Bologna School Mourns Student Killed in Swiss Cable Car Crash | Giovanni Tamburi Remembered

Bologna Mourns Giovanni Tamburi, Victim of Swiss Nightclub Fire

“There are moments when words seem insufficient, when the ink on the paper appears too light to bear the weight of a pain that has shaken the foundations of our school.” Thus begins a letter written by friends of Giovanni Tamburi, the Bologna student who died along with 39 others in the tragedy at Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

The letter, read during the BellaMa’ program on Rai 2, reflects the human cost of a tragedy that has become national news, but for students and teachers at the Liceo Righi, it is a deeply personal wound.

“For us, Giovanni is not a name in a newspaper headline: he is a classmate, a friend, a student, a soul that continues to breathe in the corridors and thoughts of those who shared the journey with him,” his friends wrote.

A Desk Covered in White Roses

The grief, they say, quickly transformed into a silent but powerful gesture: Giovanni’s desk was not left empty, but covered in white roses. “A silent honor, a way of telling him that his place in our lives is untouchable. Each petal says that his place is still there.”

This image became a symbol for the entire city. At the invitation of the mayor, all schools in Bologna observed a minute of silence on January 7, 2026, in a collective act of remembrance for a life cut short.

Vigils, Assemblies, and a United School

Before the funeral, students and teachers held a prayer vigil. The student council requested and obtained a special assembly. the entire school, both main building and annex, dismissed early to allow everyone to attend.

“That day, the Righi was no longer a collection of classes, but a single family walking to the church,” they recalled. The funeral became a testament to collective love.

Candles and a Name Illuminated in the Night

The following evening, the community gathered again in front of the school. In the darkness, hundreds of candles were lit and arranged on the ground to spell out “Giovanni.”

The flickering light illuminated the entrance, creating an unreal atmosphere. Friends, classmates, and his brother found the courage to speak, to share memories, pieces of life, and smiles.

Songs and Engines

In the schoolyard, his favorite songs were sung: Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead, Albachiara by Vasco Rossi, Le luci della città by Coez, Il mio canto libero by Lucio Battisti, and Sogna ragazzo sogna by Roberto Vecchioni.

The songs were sung softly, capable of bringing tears to the eyes of those who knew him only slightly. Then came the roar of engines – his greatest passion, a cry of freedom launched into the sky.

“Not a Victim, But the Soul of the Righi”

“What the newspapers cannot understand,” the students wrote, “is that these gestures are not just remembrance: they are the response of a community that refuses to forget. Giovanni is not a victim of Crans-Montana; he is the soul of the Righi that continues to live.”

He lives in every rose on the desk, in every lit candle, in every shared song, in every act of solidarity. “As long as we are able to hold each other so tightly, as long as his desk remains adorned with flowers, Giovanni will never truly be gone. He will always be one of us, a Righino forever. A light that no shadow can extinguish.”

The funerals of five of the six Italian victims were held on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, across Bologna, Milan, and Rome. The funeral of Riccardo Minghetti was held in Rome, and that of Giovanni Tamburi in Bologna. Funerals for Achille Barosi and Chiara Costanzo were held in Milan. The funeral of Sofia Prosperi is scheduled for Lugano, and that of Emanuele Galeppini will take place in Genoa on Thursday.

Italian schools observed a minute’s silence in memory of the victims, and classes were suspended at the schools attended by the teenagers who lost their lives, “to remember the young victims and express closeness to their families,” according to Education and Merit Minister Giuseppe Valditara.