Players from the Rinascita Refugees enter the field for a match in Leverano Photographs by Giuseppe Carotenuto Story by Julian Rigg Deep in the eighth tier of the Italian soccer league far removed from the star-studded ranks of AC Milan and Juventus there is an amateur team in the southern town of Carmiano share a common identity: They are all migrants The team is known as the Rinascita Refugees (rinascita meaning “rebirth” in Italian) With the slogan “let’s kick racism,” the team is funded by social programs through the Italian Ministry of the Interior It serves as a launching pad for migrants who dream of playing professionally serves as an important protection for the players and helps foreign minors who leave their countries alone psychological support and health care have been crucial to helping Rinascita players be welcomed into Italian society According to the International Rescue Committee, more than 700,000 migrants reached Italy between 2014 and 2020 — a number that has been since increasing asylum seekers reach the Italian peninsula through dangerous sea routes via the Balkans between a brutal journey to continental Europe and fake or exploitative agents looking to scam aspiring players into signing sham contracts it is no easy feat for migrant players looking to play professionally “Every year, thousands of children leave West Africa with the dream of becoming professional footballers in Europe, but only a few make it,” said Giuseppe Carotenuto an Italian photographer who has been documenting the team since 2022 “They land in Europe with the promise of tryouts with important international football clubs,” Carotenuto added “Once they arrive in the EU after having paid thousands of euros they are instead abandoned without documents and exploited as labor in the fields in Spain and Portugal.” a 20-year-old defensive midfielder from Senegal is a testament to the difficulties that some players face when coming to Europe Keita was spotted by a Spanish agent who said he had “seen him play for a long time and that he could help (him) become a player in Europe.” a club which at the time was in the second tier of the Spanish soccer league Keita found himself lodging near a farm in the Spanish countryside and Keita was looking forward to beginning his trial forcing him into work harvesting tomato plants until his debts of bringing him to Europe were repaid Keita worked for weeks until a man from Burkina Faso helped him escape Carotenuto said one thing that stuck with him were these words from Keita: “When I become a professional footballer with the first money I will return to my country to the village where I left my mother and my sister I haven’t heard their (voices) for a long time I will go back there to search (for them) and try to take them with me.” Senegalese forward Saliou Ndao arrived at Rinascita Refugees in a similar situation when he was approached by a Guinean agent offering him a trial at Sporting CP Ndao was asked to play for the team but was withdrawn after his agent asked the club for too much money “After trying several times to call the agent without ever receiving an answer Saliou realized that he had been abandoned and left without a passport in a country whose language he did not even know,” the photographer said winning the Italian Cup in their division and allowing them promotion to the next group of their tier I tried to understand what the driving force was the engine that pushed everyone towards that desire for social redemption,” Carotenuto said “Part of the answer lies in the figure of their coach.” a former player in the Senegalese and German leagues has been spearheading Rinascita since 2015 Baye arrived from Senegal in 1997 and worked as a parking attendant and street vendor in Italy to make ends meet Carotenuto describes Baye as the “head of the family” and a father figure to many of the players Baye’s successful coaching and mentoring has even guided players such as Moustapha Cissé to professional levels had a brief spell at Serie A club Atalanta and is currently playing for their under-23 team in the third tier of the Italian league Cissé arrived from his home country as an orphan and studied to become an electrician during his time at Rinascita with more experienced teams and more rigorous games But the passion and talent is strong within a team that came to Italy with the hopes of playing professional soccer “It is becoming a real school of talent under the eyes of Italian and international football clubs,” Carotenuto said “The story of Moustapha Cissé is a concrete example of this.” Carotenuto’s project is ongoing and was shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Awards in 2023 He said he eventually plans on making a documentary about the team Opening Archaeological Museum of Castellammare di Stabia Libero D’OrsiOn the 24th of September 2020 in the historical setting of the Reggia di Quisisiana the inauguration will take place of the Archaeological Museum of Castellammare di Stabia (Museo Archeologico di Castellammare di Stabia) a new museum specifically for exhibiting the many important items found in the region of Stabia curated and sponsored by the Parco Archeologico di Pompei (the Archaeological Park of Pompei) in coordination