Angelo Conti
It all began with a letter to Specchio dei Tempi in November 1976. The legendary Sister Pierina wrote it, and she is still active in the city’s most challenging neighborhoods today. Marco Marello, head of the La Stampa newspaper’s Chronicle department and the author of the column, unfortunately passed away several years ago. Marco knew Sister Pierina. He went to visit her. They climbed the stairs together, and in the attics around Porta Palazzo, they encountered many forgotten elderly people, especially in the cold. There were no resources to buy firewood; it was a difficult year. Marello returned to the newspaper and did what his sensitivity suggested: he wrote an article, describing what he had seen. The city was moved, and offers and donations poured in. After two weeks, in the hall of the Oratory of Via Porte Palatine, Sister Pierina and the La Stampa journalists delivered the first 20 “Tredicesime dell’amicizia” (Thirteenth of Friendship). Each one was worth 30,000 lire, enough for a warm winter.
In those early years, all the “Tredicesime” were hand-delivered. Marello used to say when he sent young reporters to knock on the doors of the poorest elderly, “Money is important, but after delivering it, take a moment to listen to these people. They may seem boring at first, but you will understand how much they have to teach you. And remember, with the money, you’re also giving a moment of affection and friendship.” So, along with Giuliana Mongelli, Marina Cassi, Beppe Minello, Ezio Mascarino, Renato Rizzo, and Roberto Reale, they shared the addresses and set out with cash in envelopes.
47 years have passed, and the “Tredicesime dell’Amicizia” are still here. They are the splendid symbol of solidarity in a city that has chosen not to abandon its most vulnerable elderly. “The thirteenths,” explains Lodovico Passerin d’Entreves, President of Specchio, “represent a torch passed from one generation of Turinese to the next, with ever-increasing enthusiasm.” Today, more than 2,000 “Tredicesime” are distributed before each Christmas, primarily in Turin and its province, but also in the rest of Piedmont and sometimes in Liguria di Ponente.
However, distributing 2,000 “Tredicesime” at €500 each means collecting 1 million euros, which is always a challenge, especially in years when too many families struggle to make ends meet. But the fundraising has already begun, as always, spontaneously. On the foundation’s records, the label “Tredicesima dell’Amicizia” started appearing a month ago, and then donations started pouring in. Last year, there were a total of 5,320, and we aim for the same number in 2023.
This year, two other milestones are within reach: surpassing 80,000 “Tredicesime” delivered in 47 years and reaching €33 million (adjusted for today’s value) raised in the history of the campaign, the oldest in Italy. No one has kept a popular campaign alive for nearly half a century. No one except Turin. And Specchio dei tempi.
