Ciao Coronavirus
Originally from the Venetian language, ‘Ciao’ is used as an informal greeting for both “hello” and “good-bye.” It’s used primarily amongst friends and family and might be considered rude to greet strangers or elders in this fashion. But Covid-19 is neither friend nor family. All anyone really wants to say is Arrivederci. Bye-bye. So long. Farewell. Sayonara. Auf Wiedersehen. Au revoir. Adios. Buzz-off. Ciao.
On January 31st of 2020 the first two cases of coronavirus appeared in Rome. By March 19th Italy had the highest number of confirmed deaths in the world.
Every week my Italian Village Works co-founder, Alexandra Scott, and I video chat, an old-friend mix of talking about our daily lives and working on the business. As February progressed, disbelief and horror set in and the tenor of our meetings began to change. I could see it in her face before we said a word. In Italy they were ahead of us here in the United States by a couple of weeks. It was a hard reality to face on so many levels. On a personal level: What will happen to our dream of Italian Village Works? You mean what we’ve worked on so hard for the past four years is over? I can’t come see you? What about my visa?
By the beginning of March those worries evolved to grief for a country I had come to love.
The days lunged forward and an essence of the spirit of the Italian people began to emerge. It wasn’t just the nightly singing from the balconies, or the incredible effort and sacrifice of the hospital workers. It was the courage and community of our local vendors and collaborators of Italian Village Works in Tuscia, Italy. Through social media I have watched them embrace hope in the middle of isolation and quarantine.
Here they are, continuing to persevere.
Emiliano
Prof. Emiliano Macchioni, a teacher and writer by profession, works tirelessly to document the stories of the people of Tuscia and keep alive the traditional arts of the area.
While quarantined, Emiliano takes care of his wife and two small children while running several Facebook Groups, Personaggi Mitici & La Carovana Narrante designed to bring together artists and artisans of Tuscia.
He shares his expertise with Italian Village Works in leading “Lost Worlds” experiences.
Lorenza and Virgilio
Federica Ricci and Virgilio Gambini created Ara del Re, a family run organic olive farm, in 1997. Their grove of 1,200 trees has been lovingly nurtured and maintained in the traditional method producing unparalleled extra virgin oil. Their daughter Lorenza is actively involved with the farm and production, while their other daughter, Flaminia, has created a line of natural cosmetics from the olive oil. They are currently tending to their orchards during quarantine.
Our Organic Olive Oil experience is hosted at and by Ara Del Re.
Raffaele and Mirco
Raffaele Friggi and Mirco Lupino run Tuscia Trekking Experience. Their love of the Tuscia countryside inspires them daily to create a variety of fascinating and knowledgeable walks in the area. These active trekkers look forward to getting back outdoors on a regular basis to check and maintain the trails.
They created the following Experiences exclusively for Italian Village Works.
Giovangorgio
Giovangorgio Afan de Rivera Costaguti runs the Costaguti Castle and has been with us since the beginning. Out of love for his family home and the area, he moved from Rome in his 20’s to take on the gargantuan task of renovating the Castle. He stays there now taking care of his father and other members of his family who have gathered to be together during quarantine. Giovangorgio is the consummate host for our Guests and waits for activity to resume.
Maurizio
Maurizio Marmorstein, one of our own Italian Village Works co-founders, continues to hunker down and write in the village where his mother was born. Maurizio has written numerous screenplays as well as The Making of a Prince, a novel based on the life of Niccolo Machiavelli.
Purchase The Making of a Prince
There are so many people in the villages of Tuscia who have inspired and helped Italian Village Works along the way—too many to mention here. They make our Mission to Enliven Guests & Revitalize Villages even more important and meaningful during this challenging time.
We don’t know yet when travel to Italy will be possible. What we do know, is that now more than ever, we all need to experience the simple wonder of life. Live for Life. We will be waiting. The courageous and kind hearted people of Tuscia will be waiting.
Bravi.
Stephanie Slater
IVW Co-Founder & Manager