When we arrived in Serra, Robert was invited by the syndico (mayor) Ludovico Caverni to meet at the Municipio (city hall).

Expecting that the mayor wanted to say hello, Robert was not prepared to be joined by a reporter from the regional newspaper Corriere Adriatico, Veronique Angeletti.

She interviewed Robert at length about why he became an Italian citizen. Cousins Luciana and Adriana helped a lot in the interview as they spoke about the many generations of Sabbatini who resided in Serra. The article below was published a few days later. Local shop owner Vittorio Diamantini upon seeing the article said to Robert “Addesso sei un Serrano!” (Now you are a person of Serra!)

Robert was a bit overwhelmed but took in every second of the celebratory afternoon event hosted by the mayor, which included gift books of history and many photographs of the group. The event underscores the reasons Robert became a dual citizen of Italy and its importance not only to him, but also to his cousins and to his fellow Serrani.