2 AMBULANCES FOR CARLO
WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE STORY OF HOW THE FINANCING FOR THE TWO NEW AMBULANCES OF THE MISERICORDIA DI SINALUNGA WAS REACHED. IT’S NOT A MIRACLE, BUT NEARLY
By Donatella Cinelli Colombini
Carlo Gardini’s second ambulance blessing in Fattoria del Colle
It all began while my husband Carlo was in the hospital after falling down the stairs and undergoing an operation that left him almost immobile in bed, experiencing a real ordeal.
During that sad time, I met Stefania Magnani, president of the Misericordia di Sinalunga, so as to volunteer. She directed me to two activities: preparing food parcels and raising funds to finance the purchase of two ambulances. At the time, the Misericordia needed to replace two ambulances that had already travelled more than 250,000 kilometres and they had only €10,000 in cash. The president was extremely worried and was considering buying two used ambulances to keep them going for a few years.
THE MISERICORDIA DI SINALUNGA LACKING TWO AMBULANCES
A local association called the Misericordia di Sinalunga is responsible for the emergency medical service (118) for a vast area that also includes a stretch of the A1 highway, but is far from hospitals. Therefore, transporting injured, heart attack patients, or seriously ill patients for many kilometres in vehicles with sub-par heating and shock absorbers means they arrive at the hospital even more shaken. Unfortunately, the health system reimburses ambulance travel, but the purchase of the vehicles is paid for by charity.
When the doctors told us that Carlo was dying, I called the President of the Misericordia to arrange the funeral and told her, “I will also think of you and the ambulance. I want this tragedy to turn into hope for someone else.” Therefore, against the advice of the funeral directors, who recommended the phrase, “not flowers, but donations to the Venerable Confraternity of the Misericordia of Sinalunga,” I decided to focus on a direct message, “an ambulance for Carlo,” to make the goal clear: to transform death into life.
LOVE FOR CARLO BECOMES HOPE FOR MANY SICK PEOPLE
No one expected the number and amount of donations that poured in from all over the world. People who had known Carlo at the bank where he worked or while collaborating with me at the company wanted to express their affection for him and share our pain. We felt it was a sign of Divine Providence and of Carlo’s care for us from heaven.
The fundraiser for Carlo provided the decisive impetus for the purchase of the first ambulance, which was blessed by Cardinal Augusto Paolo Lojudice on the occasion of the Casato Prime Donne Award in September 2024.
While Carlo’s coffin was on display in the funeral room of Torregalli Hospital, where he died, Professor Franca Alacevich, President of the Banca d’Italia – Bank of Italy’s Regency Committee, and Dr. Vito Barone, Director of the Florence office, suggested I apply to the Bank of Italy for financing the ambulance.
The Misericordia di Sinalunga submitted the application, but shortly before Christmas 2024, news arrived that our request had been rejected. I was really, really angry.
Thanks to President Alacevich’s discussions to raise awareness within the Bank of Italy of the importance of purchasing the ambulance, and thanks to the tenacity of the Misericordia’s President, the application was resubmitted.
Carlo Gardini e Donatella Cinelli Colombini
PROVIDENCE AND GOODWILL FOR THE SECOND AMBULANCE
A second providential intervention arrived. To have the application accepted, a donation of 10% of the final amount from a single individual was needed. President Magnani decided to knock on the door of Sinalunga Mayor Edo Zacchei, who was the only person able to contribute nearly €9,000. During the meeting, one of the old ambulances broke down with the patient aboard. The mayor saw firsthand the urgent need for a new vehicle and agreed to contribute.
On September 29, 2025, news arrived that the Bank of Italy had approved the Misericordia di Sinalunga ambulance’s financing request. On March 11, it was blessed in front of the Fattoria del Colle Chapel where Carlo rests. His death has strengthened solidarity and made everyone more aware of one another’s needs. Hence the new vehicle, purchased without incurring new debt, allows for more timely rescue operations and a comfortable journey for the sick.
The ceremony was followed by Holy Mass in the chapel of Fattoria del Colle and a buffet dinner. The mayors of Trequanda and Sinalunga, representatives from the Bank of Italy, about 35 volunteers from the Misericordia, my company employees, and some friends of my husband Carlo attended, making a total of about 80 people. Carlo was certainly among them, looking at the two ambulances with his name on them and smiling. Thank you again, my one and only love.