The restaurant and hotel in Coverciano have now become symbolic places, not only of the Federal Technical Center. Here, the Azzurri and Azzurre have their lunches, dinners, and overnight stays when they are preparing for their international commitments. Here, in the sports centre on the outskirts of Florence, which celebrated 65 years of activity last November, all those who need to complete their training to enter as professionals in Italian football gather, regardless of the role they will eventually occupy: coach, sports director, scout, athletic trainer, match analyst. From the restaurant room in Coverciano, the view always leaves one speechless; a panorama that never ceases to amaze. The huge windows overlook the main field, named after Vittorio Pozzo, the most successful coach in Azzurri history with two World Cup titles, an Olympic gold, and two International Cups on his C.V. The playing field is pristine, with an lush green that invites everyone to give their best.

For almost five months, this vision, so perfect that it seemed almost unreal, where a poetic sea of grass meets the effort and sweat of training, was the same one that accompanied the schoolwork of sixteen young people. They took turns in this experience that will remain etched forever in their minds. Each one engaged in a fifteen-day internship within the accommodation facility of the CTF, in a project that involved all the various professions in the tourism sector, from hotel hospitality to catering.

A journey that started from afar and has led to bonding Coverciano, the home of Italian football, and Caivano. A province of Naples, which Principal Eugenia Carfora does not hesitate to define as a 'fragile area'. A term that embodies the difficulties but also the love for this land

Eugenia Carfora is the principal of the F. Morano Hospitality Institute in Caivano, with which the FIGC has carried out this collaboration for an innovative school-work project. On 6 November she was there to greet her students when they arrived at Coverciano, to visit the Federal Technical Center and the places that would then become the stage for their new professional experiences. "The fact that it was the Federation itself knocking on my door makes me even happier," the principal emphasised at the time, masking the emotion with the confidence with which she uttered those words.

The federal president, Gabriele Gravina, added: "It has been an initiative of great value, both from a human and professional perspective. We are happy that the students from the Caivano Institute have been able to seize this opportunity, which is the result of a specific federal strategy on the increased openness of the Coverciano Center to the so-called civil society."

After over five months, the work experience for her sixteen students ended last Friday, 12 April. Principal Eugenia Carfora has returned to reflect on this journey, while joy resonates through her words: "I believe that sport can be a driving force to strengthen minds. And I must say that it's not easy to reach Coverciano because it's a place of rules. We have to work to ensure that there is a Coverciano in every part of the Earth. The students were made to feel at the centre of this project. In them, trust was born."

In an article by Jacopo Storni, released today in the Corriere della Sera weekly supplement Buone Notizie, the sentimental aspect of this experience was outlined. As in the words reported by the head waiter Pietro: "When two boys served Spalletti, they were almost trembling with emotion. They told him they were from Naples, thanked him warmly for the Serie A title brought back to the city, and hugged him."

Coverciano has become like a state of mind as well as a symbolic place of Italian football; "a centre that is opening up more and more," highlighted Mauro Grimaldi, the president of CTF Servizi. This company manages the accommodation facility where the Caivano students work and operates by interpreting the strategy and indications of the FIGC. "This experience has been important not only for the students but also for us. Football receives a lot from people, from their passion, and it must be given back. This welcoming path must be a beginning, not an end. For this reason, two of the students from Caivano who came here will be offered seasonal contracts for this summer to work with us,” Grimaldi continued.

The Federal Technical Center is increasingly dedicated to hospitality because, in addition to the project involving the F. Moirano Hospitality Institute, we must not forget the girl with Down syndrome who now works at Coverciano as a waitress. A path encompassing multiple aspects has seen the Coverciano Hotel become a 'healthcare hotel' during the pandemic crisis in the spring of 2020, and a facility where some Ukrainian refugee families and Afghan female footballers could find a glimmer of serenity.

The inner beauty that fills the heart and accompanies the outer beauty. Coverciano is also the place where some installations curated by the maestro Michelangelo Pistoletto are visible, and where contemporary art has merged with sports, thanks also to the mural created by the artist Maupal, also known as Mauro Pallotta. This work was created right outside the National Team's changing rooms, to show how the world of Italian football is more than ever prepared to welcome and merge with realities that may seem distant at first glance.

 

In the cover image: two girls from Caivano pose with the players of the Women's National team.