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Signora Sandelli provides a warm “home
away from home” for her foreign guests. |
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Cultures come together in the home of Giana
Sandelli.
Sandelli, a 72-year-old retiree, shares her home
with up to three Atrium students from all over
the world. She was recruited by Professor Cristina
Antoniucci of the Atrium as a hostess for her
guests who helps them adapt to life in Cagli.
“When the students come to me, they are
usually acclimated due to the excellent organization
of the Atrium and the help of Cristina,”
Sandelli said. It works well for everyone.
Sandelli said that she gives students free rein
in her home. “I leave my wallet out, and
nothing gets stolen. I never have any problems
— I have complete faith.” |
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Sandelli’s historic
home adjacent to the Atrium has been beautifully
restored and reconstructed in recent years.
Immediately inside the door, one finds dozens
of trinkets and religious statues from family
and friends, as well as framed photos of
family covering every wall. She shows off
her antique table, which opens up to provide
a place to make homemade pasta and bread.
Here she shows the students how to make
traditional pasta, such as tagliatelli and
tortellini. |
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Family photos
and small knicknacks decorate
every shelf of her house |
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Signora Sandelli
makes her own pasta in this
compartment built into her kitchen
table. |
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The home can accommodate up
to three students at a time.
Sandelli shares the kitchen
and a bathroom with the students,
but they have a private sitting
room for studying and reading,
as well as a shared shower.
The bedrooms have beautiful
wooden armoires as well as curtains
inlaid with a tombolo marking,
a traditional Florentine design.
Each has a TV and a balcony
with flower boxes. Once inside
the room, there is a warm, comfortable
feeling of home.
Sandelli’s home has two
entrances, one on Via Lapis
and one on Via Corso 20 Settembre.
When the students arrive, she
gives them color-coded keys,
white for Via Corso and yellow
for Via Lapis. This is one way
of communicating with the students
before they begin to speak Italian. |
“I never feel
uncomfortable giving out
my keys,” Signora
Sandelli claims. |
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This bedroom is where Sandelli’s
guests get a good night’s
sleep. |
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“When one American woman
stayed with me, she told me she needed
a map of the house to get around,
because it is so big,” Sandelli
recalls, laughing.
When the students first come to her
without much knowledge of Italian,
“hands are very important—
they are a universal language,”
Sandelli said. Students use lots of
hand signals and body language to
communicate at first. However, “after
a few days with Professor Cristina
at the Atrium, they speak Italian
pretty well.”
Once the language barrier has been
broken, Sandelli’s relationships
with her students develop rapidly
and often continue long after the
students have left. She shows off
dozens of letters and postcards she
has received from the students, as
well their tokens of gratitude. |
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The most common
gifts are bottles of liquor
and boxes of chocolates, which
she has “already eaten,”
but she also shows a handmade
doll from a Japanese student
named Tomoko, statues from a
Cuban student, and an angel
from another Japanese student.
Her closest relationship was
to a Japanese man named Naoko,
who lived with her for half
a year. In the room upstairs
sits a suitcase he left.
“That is from Naoko.
After his six months, when he
left, he told me he was very
happy here and he cried,”
she said. “He became so
comfortable that he left his
suitcase here to promise he
will return.” |
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Sandelli
has
hosted
students
from
all
over,
including
Japan,
Germany,
and
the
United
States.
They
are
either
studying
at the
Atrium
or at
the
Music
Academy
in Cagli.
The
next
guest
will
be Jenny
from
the
United
States,
who
will
be studying
at both
the
Atrium
and
the
Music
Academy.
“She
will
be here
preparing
for
La Boheme.
She
has
a beautiful
voice,”
said
Sandelli.
To
help
the
new
students
like
Jenny
adjust
to Cagli
and
the
Italian
culture,
Sandelli
immerses
the
students
in the
Italian
way
of life.
She
invites
them
to eat
with
her,
serving
traditional
Italian
meals
so they
quickly
become
accustomed
to Italian
food.
She
also
encourages
them
to speak
Italian
and
furthers
their
knowledge
of the
language
by pointing
to different
household
items
and
telling
them
what
they
are
in Italian.
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Sandelli
talks with her most recent
house guest. Jenny is staying
in Cagli while performing
in La Boheme at the Teatro. |
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Students
can
always
find
a
welcome
home
with
Sandelli. |
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“I
will
point
to
a
cup
and
tell
them
it
is
a
bicchiere,
or
to
a
plate,
or
to
the
table,”
she
said.
Overall,
she
hopes
that
the
students
get
a
good
sense
of
the
language
and
the
culture.
She
wants
them
to
learn
to
interact
courteously
and
properly
with
Italians
and
speak
Italian
fluently.
Sandelli
said
she
learns
as
much
from
the
students
as
they
learn
from
her.
“I
learn
a
lot
from
them—
their
traditions,
their
cultures,
what
they
eat,”
she
said.
“I
live
alone.
I
love
having
the
company.
We
always
cry
as
they
leave.” |
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Pictures
by Christin
Goetz
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Video
by Katie
Cook |
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Web
Design
by Ben
Ambrosio
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