Mandriola mourns Monica Montefalcone, who died in the Maldives: "She loved Sardinia; she was at home here for forty years."

She was supposed to arrive in Mandriola in July, her summer destination for 40 years , with her parents, husband, and daughter. To spend the summer swimming, running, and enjoying the sea, her lifelong passion. But the sea betrayed her. Among the five Italians who died during a dive in the Maldives, in the underwater caves of the Vaavu atoll, at a depth of about fifty meters , was Monica Montefalcone, 51, an Ecology professor at the University of Genoa , who had spent her holidays for years in the marina of San Vero Milis , where she was not only well-known but had formed strong bonds of friendship. With her was her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal, who also grew up in the sea of Mandriola . Gianni Lutzu, almost 60 years old , a teacher and owner of the house next to the one Monica rented, tells with tears in his eyes about the friendship that bound him to Monica: " Monica, her husband Carlo, and her parents have been seeing each other all our lives. We grew up together , we spent unforgettable summers. I have tons of photos of her daughter Giorgia with my son."

Gianni Lutzu had just heard from Monica: " She told me she couldn't wait to get here and that her parents wouldn't be coming this year. She's at home here, everyone knows her," his friend continues, showing the photos taken with her lifelong friend. "Monica, from the San Vero Milis area, loved everything. The sea, the sand, the sunsets, the people. She went to discover it by running; for her, that was the meaning of vacation. I can't count the videos I've taken with a drone to document her runs. It was a break from work, from the chaos of the city. She spent the summer in contact with nature. She usually arrived in July, while her parents arrived in June."

For over twenty-five years, the professor studied and discussed Posidonia oceanica, coastal ecosystems, and climate change . "That's why she loved having her photograph taken in her Posidonia," her Sardinian friend continues. "She always explained to us, with great passion, the reason for this richness." The professor led international projects and trained generations of researchers. She was an expert diver and lived the sea with profound respect and knowledge. The exact causes of the accident are still unclear: among the hypotheses put forward by experts as to what prevented the ascent are a potential problem with the oxygen mix in the tank, weather conditions, or a loss of orientation. "This last dive was certainly meant to be a study," concludes Lutzu, "but it turned into a tragedy that took two extraordinary women from us."