The town hall of an Italian city has decided to capitalize on the free time and curiosity of the pensioners, proposing them to voluntarily monitor public works. Some elderly locals accepted the offer and officially became the “shoulder” of the city.
Pensioners from Italy. Photo: The Guardian.
Sometimes you look like a pocket of the workers on the construction sites, the “shoulderlii” from Villasanta now officially monitors the public works, according to The Guardian.
The British publication reported the story of Roberto Cremona also says of the other “Umarell”-a word invented to describe the Italian pensioners who spend their time staring through the nets of the yard, criticizing and offering uneducated tips.
Who are Umarelli
According to The Guardian, the term Umarell was created by the Italian writer Danilo Masotti in 2005 and comes from shoulder, a word from the dialect of Bologna which means “little man” or “old man”.
As the scenes with these pensioners, especially passionate about road work, became more and more frequent in Italy, the word has gained their own life-even appearing in a Burger King advertisement in 2016, in response to the uninterrupted questions of the Milan Humarell about when the new company will be ready. Then, in 2021, the word entered the Dictionary of the Italian language.
Humarellii usually act in groups, especially after having breakfast together at the bar. Their clothing stereotype includes a jacket and a cap, and the classic position is with their hands behind, supervising the activity on the site.
Recruited by the City Hall of Villanta
Roberto Cremona distanced itself from the true “crowd” of Umarell in Villasanta, a small town near the monza, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, after the mayor, Lorenzo Galli, decided to capitalize on the leisure and curiosity of the local pensioners, recruiting them to monitor public works and report the eventual imperfections.
Cremona, along with seven other retirees – including a woman, Gabriella Garatti – enthusiastically applied for this volunteer role and obtained the “job”, which she says implies the ability to solve problems, not to provide unspeakable advice.
Cremona, 69, said she felt a “call” to contribute to maintaining order in a city with limited resources.
Each volunteer was attributed to an area of the city, which he supervises in two to three hours, identifying problems that need to be solved-whether it is an asphalt pit or a defective lighting pole-and checking the progress of public works or the quality of the grass cut.
Essentially, they are professionals. But Mayor Galli prefers not to call him that.
“A typical Umarell is a retired gentleman who does not have much to do and goes on the sites, maybe from nostalgia for the times when he worked”he says.
In fact, the first rule of “job” is that the volunteers do not become a peacock for the workers on the site.
Pensioners, endless on the sites
The mayor declares himself satisfied with the initiative, because the group comes with experience, technical skills and a deep knowledge of the city of Villasanta – a community of 14,000 inhabitants, proud of the active involvement of its citizens.
Cremona, for example, was a local councilor, and Gabriela Garatti was deputy mayor.
In one of his first laps, Gabriela Garatti – which usually moves by bicycle – noticed pits caused by the defective installation of fiber optic cables, as well as a completely signaling intersection. “This could be dangerous”she said.
Other pensioners indicated unkempt live fences and uneven sidewalks, before stopping to inspect a public lawn.
They changed a few words with Fabrizio, the worker responsible for the haircut, and said they were satisfied with the fact that he respects the necessary standards.
“They can be annoying, especially when it is fixed on a problem that does not even exist,” He recognizes, but the worker.
Are aware of their role in the community
Cremona, Garatti and their other six colleagues take their role very seriously and are particularly excited about the fact that they have recently been pregnant with the development of parking facilities in the city.
Their biggest challenge remains the organization of the weekly rotation, considering that everyone has to balance their program with other commitments-either medical consultations or care for grandchildren.
“We can thus contribute to maintaining decency and order in Villanta – and it is pleasant when the world praises us for what we do.” says Gabriela Garatti.
Cremona, in turn, says she is satisfied when the problems are solved.
“But, above all, you feel useful – society and yourself. You do something valuable with your time, instead of sitting in front of the TV or complaining – as the true shoulder,” he adds.
