Rondine is a small village in the

Province of Arezzo The province of Arezzo () is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Arezzo. The province is bordered by the regions of Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, and the provinces Siena and Florence of Tuscany. It has an area ...

, in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, Italy. It is located 12 km from the town of

Arezzo Arezzo ( , ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the Province of Arezzo, province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of Above mean sea level, above sea level. As of 2 ...

. The settlement dates from the 11th century, when the castle (Castello di Rondine) was built. This castle, since fallen into ruin, is currently undergoing restoration. The ''Associazione Rondine'', which brings together students from areas of conflict in order to promote peace and reconciliation, is based in the village.

History

Up to 1977, the medieval village of Rondine was completely abandoned and destined to fall apart. It was then that the

Bishop of Arezzo The Diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church. It has existed since 1986. In that year the historic diocese of Arezzo was combined with the diocese of Cortona and the diocese of Sansepolcro, the enlarged ...

, Telesforo Cioli, appointed two young families to maintain and restructure the small village. Shortly after, two local communities, the Comunità del Sacro Cuore and the Comunità Giovanile di Saione joined the effort to recover Rondine. In the following years, Rondine slowly grew to become a village that would welcome and assist families in need. In 1990, Rondine hosted the birth of Associazione Rondine, a cultural association that started acting on a broader scale, including solidarity projects for the newly formed

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. Soon after, in 1995, following the eruption of the

First Chechnya War The First Chechen War, also referred to as the First Russo-Chechen War, was a struggle for independence waged by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria against the invading Russia, Russian Federation from 1994 to 1996. After a mutually agreed on treaty ...

, long negotiations were met with a

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may b ...

."Russians, Chechen Rebels Announce Cease-fire." CNN. Cable News Network, 16 Aug. 1996. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
/ref> At this point, Rondine decided to accept five students from

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

, and five from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, to live together and meet “the person behind the enemy”. This initial encounter between students originating from both sides of a military conflict is what sparked the idea behind the foundation of l’Associazione Cittadella della Pace."Mission and History." Rondine. 23 Jan, 2012. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
/ref> The foundation of this Association in 1997, allowed Rondine to expand with its Studentato Internationale di Rondine (Rondine's International Student Residence Hall). This initiative was later amplified to adopt “rivals” from nations in conflict such as:

Abkhazia Abkhazia, officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a List of states with limited recognition, partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea, at the intersection of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It cover ...

Ingushetia Ingushetia or Ingushetiya, officially the Republic of Ingushetia, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic is part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and shares land borders with the country o ...

Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north a ...

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

South Ossetia South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

, and

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

."Application Form." Rondine. 6 Dec, 2013. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
/ref> BorgodiRondine2

Mission

:“Promoting conflict resolution through the experiences of young people who are able to uncover a real person within their enemy.” With this mission in mind, the Association uses the International Residence Hall to allow students coming from different conflicting nations to live together and gradually starting to promote dialogue and a peaceful coexistence between their nations. Throughout their time at Rondine, students have the opportunity of completing undergraduate or postgraduate courses in nearby Universities, so that with their return home as potential future leaders, they may use their open mentality to advocate for peace in their respective countries.

References

{{reflist

External links

Home page: Associazione Rondine
Non-profit organisations based in Italy History of Italy by location