I didn't sleep very well that night and I cried for the joy as well. I would have met in fact in person the ex coordinator of the Gubb
I thought that maybe it was a good idea sharing the news of the arrival of Laura but then we decided that it was better to keep a low profile. I was happy and I thought that, after all, that news was mine, that story followed by me in the past and I just wanted to enjoy the moment.
2005 I was becoming a journalist. Life sounded great, I was plenty of joy and I was working with enthusiasm. Beautiful and fertile years, I personally was intrigued by all that "international news" in which Gubbio was the main protagonist in the world.
I searched for the most diversified news. A writer, Emma, from Kent, decided to call one of her children's book Gubbio ; Regina painted corners of our city. I still remember the moment I discovered the Gubbio Project. It was a beautiful and sunny morning. I felt immediately attraction for this Important, wonderful, stunning novelty.
"Wow! Look what they're doing in San Francisco. Should I contact them, Carlo?" Carlo, our vice-chief editor said me immediately to do that.
Father Louie Vitale, from italian origin called the project Gubbio in honor of the city that donated the legend of Saint Francis and the Wolf, a metaphor for telling to people that also a brigant could be tamed using kidnness, help and a gentle spirit. The Gubbio was born on 2004.
Homeless in San Fransisco area are a large community and at the Saint Boniface a church situated in one of the poorest corners of San Francisco, the Tenderloin they tried to help making the difference.
Fr.Louie thought that it would have been possible after all to offer a pew where to sleep to all the homeless in search of a place where to sleep in. When I interviewed the first coordinator of the project, Michelle Roder, I remember that Fr.Louie was still in jail because an activist.
Michelle told me largely of the project and the news appeared in our free press Gubbio7.
With the years I would have folloowed the project always more closely. There was an interruption, a sort ot: "What direction do we want to give at the project?" because of course everything can become more perfect and beauty. Michelle enjoyed so much working for the Gubbio and with the homeless that she decided, when she married her husband, of inviting also all the homeless in a project of inclusivity and in one of the most important moments of her existences; she really loved it.
The project started to flying with the arrival as coordinator of Laura Slattery. Laura is an energetic, absolutely stunning character and woman, someone who wants results; she knows how to obtain them, there is to add this.
I had this idea of her and I was right. I did not sleep at all that night, so I was in the city earlier, so I drunk a peach tea waiting for her arrival.I thought at the time passed by, at what it meant having built these contacts so distants from me and I thought at the contraction, positive in this case, of the internet and reality and.. world. In the past no one would have known the Gubbio Project in our city because, simply, there wouldn't never been the possibility. The net, with all its negativities can be splendid sometimes. Laura arrived at big steps and with a warm smile.
To me it was a dream to seeing her. We exchanged a lot of e-mails in the past and I tried to give a lot of coverage to the Gubbio.
She wore casual clothes and a shirt of the Gubbio Project. She was accompanied by her wife, pretty shy, and we enjoyed a wonderful morning and afternoon. A fearless lady, our meeting under Le Logge dei Tiratori donated us a first tea where we started a conversation about the Gubbio and the importance of wolves in our communities for giving back to the environment the old assetts, sometimes lost thanks to the introduction of other animals. Wolves are not just big sheep eaters.
Laura told me that this one was the second time to her in Italy. The first time she flew in our country she took part at a humanitarian meeting in North of Italy. For her wife this one was the first time. The place where we started the visit of the city was the church of San Francesco and I told to Laura the importance of this city and that old structure, walls still preserved, for Francis. Francis abandoned his family, his social status for the unknown and Gubbio and that friars helped him to trying to figure out what kind of future and aspiration to develop.
It was a revelation.
Then we decided to dedicate time at The Palazzo dei Consoli.
