Claudio Barbieri.

ABOUT SERGIO
Talking about Sergio could seem easy, but in reality it is not.
I met Sergio (teacher Muratori) in September 1956 when I started primary school.
So, of all the friends, I believe I was the first one to have met him.
For me it was moving to learn reading and writing with other pupils with Sergio teaching for his first time with a class in Genova.
Initially Sergio was a bit intimidating as he was serious and thorough, but in truth he was very engaging and his distinct way of teaching was very contemporary compared to the other teachers and I am sure for that he was admired.
He was like a second father to me.
We felt very comfortable with him, and as well as learning we also had fun.
When primary school ended we said our goodbyes and we didn’t meet again for a long time.
When I saw him again, in Genova, it was by chance. It was very emotional seeing him after such a long time.
Sergio told me about Montenidoli and Elisabetta and he got me there to meet her in their house.
Elisabetta bowled me over for her open nature, almost vulcanic which was so different from Sergio, always very soft-spoken but really charismatic.
Seeing them together, bursting with enthusiasm when telling me all about their project with people of all ages in Genova and Montenidoli, clearly showed that they were made for each other.
I it is true that opposites do attract.
After that, I saw Sergio roughly every year for the winegrowers’ festival and it was always a great pleasure to have a chat with him.
The last time I saw Sergio, I was in Montenidoli, in Summer. He showed me into his studio and he told me: “Claudio, this is for you, it is the book I launched yesterday “.
He opened the first page and he wrote: “To Claudio, who I met as my student and who is now a friend “.
I got emotional and I hugged him tight!
Sergio is no longer with us in this world but he remains in our hearts and Elisabetta’s idea of the “Fondazione Sergio il Patriarca” is touching because it will inspire young and elder people to exchange experiences and ideas as Sergio would have loved so much.
I wish that Elisabetta’s dream will soon come to fruition, and I believe that all who met Sergio would love to contribute to it in some way.

Claudio Barbieri

23rd January 2023

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I started primary school at the “Embriaco Fieschi” in Genoa and there I met my teacher.
Going to school was for me it was a great emotion, getting acquainted with many schoolmates was an exciting experience. But I quickly realized that my greatest luck was to have a great teacher.
Sergio was a groundbreaking and skilled teacher, he used to teach us many things in an easygoing approach, stimulating our curiosity and entertaining us at the same time.
We learned multiplication tables in matches among us: in 4th and 5th grade we started to make a bulletin; it was very futuristic for those times and we greatly enjoyed it.
When school was over I lost sight of him but later on I had the chance to meet him here in Genoa.
He told me that he had retired and ended up living with Elisabetta in Montenidoli. Then we started seeing each other.
Sergio was charismatic and charming .
We became great friends, I fully understood this during one of the last times that I visited him. I remember that I had called him anticipating my visit.
He told me to go on Sunday because the previous day he would have been in Rome to present his new book “The long day of the woodpecker”. He went on that Sunday and he welcomed me in his study with the book in his hands and told me: “This is my book and I want to give it to you!”.
He sat down at his desk and on the first page wrote this inscription:” To Claudio, whom I knew as a pupil and in the long run he became a true friend”.
It was moving and after a short while I had a lump in my throat.
With tears in my eyes I grabbed him and hugged him.
Claudio Barbieri