. This makes me feel even more at home, cause in my school it was normal situation, we didn’t really have to hide that much eather. I arrive at the end of the courtyard, where there is a low wall outlining the last building, abandoned, but property of the school: i can tell because of the quantity of desks and broken cupboards left in the middle of dried leaves never collected. The building isn’t in bad conditions, it doesn’t have broken windows (the students haven’t taken revenge on it) which still present decorations on. It can’t be closed from more than two years. The low wall leads to a very big area of weeds, a land you wouldn’t expect to find in the middle of the city. Going back i find on my right the building i saw from the street: it’s separated from the school only by an orange net, of the ones used in sites. There’s no sign of no intention of restoring it. The sensation of haunted house is even stronger from here, cause i can’t see the cars, reminding me of time passing by. There are no doors and windows and i really have a hard time believing that someone can find relief over here. I take a picture for my documentary. I might come back here again one day. Now i must go, Alessandro is waiting for me curious on the other side of the street. This time i don’t feel like going back to the redlight, so i try to pass directly from here. The usual barriers are here. I have to climb. Alessandro smiles at me while i try to pass with the agility of a ninety year old. Feeling observed i have a harder time and i loose the little credibility of myself i had.