4.  The applicants were both born in 1940 and live in Florence. 5.  They are the owners of a flat in Florence, which they had let to A.Q. 6.  In a writ served on the tenant on 14 September 1984, the applicants informed him of their intention to terminate the lease on expiry of the term on 31 December 1987 and summoned him to appear before the Florence Magistrate. 7.  By a decision of 14 November 1984, which was made enforceable on the same day, the Florence Magistrate upheld the validity of the notice to quit and ordered that the premises be vacated by 31 December 1988. 8.  In the meanwhile the tenant died and his wife refused to leave the premises. 9.  On 25 September 1989, the applicants made a statutory declaration that they urgently required the premises as accommodation for their son. 10.  On 16 November 1989, the applicants served notice on the tenant requiring her to vacate the premises. 11.  On 6 December 1989, they served notice on the tenant informing her that the order for possession would be enforced by a bailiff on 31 January 1990. 12.  Between 31 January 1990 and 8 February 2001, the bailiff made twenty-one attempts to recover possession. Each attempt proved unsuccessful, as the applicants were never granted the assistance of the police in enforcing the order for possession. 13.  In the meanwhile, on 1 December 1998, the applicants made a second statutory declaration that they urgently required the premises as accommodation for their son. 14.  Pursuant to section 6 of Law no. 431/98, on 9 July 1999, the tenant asked for a suspension of the enforcement proceedings. The Florence Magistrate suspended the proceedings until 8 February 2001. 15.  On 9 March 2001, the applicants recovered possession of the flat.