Back in December of last year we published an article about Karin Schirmer and her award winning dog breeding company Intisstar’s, entitled, “Breeding puppies is not like living in the Garden of Eden” – Allevare cuccioli non è come vivere nel giardino dell’Eden
We wrote then that even though the position of Intisstar’s was only ten minutes from Barga, to reach it there is only a very rough track leading off from the main road down towards the Rio Latriani stream and a stiff climb up the opposite side to the house. This track suffers badly during any kind of bad weather. We also noted that it would become very easy to be isolated as this track was the only way in or out for Karin and that it was likely that in a few years, or maybe even a few months the track would need major work on it to keep it open. The track crosses land owned by six different people but as Karin was the only person using it on a daily basis, finding a consensus on just who should pay for any repair works was understandably very difficult.
Our preoccupation and the main reason behind writing that article was that during the rainy weather during October last year which greatly worsened the already difficult condition of the track, which although technically a private road was being used by a local business (thereby paying local taxes) and maybe, just maybe the local community could be involved in stopping it from being totally isolated.
In fact, that is precisely what did happen – work was done of the track and a very please Karin continued in caring for her animals …. that is until the recent snow and near Siberian conditions which closed down schools for a couple of days and caused some transport problems for many people arrived in this area and which did not leave Karin and her dogs untouched.
She was effectively cut off from the rest of the world as heavy snow made the track impassable once again. Problems with the telephone lines made her isolation complete.
One of her large network of friends living abroad, Heidi Louis Mottet in Switzerland upon failing to contact her via email or telephone contacted the giornaledibarganews to see if we had any information about Karin and her well being.
Into the breach stepped Franca Buonsignore and Patrizia Fontana from L’arca della valle and Pietro Onesti, ably assisted by Omero Tonieri from the Civil Protection who took down to Karin on a couple of occasions, food for her and her dogs and some gas cylinders to heat the house.
All’s well that end well.
Nel dicembre scorso abbiamo pubblicato un articolo su Karin Schirmer e il suo premiato allevamento di cani da compagnia Intissar, intitolato, “Allevare cuccioli non è come vivere nel giardino di Eden” –
Scrivemmo allora che, anche se l’allevamento era a soli dieci minuti da Barga, per raggiungerlo c’è solo una strada molto approssimativa che porta, lasciata la strada di Loppia, verso torrente Rio Latriani e poi affronta una ripida salita sul versante opposto.
Questa strada sterrata e disagevole diventa impraticabile o quasi durante la brutta stagione ed in caso di maltempo . Avevamo fatto notare la possibilità che Karin potesse rimanere isolata a causa delle condizioni di questa strada, che essa rappresentava l’unico collegamento con il mondo esterno per Karin e che era probabile che tra pochi anni, o forse anche tra pochi mesi, la “pista” in questione avrebbe avuto bisogno di lavori importanti per poter garantire la sua apertura.
La pista attraversa terreni di proprietà di sei persone differenti, ma Karin è l’unica persona che la utilizza quotidianamente e quindi è difficile anche trovare consensi su chi debba o meno provvedere alle spese per i lavori di manutenzione.
Il motivo principale che stava alla base del nostro articolo era stato il fatto che durante le forti piogge dell’ottobre scorso la condizioni di questo collegamento erano notevolmente peggiorate e questo ci faceva chiedere se, anche se tecnicamente si tratta di una strada privata, il fatto che fosse comunque utilizzato da un’azienda economica (che paga le tasse locali) non potesse far pensare all’ipotesi che anche la comunità locale dovesse essere coinvolta nel cercare di impedire il totale isolamento della casa di Karin.
Adesso torniamo a parlarne perché nei giorni scorsi, in effetti, abbiamo assistito all’isolamento di Karin e del suo allevamento di cani.
La recente nevicata e le temperature siberiane dei giorni scorsi, che hanno portato alla chiusura per un paio di giorni delle scuole ed hanno causato disagi ai trasporti, non hanno lasciato Karin ed i suoi cani indenni.
Sono stati effettivamente tagliati fuori dal mondo con la neve che ha reso la strada impraticabile. Un guasto alla linea telefonica ha reso l’isolamento totale.
La signora Heidi Luois Mottet dalla Svizzera, uno dei tanti amici che Karin ha all’estero, ed anche una sua cliente, Agnes Scapelli da Genova, si erano rivolti anche a noi di giornaledibarganews per avere sue notizie visto che non riuscivano a contattarla per telefono e posta elettronica ed erano per questo veramente preoccupati.
Karin però non era stata lasciata sola per fortuna. In suo aiuto è stata proprio la comunità locale nelle persone di Franca Buonsignore e Patrizia Fontana dell’associazione in difesa degli animali L’arca della Valle e l’assessore alla protezione Civile Petro Onesti con il tecnico comunale Omero Togneri che sono riusciti con un fuoristrada a raggiungere Karin ed in un paio di occasioni, nei giorni più critici, le hanno portato cibo per lei, per i suoi cani ed alcune bombole di gas per riscaldarsi e cucinare.
Insomma, tutto e bene quel che finisce bene. Per ora.
Comment on the last article about Karin and her road – On visits to Barga I have walked all over the area with my dogs and seen what the condition of the roads are. Sometimes in visits on a nice summer or fall day it is less obvious, but I have been there when it snowed in April and when the rains in November just wouldn’t stop. Snow takes forever to be cleared, streets turn to rivers and hillsides slide down. A stark difference to my experience here in Switzerland where everything works or is taken care of quickly.
I have also seen Karin’s property after landslides that came down from the absentee neighbors property leaving Karin’s street and property looking like a war zone – and no proactive response from them.
Karin’s life would be a world different if the street she lives on were not in such dismal condition and if everyone who owns property adjacent to the road would maintain their property and their share of the road.
When I first visited there eleven years ago, the road could be traversed (carefully) in a fiat. As years passed, the weather and lack of maintenance took an obvious toll. We began only to try to traverse it with a four wheel drive Range Rover, and then only in good weather. The last time I was in Barga (in good weather last March), we didn’t even want to risk that and walked the road to her house. Even that meant jumping over ruts, tree limbs and crossing creeks that weren’t there before.
The dismal condition of that road means that Karin’s daily requirement to get food/medical supplies to her animals, or bring in clients, or deliver dogs, or obtain simple services that everyone expects (like electricity or telephone service) is extremely difficult and often next to impossible. Third parties, even friends, no longer want to drive down that road and she consequently lives in near isolation which is only avoided if she can somehow drive or walk out herself.
The other people whose property adjoins the road are either absentee owners or they live in Barga and don’t need to use the road for their livelihood. Karin lives there year round, pays taxes there and her clients spend money in Barga when they come to buy dogs. And like us, they come back to Barga even if they aren’t purchasing a dog, because it is a beautiful place with wonderful people.
Somehow, some way, it should be possible to repair the road to a reasonable state. – Heidi Louis Mottet
