Gianluca's victory dedicated to his sister who died at sea in Arbatax: "It's for Anna Laura"

"Annalaura was definitely there: accompanied by the wind, she rode the crest of a wave." Her little brother Gianluca was the first to cross the finish line, at the helm of his optimist, in the Cannigione race. Bruno Pilia and Silvia Piu, the parents of the little girl who disappeared while training with her boat in the sea of Arbatax, did not take part in the award ceremony for Gianluca, who is 14 years old and is the Italian champion in the Under 15 Open Skiff category. "He was very good. Unfortunately - continue dad Bruno and mom Silvia - we weren't there." The pain is too deep. Almost as deep as the blue sea that Annalaura fed on. The sea that took her away. Gianluca dedicated his victory to her. And all those to come.

The memory

Annalaura Pilia's parents find the strength to speak out forty days after that terrible August 8th when their little girl became an angel. "A star in God's firmament," as Don Piero Crobeddu, the parish priest who celebrated the funeral on the day of shooting stars, said. The couple remembers the little sailor, while the results of the investigation coordinated by the Lanusei Prosecutor's Office on the case that marked their existence forever are not yet known.

"Our little girl - this is how mom and dad described her - was sunny and empathetic, passionate about reading, she wrote poems and comics, she drew, she was an altar boy, she was a tennis player and a horsewoman, a surfer and a sailor, she skated and swam, she danced the Sardinian dance and she loved animals. But, above all, she loved being with people". Annalaura's blood ran with a passion for sport, regardless of discipline. Active life was her world, the sea her emotional attraction. "With her smile - the little girl's parents continue - she won you over and with her words she communicated strong emotions".

Neighboring communities

The communities of Tortolì and Lanusei, centers of origin respectively of mother Silvia and father Bruno, have gathered around the Pilia-Piu family in a moment of deep grief. August 8th will no longer be an ordinary date in these parts. It will be engraved in the memory of anyone who lived through those terrible minutes in which an immense tragedy took place in the blue sea of Arbatax. "The echo that comes from the words and the great emotion of the people shows no signs of diminishing. Not only from those who knew her. The spontaneous initiatives that are being carried out in her memory demonstrate this", conclude the parents.

The initiatives

On the day of the inauguration of the school year, on the desk that would have been Annalaura's classmates wanted to place flowers and dolls. It's as if the desk had become a play mat. The teachers accepted the simple lesson of their students, forced to deal with the reality of the facts that became such after the accident in the middle of summer. In every corner of the classroom that welcomes the children of the fifth A of the elementary school, in the building of via Monsignor Virgilio, you can feel her presence, sweet and delicate. A delegation of classmates, on the second day of school, went to the cemetery to place flowers and letters on Annalaura's grave. The school, led by the principal Santina Castrogiovanni, is developing various projects to remember the student who loved sports and poetry.

The proposal to name the library of the central elementary schools after it will also be discussed at the first school council meeting.

Roberto Secci