We stopped by at the church of Don Matteo, San Giovanni. Laura found this church more sober. We then went at the Palazzo dei Consoli taking several pictures, although maybe the funniest one at the Bar Ducale where I insisted for taking a picture of Laura and her wife sat in the table where Don Matteo and the maresciallo Cecchini loved to playing at chees in the beloved fiction. Laura didn't know Don Matteo or Terence Hill. I told her that the series is inspired at Murder she Wrote the masterpiecve with Angela Lansbury but that in this case case the detective is not a writer but a priest.
"Don't you know Terence Hill?" He spends more time in your country than not in Italy..He lives in New Mexico...".An introduction with pictures, biography, Bud Spencer and Trinità. We visited an art exhibit and then the church of San Domenico, taking pictures in the little bridge of San Martino.
Laura told me during our visits that the American pews of Saint Boniface are positioned differently in comparison of our pews for permitting to the visitors and their so-called sacred sleep a good night. Once in San Domenico she didn't forget of adding that in the back part of the church the volunteer of the Saint Boniface give to the homeless something to eat in the morning. Laura remarks that the Catholic Church of Saint Boniface doesn't offer breakfasts everyday, while the episcopalian church connected with them, does it. Not only: she also told me that the father of her wife was an episcopalian pastor.
Laura left the Gubbio because of the poor health situation of her mother. "She lived in Los Angeles. We didn't spend recently a lot of time together, but she was happy that I was there accompanying her in the final trip of the existence." She has a sister. "She lives in Ireland and she is married with a man pretty irish also in his name."
The project with the time became always more important thanks also to the support of Martin and Charlie Sheen, two beloved American actors ."Charlie donated a great amount of money, 250.000 dollar at the Gubbio and when we received his donation, he told us that this one was pocket check. "
Laura insisted for eating something at some point and we found a place at the Cresceria close to the Piazza Bosone where we ate a delicious veggie crescia. Laura wanted also to try the brustengo a local dish made with white flour, some water and a pinch of salt. You mix all adding it in boiled oil. Once fried, people add salt or sugar on the top of the brustengo enjoying it.
I said her I eat it for dinner and it didn't sound the case because crescia is a robust meal.
Then, immediately after lunch Laura asked me if I could accompany them at the Gola dell'Iridio. It seems that once we also destroyed dinosaurus. Gubbio's got some reputation.
Iridium. Personally living in Gubbio per various years during my teenage age I didn't like that substance. It is known that iridium causes depressions. It's a chemical substance consistently known in the Universe but not in our Planet. We are exclusivist of this stardust.
Laura said me that she is studying bioloogy in the same university where Alvarez works. I felt the sensation of being very little, and plenty of real ignorance. I live here but I remained behind, I told her. Laura didn't dramatize a lot: "New discoveries have been recently added." And naturally, I lost them. Oh well: The competence of Laura was great and she explained us a lot. "When iridium fell on Earth, just a litle quantity, created a sort of film,membrane and nothing, nothing could be found there; not a shell, not the skekleton of a dinosaurus, nothing. There wasn't life anymore." It was as if Earth was in a moment of meditation.
We partially made the walk of the Iridium and Laura and her wife were surprised that there were people enjoying a pic-nic. "San Francisco is warmer. Our good season is shorter and the reason for a walk in this area means also staying outside, before of the arrival of bad weather."
It didn't sound good ending the hours spent together without a visit at the Basilica of Sant'Ubaldo. Laura and her wife not only enjoyed the church but later I also let them show the panorama seen from the bar where I love to spend some time sometimes all alone. "Looking down from this point you breath peace and it seems that all the problems of this world are over." Laura agreed that the panorama was beautiful and so we stayed there drinking an iced tea, before to return to the city, where I left the ladies in the car park close to the Roman Theater. "You can't miss the chance to visit that site as well" I suggested them.
When I left them, with the promise of keeping alive our contacts, I thought at this connection established by an enthusiastic young reporter 15 years ago. Laura said me before to leave "I knew that I would have found someone in this city so I decided to afford here."
Thanks Laura.
Plus, let's remember that the inspiration of the Gubbio Project is our city. A great honor.
Anna Maria Polidori