I am not an American, as you know, and I do not share the american philosophy that life is ultimately good or fair. To me, life is just "life", neither good nor bad. I don't look for anesthesia when confronted with death and I don't believe in spirits and, even if I can give the benefit of the doubt to their existence, I can only visualize them as pure energy without memory or feelings, without past or future.

As you said yourself, our paradise, or hell, is on this earth and then there is only silence. So I live Pia's death as an ultimate loss. I feel a deep distress for myself and all other friends that no more will enjoy her kind presence. I feel outrage and sorrow that Claudio, Fabio and Valentina, still so young, have been deprived of the kindness and loving solecitude of their mother. I feel such a pain for you, dear Enrico, for your solitude. Nobody will call you anymore "Enrico mio" with that special sweetness in her voice. I also feel a terrible grief and anger when I think of Pia's death. How is it possible that a human being made her suffer so much and humiliated her so deeply. What a nightmare she went through. She knew that she was losing her dear family, she foresaw your sorrow.

Pia and I were good friends. We became friends during a very important and special time of our lives. We both were learning how to live and work in a world that was completely new to us. We both had moments of nostalgia, we both missed the sea, the mountain, and "il pane", the crunchy and flavorful italian bread. There was a kind of a joke between Pia and me: sometimes when we felt tired or a little depressed, we used to say "you know what is the real problem? I miss una rosetta con il prosciutto!", then we would start laughing and our minds were eased.

Both of us were perfectionists and very responsible about our work, and this is something that, at times, can be difficult to handle, especially when one is young and unexperienced. Pia was such a great help and support for me during my Urbana years.

She was a friendly and caring person, always ready to listen and to give a hand. She deeply respected other people's privacy and she was a private person herself. I found in Pia a rare balance between openness and discretion. I confided in Pia and we respected each other.

I will always cherish her memory and our times together: our quiet conversations, our laughs and jokes, the pleasure I felt doing things with her, a nice walk, trying and sharing recipes, caring for our adopted squirrel, Kickapoo, preparing (me) for the driving licence, go shopping.

Honest, hard working, in harmony with her family and friends, Pia went through life with determination, kindness and enthusiam, she was pleased and content of her life, and that must be our consolation in this sad moment.

Love

Serena