Bologna, August 29, 2026 – The homeless village in the name of Giovanni Tamburi will be built. But not in the location of via Terracini, as initially planned. The citizens of Lazzaretto, in fact, shouted ‘no’ to the plan to accommodate the homeless that Giuseppe Tamburi, father of the 16-year-old who died in Crans-Montana, dreamed of creating for his son who secretly, in Bologna, used to help the most needy. A popular revolt that forced the Tamburi family and the Municipality to quickly find another place to build that village. “A dream in the name of Giovanni, who is no longer with us.” And this time, the location remains top secret.
“Maybe they didn’t understand what we wanted to create”
“It is very sad how things went,” said Giuseppe Tamburi, who already in the early days – when rumors circulated that the residents of via Terracini and surroundings did not want to hear about the project – explained: “Maybe the citizens didn’t understand what we wanted to create. My project goes exactly in the opposite direction of degradation. If they saw the finished village, I am sure they would think differently, they would change their minds. The structure I want to create in the name of my son is something completely different from the containers that were there before.” In fact, in Tamburi’s plan, there are controls, psychologists, and educators, and there is the possibility for guests to bring their dog.
Everything started over
With the residents’ revolt, everything had to start over. But Tamburi’s collaboration with the Municipality continues and now, having identified the new place to build the village, they are thinking even bigger: if in the original plan (via Terracini) there were wooden houses with a small patio, the new project foresees masonry houses.
“Soon the Municipality will hold a tender – explains Giuseppe Tamburi –, it will take at least a year and a half, from what I understand. I would have done everything much faster, if I could, but there is this bureaucratic slowness in the way. And we have to adapt.”
Giovanni secretly helped those sleeping on the street
The family only discovered after his death the secret Giovanni kept and that pushed him to bring food and aid to those sleeping on the street. In particular, he had bonded with a homeless boy who used to stop in a street in the center of Bologna and who always had a dog with him. One of the features of the project is precisely the possibility to bring one’s own animal, so as not to be forced to separate from it during the night. Often, in fact, the homeless do not know where to leave their dog and for this reason refuse to stay in the facilities provided by institutions. When Giuseppe discovered his son’s secret, he decided to turn that endless pain into something useful for others: in the name of his son.
The father returned in front of the site of the tragedy
And recently Giuseppe Tamburi returned to Switzerland, to the place of the tragedy. And he found the courage to go in front of ’Le Constellation’, where in the New Year’s Eve fire 41 young people were killed. “My mother wanted to return to Crans – he says –, so we went. We stayed there about ten days. I was glad to return to the town, but it was not easy.” In front of the burned-down venue, a small memorial dedicated to the victims was set up (then burned down in February, when the flames destroyed photos and memories left there). “We went there – Tamburi emphasizes –. What I felt there in front, I can’t say, it’s hard to explain. It was something so intimate and strong… A feeling I can’t describe.”
The situation of the Moretti couple
Meanwhile, other news comes from across the border about the Moretti couple, owners of the Le Constellation venue: the husband Jacques was arrested for beating his wife Jessica. “We follow everything through our lawyer – Tamburi’s comment –, but we try not to get involved. We go on with our battle, which is to remember Giovanni. And to pay tribute to him in the most beautiful way possible.”
