European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Squaring off in Florence  in led press internally half restoration work on Florence s most famous Square resembles a slow motion prize Light Wilh the City Public works Dop Arlmon in one Corner and the Region s archaeological superintendent in the other round one started More than 20 years ago when City officials decided the Piazza Della Signoria he medieval Square thai Lor centuries has been the Center of the cily s Pohlidal and social life urgently needed a Facelift ii All sounded simple enough everyone agreed thai the Square where the fanatic dominican Monk Savonarola was hanged and burned by pleasure Loving florentine in 1498, and whore today s weary Lou risks of Lon collapse Afler a tour of the Botticelli and Cimabue masterpieces in the adjacent uffizi museum was badly in need of repair is Gray Lla Slones were cracked and chipped its surface crooked and uneven. Potholes scorned to Sproul with each now rain. A crazy quilt pattern of Asphalt patches covers some 60 percent of the Square. City officials ordered the usual preparatory studies. Whal they got. However was much Moro than the usual polemics that seem to accompany any major building project in a nation whose big cities Are built on layers of precious archaeological remains. Even so. The City administration recently ended the iwo decade haggling and ordered the Square repaved in a Grid work design of Gray and White Stone that detractors claim will make it look like an oversized Checkerboard. Now tuscan archaeological superintendent francs eco Nicosia argues the repaving project will Bury forever the Rich archaeological deposits lying under the Piazza. Such colossal finds As Nicosia terms them including ruins of a roman Bath Complex foundations of medieval churches and Homes and various shards thai Dale Back to the Bronze ago and neolithic limes should nol be endangered he says. Nicosia e Small intense Man who spent iwo years digging under the Square envisions an underground museum Hal will allow florentine to View their history from medieval limes Back to 3,000 years Belore Christ. If we Don t act together to run the risk of just standing by while serious scientific damage is done Nicosia said in a recent interview in his cluttered office. For just a relatively Small expense on the original Cost of paving we can do both save the Square and. Not risk obliterating the ancient races forever. Eventually we could keep part of it open to the Public As an underground museum like architect . Pel is doing with the louvre courtyard Nicosia said. The analogy is not quite Apt. Pei has designed a controversial transparent Glass Pyramid or the Center of the Paris museum s main courtyard not to House museum works but to replace the current Entrance with one that will Load underground to passages connecting the widely separated wings of the louvre. Florence vice mayor Nicola Anglia clearly exasperated by Nicosia s intense lobbying dismissed the underground museum plan during a recent interview. It s an idea thai is All wrong or Many reasons he said. He complained that a museum would ruin the Piazza by peppering in Wilh above ground entrances emergency exits and air and Light duels Erma Bombeck the Tiff began when officials decided Piazza Della Signoria needed a Facelift. It All sounded so simple. Cariglia also cited the projected Cost of the museum anywhere from $2 million los million As a reason to reject Nicosia s plan. City fathers argue such sums would b e belter spent restoring the cily s archaeological museum heavily damaged in the 1966 flood that ruined Many of Florence s Art masterpieces As Well. Nicosia has traded barbed suggestions and arguments with City officials for weeks in the italian press. He suggested the cily either delay in s project to let him excavate or agree to Orel a Concrete roof under the new pavement to allow archaeological learns to work even Afler the re pavement is finished. City officials stressed they Are not against a excavations bul warned they would tight the museum idea As aesthetically unsound Public works superintendent Paolo Cappelletti who confesses to seeking peace of mind by strolling through the Piazza in the Early morning hours said Nicosia s museum would change the very nature of the 14th Century  la s not right to alter its very nature Borovor said Cappelletti in an interview in the Palazzo Vecchio old Palace which still serves As the main City Hall and looms Over the Piazza despite their differences Nicosia and Capelletti reached an interim agreement Hal would allow Bolh repaving and archaeological work to proceed. The agreement which still must be approved by higher authorities would require the repaving project to begin Fale in March. Ii also would require Nicosia to Complete his archaeological explorations by september 1989 and require the cily to finish the repaving by March 1990. The agreement does t mean either Side expects the museum idea to disappear. City officials believe Nicosia is using the agreement to gain time Lime that could be used to find funding Lor his project while visiting my Mother last week i said your cold sounds Iamb to. Whal Are you taking i can l take anything she said  not Well enough whal arc you talking about i asked. She handed me a Boll ool cough syrup and said read in bold looters the Label warned in you exceeded the recommended dosage you could suffer from nervousness dizziness and sleeplessness or Exila testily if you were under 12. You could nol Lake the Medicine Al All if you suffered from High blood Pia sure Harl disease Dia Belos thyroid disease or were pc Scilly taking a proscription an Lih Ype Tensive or  drug containing a Mona me oxidase inhibitor the Medicine was not Loho Lakon in you had glaucoma asthma or diff Cully in Unn Alion due to Page 16 the stars and stripes enlargement of the prostate gland. To further co Lorl you in warned Hal in Case of accidental overdose you were to seek professional assist Anchor con acl a Poison Conkol Center As soon As possible Mother was right. She would have to got a lot Bellcar before she could take the cure. This is ridiculous i said there should be something you can Lake. Here s Ono Ihal s a pain reliever Tor cold  i started to read the Fabol arc you pregnant or a nursing Mother gel out of the Sun she said do you have an ulcer no arc you allergic to aspirin or do you Milivo a bleeding disease what s a bleeding disease7" of wednesday March in 1987 i tossed it Back and picked up another bottle. No sense taking chances hero s one. Lot s Soe Tho Sido effects Are dryness of Tho Mouth drowsiness temporary blurred vision dilation of i to pupils Diyorio Vlahon memory disturbances dizziness restlessness hallucinations confusion skin Imla Hon. Dry itchy red eyes and you can l operate any dangerous  Mother looked hesitant hey look upon Ilas a  Don t think so she said of hero s a simple nose Spray Hal could Burn Sling cause you to sneeze and. It Shis dispenser was used by another person could spread infection " i scooped up All Hie remedies and Pul them on Iho lop shelf of the Medicine Cabinet. 1 there Linen t any children Here said run her i know i Iti keeping churn out of the ranch Al sick people