„La Casa Del Rifugio“

Verbal language is of fundamental importance in social and individual life, because thanks to the mastery of a language we can understand others and make ourselves understood. Without it, access to a culture and a society is impossible: there can be no integration, because it is impossible to communicate.

For many Syrian refugees, the story of a new life begins with the study of a new language. The desire to live and integrate in our country passes through the teaching of Italian. Palazzo Leopardi or Casa del Rifugio, in Rome, has housed the Community of Sant’Egidio since 1996. The Community of Sant’Egidio has had a Hospitality Center for 80 immigrants and refugees: the center now houses several Syrian refugees who have arrived. With the humanitarian corridors from Lebanon and deals with the teaching of the Italian language, first reception services and legal guidance to promote the integration of migrants.

We started from these stories, to tell a difficult journey from Arabic to Italian; a journey made up of new expressions, new phrases, new words, even new phonemes. An absolutely necessary path to restore dignity and hope, remembering that the word „democracy“ is synonymous with linguistic education.