Anghiari si racconta

I was born in 1999, in Sansepolcro, because there isn’t a hospital in Anghiari anymore… .  I went to primary and intermediate schools here in Anghiari, and now I’m in the 4th year at the Institute of Catering and Hotel management in Caprese, near here – I go every morning, by bus. My course focuses on tourist reception, so languages are quite important, more so than in a kitchen or dining room.

Lots of young people go abroad with their schools, for 1, 2, up to 6 months. For example, a friend went to Argentina, but some go to France, England, and work there. My school should participate in the Erasmus Project, but we are not sure if it has been approved, and now there is a risk that we won’t be able to go abroad. I gave my preferred destination as London and I would be rather sad if this thing…

Basically, there is a teacher who comes from London, and it was probably through her that I became more fond of English. She pushed me to do the Trinity exam, and it is thanks to her that I would like to travel, to speak English, interact with all the people that you can meet during a trip that can last one month, that can last 2. I could even make up my mind and break off and go…. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to work in the area I’ve chosen – they could send me to work in the dining room, or put me in a kitchen, where I am not that good.

She (gesturing to Simona) adores cooking, I don’t.

Anyway, if it happens, I’ll be going July, August, September. It is fully paid – they pay for the plane ticket, food and lodging, they even give me some pocket money because I will be working. I’ve never had this kind of experience before – London is 100, 200 times the size of Anghiari! And, I’ve always lived here, with my family. We went with the school to visit Barcelona, but we didn’t stay long, so it is not like actually living there. And I’ll be living alone, without anyone, without them (looking to Simona), without anyone. So, in some ways it is scary, but I would like it.

For the future there are two options: the first one is to stay here – the shop is going well, particularly with the coffee machines… we are all here, there is work. Then the second option would be to leave, to go, I don’t know, to work in a hotel, perhaps in England, perhaps in America, perhaps in Australia, and…

It would be difficult for me to leave, because I am, anyway, really devoted to them here; I like Anghiari – it is very beautiful, life is good (si sta bene), the weather is good. To go to a completely different place, with completely different people, speaking a different language, eating in a different way, having habits totally different from mine, it is a big step.

But, it’s important, because it is like with the tourists who come here, mixing with our way of life… you learn how others live, learn how to live with people with different habits. This is fundamental, in my opinion, because, in today’s world, we can’t remain stuck in our traditions, we have to expand, open our mind, stretch to other people’s ways of thinking, understand other points of view, other cuisines, religions, even if I don’t believe that much in religions … anyway, one must learn to co-exist. We should all be closer to each other, and travelling is the easiest way to do it.

When you travel I don’t think you should spend too much time looking for people with whom… I mean, if an Italian goes to London he must not spend his time only with Italians because then he might as well have stayed in Italy. So, if I go to London probably I will look for other Italians, but I would try to meet the English or people from other cultures, because there are not only English people there, there are also other foreigners.

It makes a difference travelling alone because you are forced to learn the language, you have to make yourself understood – that’s the way it works. It is like if you were here now with another person with whom you were talking all the time, you wouldn’t have the opportunity to talk with us … it would be as if you had stayed in Australia. If you were only speaking with an Australian, you would be here looking at places, but without understanding, or knowing… for example, now you wouldn’t know us!

I think that a lot of my friends might stay here…because they don’t much like speaking English or other languages, and they prefer to stay here with their families. Mostly they don’t yet work, because they are my age …but there’s someone who works in a pizzeria, others are waiters. But then maybe it is too early to see who wants to leave, also because not all of them attend a school like mine, open to tourism. For example, here, in Anghiari there is an Institute of Electronic Engineers, and those who are into computers don’t know much about languages, travelling, tourism, hospitality. Then there are, for example, students at the linguistic lycee, and they do a lot of travelling. Then they come back and do an exchange, and these cultural exchanges should be rather useful. I’ve never done one, but they should be rather useful.

This is one of the 100 ‘most beautiful villages in Italy’ … there is so much potential for the place, if tourism was developed. But the accommodation is limited to 3 hotels, some agriturismo, and a camper area. There isn’t a train. Tourists are attracted by the tranquillity, peace, but if there isn’t even an easy way to get here… . There is a danger that with more transportation the peace would be lost, but there would be more openness… and from the economic point of view, it would help the shops that are struggling. Right now tourism here is dead – it is only in summer and even in summer …. Now, if you go around Anghiari, you can only find locals, while if you go to other parts of Italy where there have been some investments there are also foreigners, at any time of the year.

Here, si sta bene, life is good, I am not denying it. Anghiari has nothing for which  to envy other places … with her beauty, her history.