Down by the river just after midday at the start of the third week in August, with the sun shining and with the fragrance of some delicious cooking wafting out of a nearby open window, is not really the time or place where you would expect a lot of fervent activity taking place but that was precisely what was happening this morning down by the bridge at Ponte di Catagnana.
A series of workmen abseiling down from the top of the bridge equipped with instruments of destruction, cleaning and removing the vegetation and revealing the full beauty of the bridge and even some of the stonework from the original bridge which was blown up during World War II.
There was even at one point a man hanging over the top of the bridge with sickle in hand chopping some of the vegetation and being kept from dropping to the river sometimes tens of metres below by the the help of the second man who was tenaciously holding onto his ankles.
So, just what was always group activity about?
The answer is already in the title of this article, believe it or not, the bridge and the river below is being prepared for a duck race at the end of this month.
A plastic duck race – A yellow plastic duck race.
A rubber duck is a toy shaped like a stylized duck, generally yellow with a flat base. It may be made of rubber or rubber-like material such as vinyl plastic. The yellow rubber duck has achieved an iconic status in Western pop culture and is often symbolically linked to bathing. Various novelty variations of the toy are produced.
Rubber duck races, also known as derby duck races, have been used as a method of fundraising for organisations worldwide. People donate money to the organization by sponsoring a duck. At the end of the fundraising drive, all of the ducks are dumped into a waterway, with the first to float past the finish line winning a prize for its sponsor.
The bar Sosta de Diavoli at Ponte di Catagnana is central to all this work but as you can hear in the short interview below (in Italian) the real “culprits” are a couple of new arrivals to the area – Captain Dimitri Hibberd, a former Boeing 747, Jumbo Jet pilot and his companion Leigh Boswell.
Concerned by the state of repairs to the bridge, the damage done to the banks of the river from this winters floodwaters and the condition of the guard rail over the bridge and slightly dismayed by the apparent lengthy timescale necessary to restore the bridge to its former glory by the relevant authorities, they decided to see if it was possible to do the work with volunteers.
To raise money for the project they have organised a series of events to take place on the 31st August, culminating in a yellow plastic duck race along the Corsonna River.
The tiny yellow ducks will be released further upstream and the first one to pass under the bridge Will win a €100 voucher for any shop or restaurant in Barga, second prize – a €50 voucher.
To participate in the race it is possible to buy a numbered yellow plastic duck at the bar Sosta de Diavoli at Ponte di Catagnana. One duck will set you back €5, three ducks will cost €10.
