MAPPING TUSCANY

After over one and a half years of constant labor of a team of nearly 500 engineers, divers and specialized workers, the removal of the Costa Concordia wreck from Tuscany's Giglio island is getting close. The parbuckling of the cruise ship will take place from 6 am on Monday September 16. It will be the biggest operation of its kind to ever have been executed.  The parbuckling will have to happen as slowly and delicately as possible in order to prevent any deformation of the hull. The splitting of the ship is seen as unlikely, however a major concern are the remaining liquids that will leak from the vessel during upright rotation (the emptying of the fuel tank had been carried out as one of the first rescue operations in 2012).  Giglio's waters are being continuously monitored and analysed and a series of underwater nets are in place around ship and working area to prevent spilling of poisonous substances into the Mediterranean.  The Costa Concordia ran agro...

I've written about Tuscany's cultural hibernation before. So it's always a relief when in spring not just the plant world but also the event scene comes back to life. April doesn't just bring moody weather but traditionally opens the festival, food and wine fair season in Southern Tuscany. And luckily, from here on things will keep going strong for the following six months.  Spring at last

The island of Giglio seen from the Maremma National Park beach After a weekend of tension and prayers for the unaccounted passengers and crew members and the relentless hope that as many as possible will still be found alive, the focus is starting to shift. The Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster in front of the Tuscan Island of Giglio has asked 6 human lives so far (16 are still unaccounted for). But the human tragedy may also turn into an ecological nightmare for the Tuscan coastline and its nature reserves. 

The Italian Costa Concordia cruise ship went aground right in front of the Porto,  the harbor of the Isle of Giglio near the Tuscan coast . The reasons for the disaster are not clear yet. The Italian newspaper  La Repubblica reports that the ship may have steered towards the harbor as an emergency measure after having hit a reef, which according to the captain of the ship is not reported on the nautical charts.  On close up fotos part of the reef can still be seen stuck in the side of the ship. The BBC indicates human error and a power cut as other possible causes to the disaster.