March• 2019 | 121What Del Rosso kept to himself
wasthatthingsweregrowingbleak.
Foodandsuppliesathishotelwere
runninglow,andwithonlyasingle
snowplough, officials in town were
strugglingtokeeptheroadopen.
It’s hard to know exactly why Del
Rossoencouragedmoreguestsup
themountain.Maybeitwashope
that the weather would clear. The
fact is, things didn’t get better, and
bythetimeMatroneandhiswife
reachedFarindola,theywerebat-
tlingatotalwhite-out.
Atthebaseofthemountain,they
joinedalineofcarsinchingalong
behindasmallsnowplough.Apolice
officerurgedMatronetoheadback
down the mountain, but turningaroundontheskinnyroadwasnow
nearly impossible, and besides, he
hadpaidgoodmoneyfortheroom.
When the guests in the convoy
finally reached the hotel, they were
cold and exhausted. They found logs
aflame in the fireplaces and candles
burning in the unfussy reception area.
But the atmosphere wasn’t entirely
cosy. They could hear the storm
strengthening outside in the dark.
“Don’t be angry – start enjoying
this,” Del Rosso said, announcing that
he would keep the spa open an extra
hour to help the new arrivals unwind.
Outside, Matrone and Cicioni slid
into the thermal pool. They tried to
forget their long day in the car. But
PHOTO: MATARAZZO/FOTOGRAMMA/ROPI the wind and the thick, wet snow
The Hotel Rigopiano, with the spa in the foreground, before the disaster