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Piera, a resident in Poggio alla Croce

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In these last few years a lot has changed

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Things were different before, people were simpler

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They often came into the centre.

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Now they stay at home,

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the village is less lived in.

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Before we were all concentrated on my shop.

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Most of the world,

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most of life took place around it.

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A place to meet, to understand each other,

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maybe argue with different opinions

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but still have a dialogue. That was life,

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in my view that really was.

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Andrea, who conceived the welcoming project

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Poggio alla Croce could be defined

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as “a small Switzerland”

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Located in a beautiful spot

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between Chianti and Valdarno

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Residents are busy at work

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and like to collaborate.

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In summer a nice festival is organized

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attracting people from both valleys

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When problems arise, like with ice in winter,

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informations flow over the internet.

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Looked like and ideal place

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Then in April 2017 the “bomb” went off:

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thirty migrants to be hosted in the “palace”,

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a former hotel middle of village

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It sounded as if a spaceship full

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of little black men was about to land

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Piera

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Black men are coming. Black men are coming.

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We are all with our hairs raised,

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very worried, me too to be honest because

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you hear a lot of good

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but also bad about these youngsters

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Andrea

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The strongest reaction, intense and wide,

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was an immediate refusal,

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a “belly” reaction that caused

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an immediate decision

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to collect signatures against,

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in less than three days

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230 signatures were collected

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Even though the Poggio’s residents

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are around 190.

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Attilia, a teacher in the the school for migrants

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A first meeting was held

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one and half year ago in summer

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before the migrants arrived,

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so we did not know them

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They had no face for us, they had no name

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I don’t live in Poggio alla Croce,

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I come from a nearby village

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During the meeting there were

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some very aggressive people,

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I guess they were sincerely scared

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Martin, parson of Poggio alla Croce

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Their reaction was not due to being bad.

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Behind there was also a reality

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that must be told. It must be told that

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none was pepared because none

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had been alerted that these foreigner,

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these migrants were coming

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Paolo, a resident in Poggio alla Croce

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Someone started collecting signatures,

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and I agreed only because I wanted to know

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where would these kids be hosted,

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what did they come for then it became

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clear that this was not the reason

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they did not want to welcome them

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So I said my signature was extorted

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and was not in agreement any more