Iron gargoyle knockers adorn the wooden doors at the front entrance to Cagli's Atrium building. The façade is a sandy-colored brick, studded with tall wood-trimmed windows. Along its top, brick ovals form a row. Above the door, an iron grate bears a crest; a cross, a mitre and a staff are the only outward clues to the building's past.

In the front hall, the walls are covered in white and gray paint from the floor to the vaulted ceilings, supported by the arches that supported the bell tower of the original structure of the old monastery. Nothing is ornate or elaborate, but the staircase that leads to the Atrium classrooms is striking in size. A marble plaque hung above it bears the date 1929, left over from the seminary that replaced the monastery many years earlier.

Climbing the old steps is an ascent through time, through the rich history of the building. Ernesto Paleani, editor and archaeologist who has written several books on Cagli's architectural history admits that no one knows for sure when the original building was constructed, although Agostino monks were already living in it by the early 12th century. The order stayed until 1623 when the church renovated the structure for use as a seminary. Paleani regrets that some of the beauty of the building was lost in the reconstruction. By 1775, the adjustments were complete, and the structure has not been altered since.

The hallways, which were once walked by monks and seminarians now echo with the music from Benilde Marini's dance school, the games of children in the adjacent kindergarten, and the chatter of international students from Atrium. The corridors are the perfect setting for a small but growing language institute that draws students from all over the world.

Atrium's mission, according to the institute's director, Dr. Francesco Mansi is to destroy stereotypes and increase understanding of Italian language and culture while growing to become an international center for Italian study. Mansi, along with his wife, Donna, and three of his colleagues conceived the idea for Atrium while teaching Italian in Urbana. The group wanted to open a new kind of language school, equipped to provide an opportunity for complete culture immersion. Cagli, with its medieval history, intimate size, and traditional Italian atmosphere and the former monastery along the original city wall provided the ideal location.

In May of 1993, Francesco Mansi, Christina Antonucci, Donna Galletta, Marco Moscardi and Ombretta Michelini (no longer with the organization) opened the doors of Atrium to three students from Germany. Today, under the direction of Mansi, Antonucci, and Galletta, the institute teaches about 150 students a year. Small classes (no more than nine students at a time) combined with the experience of living among the Cagliesi provide students with an intensive learning experience. Meanwhile, Cagli's quaint beauty, quiet lifestyle and friendly people give former students a reason to visit the city year after year. "Life is a river," Mansi says, "and Cagli is a lake - the perfect place to think." It is also the perfect classroom for language, culture and history.

After 10 years, Atrium is still growing, slowly meeting its goal as an international study center. Mansi looks forward to continued growth as word of the institute extends worldwide.