By Simone Bandini
Still inebriated by the ancient charm of the days of Ghino di Tacco – which have just ended – we return to talk with the Mayor of Torrita di Siena, Giacomo Grazi, and with the Councillor for Sport Roberto Trabalzini, who update us on two fundamental aspects in the life of their community: sport, with the new Rugby stadium and culture, relaunched with the renovation of the School in Via Roma. Let’s go!
VALLEY LIFE: Good morning and welcome Mr. Grazi, we would like to involve you in this new article that talks about ‘your’ city and, in particular, about a recent renovation and modernization work: the School in Via Roma. Will the building therefore be destined to house the “School of Memory”? What is it about?
GIACOMO GRAZI: “The building is located on the ground floor, in front of the two classrooms of the library and the municipal historical archive. A few months ago we opened, with great satisfaction, the School of Memory which collects numerous documents relating to the Liberation of Torrita curated by the local section of the ANPI”.
V.L.: Music and artistic activities are essential for the cohesion of the city. In this regard, have the works of the “School of Music” come to an end?
G.G.: “Yes, they have been completed. On September 27 we inaugurated the first floor of the Edmundo De Amicis School, entirely dedicated to the School of Music, active for many years with a virtuous and continuous relationship with our Giuseppe Parini Comprehensive Institute which sees the activity of many students both in school hours and in the afternoon hours, with the ‘Musicalmente’ project, entirely financed by the Municipal Administration “.
V.L.: Finally, what does it mean for the city to have a centre of convergence of ‘historical and folkloric data’ such as the Madot (Archaeological and Documentary Museum of Torrita)?
G.G.: It is a very important centre because it will give further prominence to the findings of past years thanks to local associations, one above all our Fra Jacopo da Torrita club, which has always been very attentive to Etruscan, Roman and medieval finds found during excavations for both public and private works. It will be in close connection with the Poliziani high schools and will be flanked by an interactive museum with 3D reconstructions of artifacts found in our territory and beyond – able to make the beauty and workmanship of these objects immediately perceptible to students and visitors”.
We now come to sport, the engine of life, cohesion and sociality for this community. We talk in particular about the new Rugby stadium with Councillor Roberto Trabalzini. A work that has seen an important commitment from the Municipality: 
“The new rugby stadium was built with a total investment of about 1 million euros, of which 360 thousand euros for sports facilities were financed the Tuscany Region. Rugby is a sport that has been growing in Tuscany and in our municipality for years – and for this reason we felt it necessary to enhance and give an answer to this sport that expresses authenticity, fairness and team spirit “.
In addition to the field, with its beautiful turf, and the newly designed locker rooms, equipped with air conditioning and solar panels to meet energy needs, the facility includes a welcoming Clubhouse where it will be possible to spend the “third half”, as tradition dictates, after the matches or meet up with friends at the weekend: “The stadium has been called Torrita Leones, a clear reference to the coat of arms of our municipality but also to the indomitable spirit of the practitioners; it is a place dedicated to the practice of rugby (with the light towers that will be installed in the coming 
months it will also be possible to have them at night), but also designed to give Torrita di Siena an additional space for young people to gather in the spirit of loyalty and education that characterizes this sport”.
The management of the facility has been entrusted to the Torrita’s sports association Molòn Labé Rugby, which has been active for many years, with courses for various age groups and which also coordinates, through the “Art Project”, a union of Tuscan sports clubs engaged in the promotion of women’s rugby.
For information on the area and the initiatives of the Municipality of Torrita di Siena: www.comune.torrita.siena.it / www.torritadisienaliving.it / info@torritadisienaliving.it – Tel. 0578 717484 / 388 6525977