“This is how I promote Bellaria in America.”

From the States it provides an exceptional showcase for Valmarecchia. She is Anna Cernakova and her adventure began in 2006, when she co-founded the Italian Cultural Center in 2010 with Massimo Bonavita of Cesena, a former senator who died in 2016. Milk. A springboard to host the Italian Film Festival three years later. “During our management – explains Anna, who has lived in the US since 1992 but is of Bulgarian origin – companies have flourished and excelled in the Midwest to promote Italian culture.”

Since the middle of 2015, he has not been involved in two facts, but his passion for Italy has not diminished, so that since 2018 he has been at the head of a new non-profit organization “Esperienza”. “Its mission is to offer Americans a cultural experience different from mass tourism and is completely dedicated to Romagna. To give back, we donate a large portion of the profits to important programs for rural communities.”

“Experience” came to the fore with a donation of 30 thousand dollars to flood victims last May and more than 1,500 euros sent during the pandemic to support the elderly or infirm.

History

Anna met Massimo in 2003 and, after a long-distance relationship, married him in 2010 and joined him in America following his retirement. “From the first association – Anna explains – our goal is to create an island of humanity. Many people prefer screens to real friendship.”

Since then, ideas have been renewed and given life. In addition to virtual visits to Italy, for example, there are on-site experiences to admire Nativity scenes, and now Verrucchio has 15 Americans in their 60s studying Italian for two weeks in immersion, including cooking lessons. Data in hand, 6 million Americans choose Italy as a travel destination, but only focus on 5 cities. Hence the desire to offer an alternative that fully enhances the excellence of the villages: in 2024 young Americans will see protagonists on the route of St. Francis from Rimini to the city of La Verna.