In February, local students from the Abetone area went to Aspen. To participants of the past, everything in America seemed big and exciting compared to the small, local feel of the Tuscan mountain.
The exchange between Aspen and Abetone started over a decade ago in 2011, and in 2012 the first Italian students went to visit Aspen. In 2014, the first set of American students came to Abetone, and since then the exchange has taken place annually. After taking a pause due to the pandemic, the exchange resumed in 2023 and is set to continue into the foreseeable future every two years.
Abetone’s sistership with Aspen is part of a broader initiative to create a tight relationship between the two cities, which started when Aspen approached Abetone years ago. Those involved in Abetone initially assumed that Aspen and Abetone’s relationship started because of local skier Zeno Colò winning the World Championships at Aspen in 1950.
The people of Aspen, however, had Abetone to thank for its start as a world-class resort. During World War II, the Apennines were a front in the conflict between the Axis and Allied forces, meaning that a lot of American soldiers spent a lot of time in and around Abetone. Already an established ski hill, the American soldiers were in awe of Abetone’s large toboggan-style “boat tow” ski lift. Upon returning to Colorado after the war in 1946, these soldiers were searching for a place to build their own ski lift, just like the one at Abetone, and settled on the city of Aspen because it already had a hotel for visitors and was used for skiing. Thus, Aspen’s first life, Lift-1, was built and Aspen evolved into the world-class resort it is today.
Organized by Rolando Galli, this year’s exchange has proved very valuable to both sets of students. The kids from Aspen noted that while Aspen can feel very high class, and commercial, Abetone has a more welcoming home town feel.
The American students are also enjoying the historical European architecture, as well as learning the Italian language and about Italian culture. They are currently staying with the families of the Italian students their parents hosted in February and are developing effective relationships with their host siblings and families. One student noted how they enjoy living in an authentic Italian home environment, saying that “living with an Italian family is really cool.”
Galli’s daughter, Allegra, who was part of the exchange program over a decade ago, discussed how it had impacted her life to this day. “My Aspen family became a part of my family and who I am,” she said after mentioning she has gone to her host brother’s wedding and remains in constant contact with her host family. She opened a broader conversation about exchange, saying that when “there is a chance to learn, it should be taken.”
Since the beginning of mutual dialogue in 2011, so many people in Abetone have had an experience with Aspen that it is embedded in both towns. Years ago, there was even a restaurant called Abetone Ristorante in Aspen, owned by Italian Ermanno Masini, although it is closed after Masini passed away.
The passionate initiative to maintain the relationship between Aspen and Abetone shows the power of cultural exchange, with a participant noting that “people are more similar than they are different.”
https://www.tuscantrends.com/twin-peaks-abetone-aspen-sister-city-podcast-student-exchange-program/
