Discovering the many facets of Italy

Canadian university students spent a week in il Bel Paese

Their experience was one to remember for life. A group of 14 Canadian university students of Italian heritage has just returned from a one-week trip organized by Centro Scuola e Cultura Italiana.
“It was simply marvellous,” said Melissa Giacomini of the University of Toronto; “to spend time together, chatting and having fun, but most of all discovering a different lifestyle and noticing the great kindness of the people we met.”
This was the first such trip for university students that Centro Scuola organized in order to let them learn about Italy firsthand and to strengthen their bond with their ancestral land of origin. “This year we sent 14 students, mostly members of UTICA, the University of Toronto’s Italian-Canadian Association, and one each from York University, Weston University and Ryerson University,” explained Centro Scuola director Alberto Di Giovanni. “Next year we’ll offer the same opportunity to 30 students.”
The students who took this year’s opportunity were Ashley Tulipano, Melissa Giacomini, Laura-Marie Camasta, Nadia Ciccone, Andria Andreucci, Monica Mantenuto, Cheyenne Duz, Philip Turi, Alexander Suriano, Anthony Pallotta, Michael Cianfarani, Marco Giancola, and Giovanni Spina.
Immersing themselves fully in Italian life and discovering art, culture, language and lifestyle was a fascinating experience for them. Annamaria Di Giovanni, Alberto Di Giovanni’s daughter, acted as the escort on the tour. “We visited Rome, Florence, Siena, L’Aquila and Tivoli,” she said. “It was an intense week, and we tried to see as many places as possible.” In L’Aquila, the students met with Prof. Biondini of the local university; in Florence they visited the Uffizi museum; in Rome they met with MP Gino Bucchino who led them on a visit to parliament. “Seeing the facts of life in Italy as a European Union member state and discovering new horizons is important for our youth,” added Alberto Di Giovanni. “It’s fundamental in order to establish a sort of continuity with future generations.”
“Our meeting with MP Bucchino and our visit to parliament were very interesting,” remarked Nadia Ciccone; “also, I was impressed by the closeness of relations among people, for instance parents and children spending a lot time together; it is not unusual to see small children at the restaurant with their mother and father.”
For Alexander Suriano, whose father is Calabrese and whose mother is Friulian, this journey represented a way for approaching today’s reality. “I loved seeing today’s Italy marching towards its future,” said this U of T student of Political Science and History who’s also the Vice Presidente of UTICA. “Especially for those of us of Italian heritage, it is very interesting to understand what it means being Italian today, to know and appreciate Italy, in order to be able one day to transmit this love to our own children.”
The enthusiasm accumulated during their week in Italy is still present inside these youth. “It couldn’t be otherwise,” concluded Di Giovanni. “I believe that we should always link what people study to how they live.”

Publication Date: 2007-06-24
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=7408