“They share their lives, they go to school, do sports, and have experiences together. Ours learn the customs, traditions, and way of living in the States and theirs learn what we have in here in Italy and in Tuscany especially.” Rolando Galli on the annual student exchange program between sister cities Abetone, Italy and Aspen, Colorado.
I have known and loved Abetone, a year-round mountain paradise in Tuscany’s highly poetic, Valley of Light – Val di Luce, since I moved permanently to Italy over a quarter of a century ago. Abetone is a perfect escape: it’s a relatively short drive from Florence, just right for a quick ski trip, and ideal to beat the heat in summer. Did I mention the unbelievable food?
I thought I knew a lot about this place of my heart, but when I sat down with this week’s guests, Rolando Galli, President, Società Funivie, Abetone (Abetone Ski Lifts), and Rosanna Cirigliano, fellow US expat in Florence, journalist, and editor who has been a tireless champion of Pistoia and its province for many years, I learned quite a few interesting things. The first was that Abetone and Aspen are sister cities and that every year teenagers from Abetone are hosted in Aspen and vice versa, creating important opportunities for cultural exchange around sports, the great outdoors, and much, much more. I also learned about the long, shared history between this charming Tuscan mountain village and its environs and the great state of Colorado. I was particularly fascinated by the stories around World War II, of which I knew virtually nothing.
The shared narrative between these snow-capped twin cities is compelling and the strong bonds that continue today honor that collective past while keeping a close eye on and shaping the future.
Biographies and Links
Rolando Galli is the Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce of Pistoia and Prato. He is the also president of the Abetone and Pistoia Mountains Tourist Board and Abetone Ski Lifts. Galli is a world-renowned ski champion, avid mountain biker, and community leader.
Rosanna Cirigliano became the only native English-speaking member of the professional Ordine dei Giornalisti (Tuscan Press Association). Her articles have appeared in The International Herald Tribune (now the International New York Times), the Corriere della Sera’s Italy Daily, national publications in the U.K., Italy and Israel, as well as European-wide newspapers. She is founder and managing editor of regional magazine Vista, Florence & Tuscany and Magenta (see here for details on these publications).
Links
https://www.instagram.com/saf_abetone/
https://www.instagram.com/gallirolando/
https://www.instagram.com/magentaflorence/
