Lord Leighton's Florentine Lily,
Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Tomb
Earlier we said we were garnering support with the petition, which is doing well and which also reflects our international Swiss-owned 'English' Cemetery in Florence, the signatures coming from all over the world. The Italian newspaper, L'Espresso, expressed amazement that we had so many signatures in so short a time. Because we have two petitions going for UNESCO to have it be a World Heritage Site, we are now only 300 signatures short of the thousand for which our thermometre aimed.
Now it is time to seriously raise funds. Aureo Anello has already given 1000,00 euro for the handrails to help the elderly and infirm access the Cemetery.
If we can keep this Cemetery open and have it be restored, there are people willing to purchase lots, 70 centimetres by 70, for the burial of their ashes. We now have eight such requests. It is Catch 22. They will complete these requests only if the Cemetery is to remain open and to be restored. The Cemetery can only remain open and be restored if we can convince its Swiss owners that it is viable for them economically. For too many years it had been their 'White Elephant'. Why their decision to close and abandon it completely.
We also have the promise of the city and regional governments' participation in the total restoration project if we can also obtain private participation, your participation. It shall be possible to recreate what was once a most beautiful monument in Florence and even to spend eternity here, alongside world-famed writers, artists, doctors, preachers, people who helped end slavery, who helped end diseases, who created immortal poetry.
We have set up a petition at
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/471134975
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