Abbeyfield Italy
 Guido Giancola and Carlo Monticelli visited Abbeyfield societies in the UK in 1990. Impressed, they took the idea back to Italy and obtained the support of the Rotary Districts and Club of Lombardy, which were instrumental in establishing the Abbeyfield-Italia Society, also supporting the "silver keys" community service project.
Three Abbeyfield houses are now established and prove the merits of the new residential care approach. Three Regional Societies run the houses, Rotary and Inner Wheel Club members providing the core of volunteers.
For the first urban House the Milan Social Services provided a flat rent-free on the eighth floor on an apartment block in an inner suburb of the city of Milano. Restructured with Society members' generosity, it became operative in 1998 for six elderly residents.
The third House caters for ten Residents in San Fiorano (near Lodi), a rural 15th Century village of 350 people. The building, previously a Maternal School – is provided rent-free by the Municipality. A local Trust met the restructuring costs. In partnership with volunteers of the Lombard Abbeyfield Society they shall share the responsibilities of the House Committee.
The second mini-residence for 10 Residents and a living-in housekeeper was purpose built by a generous entrepreneur in Montecastello, in a rural setting overlooking the plains of Alessandria. It is provided rent-free on a long lease. It opened in 2001: the House Committee operates succesfully in partnership with a consortium of Social Services of small towns in the Province of Alessandria.
The future
The Abbeyfield principle is felt at present more attractive to areas where smaller communities have stronger feeling of common roots. There we support expansion and new operations, also jointly with Partners, as Charities or Trusts, with similar aims and principles. An Abbeyfield network of four local partners is already established.
For further information contact:
Mr Romano Romani
Associazione Abbeyfield Italia
Piazzale Baracca 2
20123 Milano
Italy
Tel: (39) 02-4800-6213 Fax: (39) 02-9575-4204
e-mail: info@abbeyfield.it
website: www.abbeyfield.it
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