As we celebrate this season of gratitude, I am writing to share something very rare with you: two poems written by students from Esperienza 2025 Language immersion program. I believe both speak directly about the transformative possibilities of our presence in Romagna.
One day last September Kathleen, an artist and bread maker from Duluth, MN, sent me a note to share a poem she wrote after an evening with fellow students:
Laughter….
Deep, full, unrestrained
like I have not laughed in years.
Have I been waiting for this?
or has it been waiting for me..
pure sweet joy.
Smiles, followed by humor, followed by laughs.
a moment covered in joy.
Students in Living the Language sometimes get out of their comfort zones, and the results can be hilarious!
Just a few days earlier another student, Stefani, shared a poem she wrote in both English and Italian* about how her time in Verucchio has allowed her to connect with her Italian roots through moments of connection with her homeland.
In English:
The sun shines on her head like a halo
She breathes in the history of the land
Her eyes are washed with landscapes that take her breath
She walks along the streets, enjoying every turn and every bump
She says “good morning” to the little cat
The mountain peaks remind her of the teeth of her father’s saw
She was born Italian — she loves her heritage
It is only now she’s finally become Italian
and she’s realized her dream
We have been dreaming about transformative potential of Esperienza but to see our hikers acknowledging it at the end of The Way of Saint Francis after completing a very challenging 75 mile hike, to hear it from the participants of the now legendary Culinary tour and to celebrate it with the Language students is overwhelming us with gratitude.
Thank you for the poetry and the kind, thoughtful words in your reviews and emails, thank you for sharing our passion for Romagna and for connecting to its living treasures.
*You may recognize Franco Locatelli, one of our teachers reading Stefani’s poem in Italian.