Sister Cities of Morgan Hill is gearing up for this summer’s high school student exchange program with one of its sister cities: San Casciano in Tuscany, Italy. Morgan Hill families with teens ages 15-17 are invited to contact Amy Whelan at am********@gm***.com for details about hosting an Italian student for approximately two weeks in late July 2019.
The program is comprised of two phases that alternate between hosting Italian students for two weeks in July, then traveling to San Casciano for two weeks in July 2020 for chaperoned and guided travel with opportunities to explore central Italy.
Sister Cities hosts public meetings every fourth Thursday of the month, 7pm at the Morgan Hill Centennial Recreation Center, to learn about the group and the student exchange programs before joining.
Sister Cities developed the San Casciano Exchange Program to give Morgan Hill teens a chance to learn about, share and explore an international experience, as well as form lifelong friendships and memories. The program was launched in the summer of 2018 with the first group of teens who traveled to San Casciano, partaking in a long list of fun group activities and seeing the local lifestyle first-hand.
“While the exchange is still relatively new, I believe we are at the start of something that will one day be a great asset to Morgan Hill’s reputation as a vibrant, local community with a wealth of opportunities for families,” said Pier Antoniucci, San Casciano Exchange Program chairperson for Sister Cities. “The group of teens who join the program early will be a big part of shaping the program’s entire future. I know Sister Cities and San Casciano have a lot to offer, and I hope there are families out there who would like to become a part of it. We are very excited to move it forward at last.”
About San Casciano
San Casciano in Val Di Pesa is a community in the Province of Florence, Tuscany. It is part of the Chianti region and offers many cultural highlights of its own, as well as being centrally located in one of the most popular and picturesque regions of Italy. It is the birthplace of Machiavelli and is surrounded by an atmosphere of the Renaissance, closely situated 10 miles from Florence. San Casciano was chosen as a Sister City with Morgan Hill because of its similarities in geography, agricultural output and population.
