Fumone one of the most beautiful and mysterious villages of Lazio with its small medieval village enclosed by walls and its castle where Pope Celestino V was imprisoned and where the ghost of a child hovers among the rooms of the castle.
For all these characteristics, Fumone is much loved by its citizens but also by all those who in the past had to leave Ciociaria and Italy. With the administration of Fumone we had already awarded the American Deborah Caponera who resides in New York, and now we tell the story of a new Town Ambassador: Lisa Eagles.
A Town Ambassador a little different from the others, because Lisa is English and many years ago for love she moved to Italy and was struck by it. Since then, thanks also to her B & B activity, she has become a natural point of reference for all those who wanted to discover Fumone and Ciociaria, perhaps in search of their Italian roots.
Lisa Eagles was born in Epsom, England, for her the city of love because it is precisely here that she met Giampaolo and followed him to Italy.
Questa è forse la più ricca e prestigiosa corsa dei cavalli che si disputa in Inghilterra, ma possiamo anche dire che è fra le più famose del mondo. Ogni anno, l’ippodromo della città diventa il centro sportivo
But Epsom is a place and a mythical city, it is famous all over the world for at least two aspects: the “Epsom salts”, which offer numerous benefits to beauty and health, and the Derby.
This is perhaps the richest and most prestigious horse race in England, but we can also say that it is among the most famous in the world. Every year, the city's racecourse becomes the sporting and social centre for all the English, from the queen down to every single subject.
But how did Lisa manage to leave such an interesting and engaging city? "I chose love, and I would do it again a thousand times. When I was in England I worked in a pharmacy and in the evening, to keep the rent and expenses, I went to a wine bar. The owner was an Italian, my husband's cousin ”.
Lisa met Giampaolo when he went to England for work and, despite speaking two different languages, they immediately understood each other and fell in love. After a few years in Epsom, Giampaolo felt the need to return to Italy, the work was tiring and he had a great desire to go back to the roots:
"The excuse was the 1982 World Cup, my husband is passionate about football and in that year they were played in Spain and so I followed him. And what a victory for Italy! It made us want to stay. For me, Italy was appetizing, it made me think about good weather and holidays, so I left happy and I was left with no regrets ".
In Italy Lisa engages in many jobs teaching English to young people and adults and being a babysitter. Then the marriage with Giampaolo in 1984 and a few years three wonderful triplets, all males!
To have a simpler life with three children, Lisa and her family moved to Fumone, the town where her husband was born and which she has always loved by reflection.
Her love for this beautiful village led her to invest in tourism, creating one of the first B & Bs in Ciociaria right in the historic centre of Fumone.
The Antico Borgo B&B immediately became a point of reference for many foreigners that Lisa befriended thanks to her grace, her English and her 'Italian' welcome. All guests have always felt at home and always come back.
Immediately Lisa became what is now called an experiential coach, she helped guests to choose true Italian life experiences to live as an Italian during their stay.
Out of love and passion for Fumone, Lisa also became passionate about local politics and became a city councillor: "I had to give back to Fumone everything she had given me".
In her years of politics she celebrated a "full English" wedding to a couple of foreigners who, when they came to visit Fumone, wandered in love with it and chose it to celebrate the most beautiful and important day of their life.
During her years as a city councillor, she has always tried to build bridges with emigrants abroad to convey to them the same emotions that she had felt in Italy. She wanted to digitize the old registry, but she was ahead of her time. In any case, she was the interlocutor of many third and fourth generation emigrants who were looking for their ancestors in Fumone ".
Even today, despite her mandate having ended, Lisa continues to maintain ties with customers and with all the descendants of emigrants who seek their Italian roots. Like the case of her friend Deborah Caponera, an American looking for connections to Fumone with whom she then forged a strong bond and who has already been awarded as a Town Ambassador.
Lisa and Deborah have a beautiful relationship and together they helped the famous Anagnine artist Jago on his trip to New York:
“I met Iago by chance while I was walking through the alleys of Anagni and I immediately appreciated his works. When I learned that he was in America I asked Deborah to visit him, so she took many students from her university to visit the Iago exhibition ".
Lisa certainly loves Fumone and Italy and is a true builder of cultural and emotional bridges between the village and the whole English-speaking world.
She is a point of reference for this community and for this activity of hers, Discoverplaces.travel and the mayor of Fumone Maurizio Padovano are honoured to confer Lisa Eagles the Town Ambassador Award.
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