Giovanni Pecci, the economist who designed Prodi's bus, has died. "I've lost a true friend."
Giovanni Pecci , an economist and professor who worked for many years with Romano Prodi, has died at the age of 75 after an illness. He designed the bus for Prodi, which he used to tour Italian cities in 1995, in preparation for the election campaign the following year that would lead to his election as prime minister. Pecci, in fact, led the "Committee for the Italy We Want."
For the 30th anniversary of the Ulivo, he said: "For 9 million lire, I bought a used bus from a dealer in Modena that had carried pilgrims to Assisi. We built a bedroom and a study inside, so we traveled 80,000 kilometers and visited 100 cities. When we left, elections were supposed to be imminent, but then the Dini government lasted more than a year, and we were left hanging around. We were ridiculed, but in the end, we won."
"The passing of Gianni Pecci saddens me greatly," Romano Prodi said. "I have lost a sincere friend whom I loved. I have always been able to count on his collaboration, ever since the days of the Ulivo party, and on his sincere friendship. A long relationship has ended, and I will miss our meetings and our chats. My heartfelt thoughts go to his family and to all those who loved him."
During his career, Pecci also served as president of Nomisma, Bredamenarinibus, Beghelli Servizi, and the Rimini-based research institute Sylla. In 1999, he caused a stir in Bologna when he surprisingly sided with Mayor Giorgio Guazzaloca, who appointed him to his advisory board.
Mayor Matteo Lepore expresses his "closeness and condolences to the family and friends of Gianni Pecci. An economist and professor, we will remember him as an ever-curious and lively presence in our city's politics and economics."
La Repubblica
