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After five seasons, the wonderful adventures of 'Ospitale delle Rifiorenze” comes to an end. The City of Florence has decided not to renew the agreement with the Cooperative. We are convinced that the hostel has been a very precious reality, unique in being the only example of responsible tourism in Florence.
In its five years of activity, the hostel has offered hospitality to tourists from all over, to clubs, schools and Italian and foreign universities. It has also been a point of aggregation for Florentine people. An active, aware place, open to any age group, integrated with other cultural realities of San Frediano, organizing low cost courses taught by qualified teachers, concerts, theatrical performances, exhibitions, totally for free. Moreover, the social cooperative had several re-employments of disadvantaged people. Our will, thanks to the success of our project, is to continue and grow up our business into a new building.
See you soon!
L'Ospitale delle rifiorenze - "The Hostel of Re-Flowerings" - is a project of the non governmental organisation Mani Tese Firenze, in collaboration with the municipality of Florence and with the help of its partners, the Cultural Foundation of the Ethical Bank (Fondazione culturale responsabilità etica), Caritas, the cooperative Riciclaggio e Solidarietà and the Educatorio di Fuligno institute.
During the cold months of the year, the Carmine complex, which has been restored in the occasion of the Jubilee 2000, offers hospitality to the homeless; but from April until October, it transforms completely: it becomes a centre of national and international volunteering. And it becomes the centre of a new kind of tourism which is not only following a more aware and more respectful path, but which is also in search of the Other Florence, the real Florence with its warm solidarity.
Why "Ospitale"? Because this ex-convent, by giving refuge to homeless people, is not just a tourist structure, but offers a good hospitality with a more extended social value. In the centre of Florence.
Why Rifiorenze (reflowerings)? - This word reminds us of the flower as the symbol of Florence and pays tribute to the socially committed face of the city. In Tuscany the world of volunteering is alive and dynamic, it represents an entire universe which every day creates and experiments new integration, intercultural experiences, in solidarity and community.
The Ospitale is based on Solidarity, because: the profit of the Summer activities will be used to finance the hosting activities of the winter months and other social micro projects. Fairness and sustainability, because: It pays attention to consume soberly, and to consume less.
It's waste collection is differentiated in order to recylce everything. It consumes critically and uses fair trade products. It uses several methods to save energy.
The management of the hostel is coordinated by the Ospitale delle Rifiorenze Association, in collaboration with Mani Tese Firenze and the Municipality of Florence, in partnership with the Ethical Bank Foundation, Caritas, the Cooperativa Riciclaggio e Solidarietà and the Educatorio Fuligno.
The project for the Ospitale has received the support of Cesvot (the public center for volunteering in Tuscany) with the Innovation projects call 2004. L'Ospitale delle Rifiorenze - "The Hostel of Re-Flowerings" - is a project of the non governmental organisation Mani Tese Firenze, in collaboration with the municipality of Florence and with the help of its partners, the Cultural Foundation of the Ethical Bank (Fondazione culturale responsabilità etica), Caritas, the cooperative Riciclaggio e Solidarietà and the Educatorio di Fuligno institute; it has been cofinanced by Cesvot, with the Innovation projects call of 2004.
During the cold months of the year, the Carmine complex, which has been restored on the occasion of the Jubilee 2000, offers hospitality to the homeless; but from April until October, it transforms completely: it becomes a centre of national and international volunteering, a hostel for groups, schools, associations, scouts, etc.
And it becomes the centre of a new kind of tourism which is not only more aware and more respectful, but is also in search of the Other Florence, the real Florence with its warm solidarity.