>ANSA-BOX/On Dublin-Rome, 'when we saw the jets we thought the worst'

I, who work with cinema and who love cinema, in those moments of great anxiety, made a lot of films for myself. Luckily, as on all plane trips, I had with me the image of the Madonna of Sirino, a mountain in the southern area of ​​Basilicata, near Lagonegro (Potenza).

Nicola Timpone, one of the organizers of the Marateale Festival, comes out with a joke and a smile, but in his voice you can still hear all the anxiety for what happened on the Aer Lingus Dublin-Rome flight, diverted to France due to one of the bomb scares affecting the European skies. "When we saw the military jets - says Timpone - we realized that there could really be a bomb threat and so we thought the worst". Minutes, interminable, until landing at the military airport of Evreux, in northern France, which however did not put an end to a true 'Odyssey', as an Irish passenger, Emily Noble, defined it.

"It was - explains the 26-year-old traveling to Italy to attend a friends' wedding - a strange experience, we were worried because we didn't know what was happening, but we tried to stay as calm as possible". No panic scenes, as confirmed by Timpone. "Many were asleep", also because the flight left around 6.30am Irish. "And many - adds Timpone - didn't realize what was happening. I, on the other hand, who, even though I travel a lot, am always on alert on the plane, listened carefully to the commander's messages which at first referred to a technical problem, and then to safety. However, when from the window I saw that there was a military fighter near our plane I began to get seriously worried. And then when we arrived on the runway there were soldiers, police and various fire brigade vehicles. Just like in the films".

Having landed in France, the passengers had to remain on the plane for a couple of hours, then they were let off ten at a time and after security and document checks they were transferred by coach to a military base. "They gave us assistance, they refreshed us. There was also a psychologist, but from what I saw, few people spoke to her." Only after several hours, Timpone and other passengers were transferred by coach to Paris, waiting to receive communication on the boarding time for Italy. "It was one of the worst experiences of my life," admits Timpone, who has already decided to give up a trip scheduled in about ten days. "Take the plane again? Next year, but always carrying with me the image of the Madonna of Sirino".