Arnaldo, 83, started living at the airport when he could no longer afford the rent in the city.
The team in the field rallied for him and gave him food, coffee and even a sleeping bag.
After 9 months, the municipality finally came together to help him
Couldn't afford the rent in the city.
Arnaldo at Bologna airport/screenshot, News italy24
A man who has been living at Bologna airport for nine months has been given a new home.
The 83-year-old, known only as Arnaldo, started living at the airport when he could no longer afford the rent in the city.
The staff at Marconi Airport, the seventh largest in Italy, became a family for Arnaldo and gave him a sleeping bag, coffee and meals.
A newsstand at the airport also gave him a newspaper to read every day.
Arnaldo may remind you of Tom Hanks' character in the movie 'The Terminal', but here the pensioner is stuck because of poverty and not bureaucracy.
Last summer he found himself unable to pay rent, subsisting only on an allowance.
Despite the help of the local homeless service, he ended up living at Marconi Airport in Bologna.
The airport staff began providing him with coffee and food, and even a sleeping bag.
Marconi Airport in Bologna/ShutterStock
An unexpected welcome
Arnaldo slept outside and said he didn't want to "be a nuisance," but that wasn't practical when winter arrived, so he moved to the airport check-in area, where he received an unexpected welcome.
The airport staff began providing him with coffee and food, and even a sleeping bag.
Nine months after Arnaldo's stay at the airport, the municipality of Bologna stepped in to help.
While they were trying to find him a permanent home, he was staying in a hotel, which is obviously better than sleeping in the airport terminal building.
Luca Rizzo Nervo, a member of the welfare council in Bologna, says Arnaldo moved to Bologna without contacting the local welfare services, but once they were aware of his case support was offered.
The council member said that he was sorry that the authorities learned about his case only from media reports and emphasized the importance of turning to the authorities for help when needed.
More on the same topic:
Bologna
Airport
Homeless people