He's faced many obstacles in his life, but he's overcome many, challenging limits with his passion and love for art and painting. Davide Calvia, now 37 and living in Porto Torres, was 23 when his Punto went off the road and crashed into a tree. A tragic accident that changed his life. He spent three months in a coma and then awoke to an uphill road he resolved to drive through without stopping. A quadriplegic and wheelchair-bound, his disability has become his strength.
A former student at the Academy of Fine Arts, he has created over a hundred paintings, the latest of which depicts a stretch of the seafront, a canvas with the colors of nature and the sea. His imagination was inspired by a photo posted on Facebook by Manuele Derudas, who received the painting as a gift from Davide himself. "I want to give it to you," he told me. "A gesture that left me speechless, something unexpected, a canvas with colors that reflected the light in his gaze, a smile that is more valuable than anything else, and for me, a truly precious gift," Manuele explains. The power of creativity has never abandoned him, and support comes from his family and his teachers, starting with Simone Pavanetto, who dedicates part of his time every day to accompanying Davide through the streets of the city, reawakening his imagination and desire to immerse himself in the beauty of the landscapes.
"He is looked after twice a week by educator Matteo Argiolas from Sassari," explains his mother, Clara Piras, "and then by Simone Soro, a student at the Academy of Fine Arts, who helps him pursue his passion for painting. Unfortunately, the city doesn't have adequate facilities to support him in this occupational therapy program, nor a day center that can accommodate various disabilities and provide leisure activities."
