A 39-year-old Italian boy, Gabriele Bellucci, originally from Vinci, in the province of Florence, died following a dramatic accident that occurred in Bali, Indonesia, where he had been living for about two years.
The accident in Bali
The tragedy occurred last August, but the news was only made known in the last few days, after the body’s return to Italy. Two main hypotheses remain open regarding the exact causes of death: a sudden illness or a fatal accident in the water. According to initial reconstructions, the 39-year-old may have slipped during a surfing session, violently hitting his head against his board and losing consciousness before drowning.
The return of the body
Once the international bureaucratic procedures had been completed, the funeral was scheduled for today’s morning, Monday 31 August, at 10.30 am, at the church of San Bartolomeo in Sovigliana, a hamlet in the municipality of Vinci. The 39-year-old, after graduating from the “Ferraris” industrial technical institute in Empoli, had worked for a period within the Sesa group, simultaneously cultivating a love for travel and the Orient, which had brought him to reside initially in Thailand and subsequently in Bali. Despite the geographical distance, he had maintained a very close bond with his homeland and with his historic friends, in particular with the local football scene: he had in fact first been a footballer and then coach of Spicchiese, a local amateur team.
Condolences on social media
The news of his passing shocked the entire community. The friends of Spicchiese wanted to remember him publicly through a touching message spread on social channels: “You are a piece of us, you will always be. See you in space cowboy, with a red and blue heart”. A message of condolence also came from the mayor of Vinci, Daniele Vanni: “On behalf of myself and the municipal administration of Vinci, I express the most sincere closeness to his family, friends and all the people who were lucky enough to know him and share a piece of the road with him”.