with Electa is restoring the oldest sites of the Bourbon kings – a symbolic building boasting a history of over seven centuries – to the heritage of Italy together with precious evidence of daily life particularly how people lived both in the Roman holiday villas (luxury residences intended for the relaxation of body and mind from their activities and business affairs) and in the country villas (similar in concept to modern farms) sited with panoramic views over the Bay of Naples The Museum will be named after Libero d’Orsi (1888-1977) initiated the rediscovery of the Villas of Stabia which had previously been explored in the period of the Bourbons There is a large number of finds on display some already kept in the Antiquarium of Stabia displayed in the city centre by Libero d’Orsi but closed to the public from 1997 The tour through the exhibits of the museum a scientific project curated by the Parco Archeologico di Pompei (the Archaeological Park of Pompei) is intended to provide an overall picture of Stabia and of the Ager Stabianus from the earliest times until the volcanic eruption in 79 CE The first rooms are dedicated to the history of the Reggia di Quisisana and its archaeological explorations with special attention to the excavations by the Bourbons and by Libero d’Orsi illustrated by votive material from the sanctuary in the village of Privati (mid-4th – end of the 2nd cent and by the grave goods from the ancient necropolis in Via Madonna delle Grazie (from the second half of the 7th cent has been reconstructed chronologically and topographically In the region of present-day Castellammare di Stabia (Stabiae) in the Roman period there were several holiday villas with panoramic views porticoes and lavishly decorated nymphaea or grottoes The visitor’s journey through this historical period starts with the famous villas built on the plateau of Varanium Their extraordinary decorations are shown (especially sculptures and frescoes): from Villa San Marco to Villa del Pastore The decision to begin with Vila San Marco – covering an area of 11,000 square metres and so one of the largest residential villa in Stabia is also because it was next to the ancient town centre and in fact it serves to illustrate Pliny’s description of the destruction of Stabia by Silla in 89 BCE After the section devoted to the plateaus of Varano there are the villa del Petraro (commune of Santa Maria la Carità) an important complex from which have come stuccoes that adorned luxurious thermal baths and the villa of Carmiano (commune of Gragnano) the heart of the permanent exhibition The villa of Carmiano is one of 50 country villas in the ager Stabianus a region with a number of small properties (country villas covering between 400 and 800 square metres) adapted for the cultivation of vines and olive trees introduces the visitor to the exhibit of the dibbing- room (triclinium) of Carmiano: food which provide a snapshot of an important moment in daily life The frescoed walls of a triclinium (dining-room) are re-erected midway along the visitor’s route On these walls are Dionysian scenes that refer to the production of wine one of the main activities in the agricultural section of the villa The extraordinary cart made of bronze from Villa Arianna exhibited for the first time with its harness is a starting-point for knowing more about the agricultural work and typical products of the region of Stabia: the many examples of tools retrieved from the villas – as well as amphorae and household shrines (lararia) from the countryside – closes the visitor’s route with the theme of making produce that gave the villas in Stabia and around Vesuvius generally With the inauguration of the Museo Archeologico di Castellamare di Stabia (the Archaeological Museum of Castellamare of Stabia) both citizens and tourists now have a new space for exhibitions of vital importance for knowing and appreciating the archaeological heritage of Campania It is a museum that will combine the cultural contribution and the archaeological circuit of ancient Stabia with the sets of sites that can be visited in Villa San Marco and Villa Arianna an expansion of the exhibition route is being planned It will include the possibility of visiting – after several decades – the decoration of the ramp connecting the lower peristyle of the Villa San Marco with its upper peristyle which will be reconstructed for public viewing The frescoes need to be restored and reconstructed – a project that will be carried out by Art Bonus with the hope of support from private individuals who could benefit from tax relief as provided by the law and take pleasure in having helped to place these significant finds in a museum https://artbonus.gov.it/2267-parco-archeologico-di-pompei.html For information: pompei.fundraising@beniculturali.it Press Release (click here) Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications Instagram X Threads Snapchat TikTok YouTubeLAD Entertainment Home> News> World News The Vatican has revealed the truth behind a Virgin Mary statue that crowds gathered to see ‘crying tears of blood’ Locals and believers had been flocking to the town of Carmiano in Italy where they believed a miracle had taken place claimed it had been weeping tears of