The “happy island” feel to Barga Vecchia took a real knocking during the night as the residents of the Castle woke up to find that thieves had gone through the city breaking into and stealing from a series of bars and restaurants in Via di Mezzo. The Altana restaurant probably was the first port of call for the thieves who broke in via a window and managed to get away with 70 – 80 euros from the till. They next called in on the nearby Mordimi in Piazza dell’Annunziata, this time forcing the main door to get to the till and once again finding a mere 50 euros. Moving on through the city they next tried the Scacciaguai restaurant, were unable to enter but did steal the sacks used for the dirty laundry … to be used without a doubt later on in the evening when they forced the door of the Caffè Capretz and carried off cigarettes valued at an estimated 6000 euros. They also tried unsuccessfully to enter the Color di Vino in Piazza Angelio but the locks kept them out.
This morning the Carabinieri were investigating the series of break ins which has left many of the residents and bar owners puzzled as to why nothing was heard in Barga Vecchia during the night and just what could be done in the future to stop this happening again.
Closed circuit tv and webcams was one solution talked about by many. Surveillance squads was another more drastic solution put forward by one or two residents.
What ever happens from now on, something HAS changed during the night. How long before we start to hear the first burglar alarms going off in Barga Vecchia ?
Watch this space.
