«The blue city», the new book by Elena Marmugi: a love story for Empoli

A love story, a provincial city, an ice cream company, but above all football. They are the ingredients of the book “The blue city”, written by Elena Marmugi, from Empoli Doc, published by Goalbook editions, with a preface by Cristiano Militello. But Elena Marmugi she is not only a writer and today the author of Virgin Motel, a radio program by Virdin Radio: she is Lady Helena, the vocalist and DJ who made generations of kids dance at Jaiss and in discos all over Europe in the 90s. Transplanted to Milan since 2001, after twenty years, he has decided to put the history of his city on paper, Empoli, and his favorite team, who just a week ago celebrated their promotion to Serie A. “When I came to live in Milan I was 25, I had all the freedom I wanted, without parents, without anyone controlling me . But then over time, I began to rethink the province, a smaller reality that pampers you. This patina of nostalgia perhaps makes me see everything beautiful about Empoli, and in fact it is also in the book ». A novel in which football is the background at the beginning, but which then enters the plot overbearing, becoming the decisive turning point. A fictional story, but how there could be many, real ones in the province: a 45-year-old man, Alfredo, who separates and returns to live close to his parents, in the city of origin, and finds work in the local company of ice cream. «Yes, it is the Sammontana. Which for us from Empoli is in the end a bit like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory ».

The days that are repeated all the same, the bar, the large variegated companies, the industrial areas, where Alfredo finds love again: «He meets Adriana again, the girl he liked when they were young but to whom he had never declared himself. She also returned home, separated, but with a 7-year-old child ». The child becomes the turning point, «because he is Juventus, and Alfredo, who wants to conquer Adriana, knows that first he must please his son. And with a great spirit of sacrifice, he accompanies him to Villar Perosa, to see Juventus. But the child is disappointed and during the return trip, to cheer him up, Alfredo tells him the story of the Sammontana and when Empoli was even mentioned on Topolino, in 1983. The little one converts to the blue faith, and they decide to stop in Genoa, in front of the sea, to make him “swear”. A sort of declaration of love, but listing all the sufferings that a supporter of a provincial team has to endure, how to get used to defeats and to see the great champions who grew up with that jersey go away ». A policy that Empoli fans are used to: “Vincenzo Montella, Totò di Natale, Francesco Tavano come to mind”, but the list could be extended, a lot. In the end, the oath is sealed with a symbolic object, such as an engagement ring, a wedding ring: “Because the provincial fan is a bit romantic: they put the Desperados scarf around his neck”. Elena still returns to Empoli often, and hopes that «the promotion to Serie A is an opportunity to make the city known, provided that the stadiums can reopen».

May 14, 2021 | 15:05

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