blood since 2016 Oh, and she also said the statue gave her private revelations while she apparently gave pilgrims food The woman boasted that supernatural phenomena had occurred thanks to the so-called miracle like a time when the supposed powers fed 15 people with never-ending portions of pizza as many made the pilgrimage to visit with a makeshift shrine soon set up around the statue Some even said the owner had told them the Madonna had actually predicted the Covid pandemic would happen Devotees would visit the Marian on the third day of every month to pray make confessions and hear more of the woman’s supposed revelations But last year, suspicion from locals in the small town of Trevignano Romano grew and they ended up calling in a private investigator, who met with the Italian military police EXPERT CLAIMED TO 'FIND' MISSING MH370 AIRCRAFT TAYLOR SWIFT LOOKALIKE CONVINCED FANS SINGER WAS A 'TIME TRAVELLER' he then presented evidence to suggest while the ‘tears’ from the statue were blood they were Catholic Church big wigs have now confirmed that this so-called miracle was totally false Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued its first decree according to rules for vetting any alleged Marian apparitions (a reported supernatural appearance from the Virgin Mary) and spiritual phenomena This referred to a report from a Diocese of Civita Castellana which hadn’t found anything at all supernatural about the famed statue It stated: “It is clear that it is not supernatural restore peace and serenity in view of the spiritual good of the faithful of the parish of Trevignano Romano and of the people of God who are throughout the Diocese of Civita Castellana.” It’s since been reported that Cardia has since fled her home after apparently taking thousands of Euros in donations from those who believed her Topics: Conspiracy Theory, World News Jess is a Senior Journalist with a love of all things pop culture Her main interests include asking everyone in the office what they're having for tea waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert She graduated with a first in Journalism from City we're happy to send you some reminders The mystery surrounding a Virgin Mary statue which supposedly 'weeps tears of blood' has finally been solved after almost a decade Since 2016, people from across the world have been flocking to the town of Carmiano in Italy to visit the effigy which is said to have extraordinary powers alleged that the statue started crying tears of blood nine years ago as well as giving her prophecies to share with other people she would allow believers to visit the Madonna di Trevignano which was placed in a large blue case on a hill as part of a makeshift shrine Cardia bought the statue at a Catholic pilgrimage site in Medjugorje before its mystical powers supposedly came to light She alleged that the Madonna di Trevignano fed 15 people with never-ending portions of pizza, gnocchi and rabbit, among other bizarre things People even believed that Cardia had got a heads up about the Covid-19 pandemic thanks to her special statue - however, the Roman Catholic church insisted it was all a load of rubbish last year This referred to a report from a Diocese of Civita Castellana which hadn’t found anything at all supernatural about the famed statue It stated: "It is clear that it is not supernatural restore peace and serenity in view of the spiritual good of the faithful of the parish of Trevignano Romano and of the people of God who are throughout the Diocese of Civita Castellana." Now, there appears to be scientific evidence to support the fact that the Madonna di Trevignano doesn't leak blood out of her eyes - as it seems they really were just crocodile tears after all A DNA test was carried out to track down the source of the alleged bodily fluid after suspicious locals suggested that Cardia could have used pig's blood to fool people Prosecutors ordered the lab tests after residents hired a private investigator in 2022 who later met with the Italian military police to dig into the woman's claims about the statue This information is reportedly set to be handed over to prosecutors on 28 February Cardia's lawyer Solange Marchignoli has insisted that the tests don't disprove the woman's claims about the statue "The DNA stain warrants further investigation," she said "We are waiting to find out whether it’s a mixed or single profile it means that it is only Cardia's and she put it there it means that the DNA found on the statue also contains Cardia's DNA I deduce it is not human but this is our thought: do we delve into faith I want to exclude that it is not only Gisella's blood "I invite everyone to be cautious - because extremes of a crime would be detected - and I await the official outcome of the expert report hoping that it will be favourable to our defence." Cardia has been accused by fraud by several people, according to The Guardian, who gave her donations which they believed were funding a centre for sick children Reports claim that the Madonna di Trevignano owner has fled her home in Trevignano and that no one - including her lawyer - has knowledge of her whereabouts Topics: World News, Weird, Conspiracy Theory Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.