- by Melissa Schantz

Dolci, wearing blue glasses with rhinestones emblazoned on the sides, smiles as she speaks. On her desk, layouts of graphic design are arranged neatly to the right of a computer monitor. Large bookcases positioned around the well-lit office hold rows of textbooks and application manuals for graphic programs such as Quark Express, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Streamline, Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Illustrator.

A book about the Adriatic Sea, Adriatico, Cultura arti del Mare lies on the desk, opened to a page of Dolci's graphic design. Sitting in her office chair, Dolci points to a paper displaying cartoon-like images of an apple core, rusty tin can, worn leather armchair and old newspaper. These images line the cover of a brochure with the name of a recycling company, Natura. Window light illuminates the array of color splashed throughout the office. The multitude of shades accents Dolci's vibrant personality as she enthusiastically discusses her work.

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Family Matters

- "C.K." Kennington

Before every game, Giacomo Barzotti says he puts on his jersey, laces up his cleats and steps on to the field. "The feeling of tension floods my entire body," he says.

For three consecutive years he has been the leading scorer on the Cagli soccer team. But he is otherwise just like most other 19 year olds. He loves his family. He loves his friends, and he loves sports.

Early in life his father introduced him and his sister to the game of soccer. It's not just a connection between his father and him; it's a connection with his whole family. But his mother says that young boys play for their mother.

"Him coming home muddy has been the daily routine for years" she said

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In the Hearts of the Faithful

- Elise Berry

Twenty years of performing weddings, funerals, communions and baptisms have made Don Nazareno Bartolucci a steadfast pillar of faith in Cagli. His calm nature and gentle eyes show none of the strain of carrying the town's faith on his shoulders. His tiny figure engulfed in his priestly robes standing in the pulpit belies the intense passion that comes through in his voice booming out his prayers. The Cattedrale Santa Maria Assunte, the center of religion in Cagli, is located in the Piazza Matteotti, the center of commerce, entertainment and government. In a country whose name is almost synonymous with Catholicism, churches in Italy are steeped in tradition and history, as well as faith.

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Something to Dance About

- Carrie Cross

Tucked beneath the bustling classrooms of the Atrium is a professional dance studio. Its open doors welcome potential students and curious onlookers. Inside the studio, sunlight splashes across the walls of the waiting area. Pictures of dancers, some in vibrantly red flamenco costumes, others poised in pink tutus, glow in the early morning light. A group of cabaret dancers holds angular poses in one image, while a mob of hip hop dancers slumps casually in another. The graceful bend of limbs in the ballet images contrasts sharply with the jazz dancers' impassioned glares. The otherwise incongruous images meld into a gallery that illustrates the diversity of dance taught within the studio.

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Holy Smokes! Small Store. Big Personality.

- Katie Haak

The upbeat music pours in through the speakers in the front corner of the little Tabaccheria Edicola, Cagli's tobacconist "I love to come in and turn the music on in the morning," says Eros Santini, the owner.

The shop has been home to Santini for his whole life. It overflows with little knick-knacks, knick-knacks that convey a sense of familiarity and comfort. Yellow-tinted postcards have been on the wall for some time. Local newspapers and magazines line the other wall. Hanging nearby, little games like trading cards, The Turtles and Barbie to entertain the local children are available.

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Making the Cut.

- Kimberly Shurtz

In Gian Carlo Renga's garage workshop, the smell of freshly sanded wood emanates from oak panels lined up like soldiers by the doorway. Renga reaches for one of the panels and slides it through the buzz saw, cutting it into two uniform pieces. Once the wood passes through Renga examines each piece closely and sands both from top to bottom before putting them aside to rest. He then gets a panel that has already been cut, pulls out his tape measure and makes three evenly spaced marks on the wood. He carries the oak panel with his rough hands over to his workbench and drills holes into the center of each of the marks he has just made. Renga continues this pattern until he has all of the pieces of wood cut and then begins to nail them together.

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The Art of Cooking

- Eleni Polites

Dining in Cagli has heated up with the opening of new restaurant. Native Cagliese Gabriele Giamucci serves as the head chef and owner of La Gioconda, one of the town's newest, most innovative Italian restaurants.

Giamucci, who has dreamed for years of owning his own restaurant, opened the doors to La Gioconda in May.

The restaurant, tucked away on La Via Brancuti in Cagli, bears the Italian name of Leonardo DiVinci's painting, "The Mona Lisa." It also happens to be the name of Giamucci's favorite Ponchielli opera. Giamucci's passion in life is art, and it is reflected in the décor of his restaurant. "I wanted my restaurant to be an expression of art, to name the art of cooking," Giamucci said.

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Destination Cagli

- Ashley French

A silver coffee press sits on the stove as the warm Italian sunlight cascades into the kitchen. Rosanna Pecorelli scoops grounds into her coffee press from a jar. While sipping the warm and fragrant coffee and eating fresh cherries in the modern and eclectic kitchen, Pecorelli entertains her guests with tales of river rafting in Tibet, life in India and the challenges of raising a family while traveling abroad. Pecorelli enjoys basking in the warmth of her hometown. Although she continues to pine for travel, Cagli holds a special place in her heart.

Located in the Le Marche region of Italy, Cagli is nestled between three mountains and two rivers. The area offers a quiet and peaceful life. The bells ring in the piazza as swallows swoop and chirp. As the sun rises over the mountains, the sunlight reflects on the walls of the city, creating a glow of warmth and tranquility.

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The Tie that Binds

- Kristen Cesiro

Ernesto Paleani wants to document everything.   Inside his tiny office on Via Lapis, he can be seen through the window amid his piles of papers and lithograph prints as he diligently and passionately turns ideas into tangible products.

"There are no mistakes," Paleani says about his work. As a book publisher, he gathers much of the necessary information, including the copy and graphics, before he sets the book to print on his digital laser printer. After he makes several copies or "sketches," Paleani personally corrects them. Only when they are to his satisfaction, he continues to print the rest of the copies.

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Smooth Operator

- Amanda Kulakowski

Cristina Diaz is a triple threat. She has beauty, a great personality and a brilliant, angelic voice.

Diaz, a native of Spain, is starring as Dorina in the opera L'Osteria de Marechiaro or The Tavern of Marechiaro, in Cagli, Italy. It is her fifth opera performance and her first lead role. The president of the opera house recruited Diaz to join the Cagli Opera after he heard her in an opera competition. Diaz's character Dorina, a lady of high social standing, falls in love with her father's valet. The couple's love stays true throughout the entire humorous story and finally Dorina's father accepts their love.

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24Seven

- Alli James

Seven is already mixing up his first drink of the night as "Kung Fu Fighting" bumps from the stereo in the background. At the Caffé del Corso, after topping off his house special, "Cocktail de Corso," with a perfect strawberry Seven extends a wink and his tattooed arm as he casually slides the drink down the slick bar.

The black Roman numeral numbers XII XII that cover his forearm stand for his birthday, Dec. 12, 1980, and seem to match his tar-black hair and shirt. He's not just the bartender with muscular arms and a beaming smile that everyone in town knows and loves; at 25 he's one of Cagli's young entrepreneurs. He owns the caffé where he's serving up drinks. "It's been the dream of my life to open a bar," he says.

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