The city woke up without a voice, crushed by too great a pain: the death of little Nicodemo Zito, eight years old, innocent victim of the sudden collapse of a wall in the family farmhouse, in the Fiume district. A game between little brothers, a Sunday like many others, transformed into tragedy. With him were his twin and his older brother, aged thirteen, both injured and hospitalized in Polistena. A drama that has deeply affected an entire community, leaving it astonished and in disbelief.
The Municipality of Gioia Tauro proclaimed city mourning on the day of the funeral, ordering the closure of all schools. A gesture of respect and closeness to a family destroyed by pain. «As a mother, even before that as mayor, I feel indescribable pain – declared the mayor, Simona Scarcella -. It is a dark moment for our city, which unites in prayer and hope for its little brothers still hospitalized.”
From the Region’s childhood guarantor, Antonio Marziale, a message of condolence full of humanity: «The loss of a young life is a wound that passes through the entire community. Sometimes silence is the only possible language in the face of so much pain.” There is deep emotion in the school world. The “Francesco Severi” Institute, through its director Fortunato Praticò, expressed «a sincere participation and a collective prayer for a child who belonged to everyone’s hope». The “Pentimalli – Paolo VI – Campanella” Institute, attended by the little brothers, instead entrusted the pain of teachers and classmates to a touching message: «We hoped until the end, the news arrived suddenly and heartbreaking. His young life, broken too soon, leaves an irreparable void and a pain that passes through every heart.” The metropolitan mayor Giuseppe Falcomatà also expressed his sympathy: «It is a tragedy that takes your breath away. The entire metropolitan community is united with the family and the city of Gioia Tauro.”
A banner of the Ultras Viola 2001, the group of Gioiese football fans, appeared on the railway overpass as a sign of affection and solidarity. And again, the Alan Basket Gioia Tauro and Cestistica Gioiese clubs have announced that next Sunday, during the home match, a minute of silence will be observed to remember little Nicodemus. An avalanche of messages, thoughts, prayers, posts on social media. The Pd club of Gioia Tauro, sports associations, institutions, ordinary citizens: all united in pain. The whole of Calabria rallied around parents Rosalba and Daniele, an esteemed hairdresser from Cittanova, a well-known and loved family, unfortunately also marked by a previous tragedy: years ago, Nicodemo’s grandfather lost his life trying to save his son in an accident.
