The funeral of Marcello Montanaro and Maria Vittoria Rita, the married couple who died in a road accident on August 9th, was held this morning at 10 AM in the Collegiata church of Vignanello, Viterbo province. The couple perished in a collision on the road between Vignanello and Vasanello.
Their 24-year-old daughter, Aurora, was seriously injured in the same crash. She was urgently airlifted to Rome’s Gemelli Polyclinic and remained hospitalized until this morning.
The small church was filled today as mourners gathered to pay their final respects to Marcello and Maria. Aurora’s 21-year-old brother, Christian, stood in the front row. Among the crowded pews of friends and relatives were Viterbo municipal councilors Patrizia Notaristefano and Stefano Floris.
During the homily, officiant Father Francesco Rossi De Gasperis addressed the profound tragedy: “Losing both parents is a test of anyone’s faith. Life is fragile, and our words often fail us even more. In these moments, human expression shrinks to a few phrases: ‘Be strong,’ ‘Condolences,’ ‘Move forward.’ But truly, our eloquence wavers like a candle in the wind. We try to console each other, we cling to reasons to go on, yet the reality is life can change in an instant. Then, only prayer becomes the instrument that places us in the channel of hope.”
He concluded, “And perhaps – with faith as small as a mustard seed, which is truly minuscule – a great tree can grow: the tree of hope. Because, even if words are fragile, hope can be surprisingly resilient.”
Shortly after the service, Aurora arrived at Vignanello’s small cemetery to bid farewell to her parents.