Sanpa: Community of life

by Luca Catalano Gonzaga

There are about 900 young men and women, primarily drug addicts but also alcoholics and gamblers, who come to San Patrignano, also known as “Sanpa”, with the hope of returning to living. Today, Sanpa is considered the largest recovery community in Europe and one of the most important in the world. It’s a recovery program for hundreds of lost young people, filling it not only with affection but also with strict rules, study, and work. It was born from the intuition of Vincenzo Muccioli, a pioneer in the treatment of drug addiction. When it was founded on the hill of Coriano in Rimini in 1978, in fact, the heroin phenomenon had just exploded and little was known about its effects, detoxification, and implications. Muccioli created workshops, which today are excellences, in which young people find the first reason for living, feeling indispensable, becoming artisans, and competitive professionals in the delicate phase of social reintegration. Currently, the length of stay in the community is about three to four years. 60 percent of those who complete the program do not relapse into drug addiction. Assistance and recovery are free: there is no fee to enter nor does the state contribute. The community relies on donations and, since the 80s, partly on economic activities such as the production of wines and other food and craft products. Addiction is not treated using pharmacological treatments (no methadone or other synthetic opioids), but with a recovery program that is essentially educational and rehabilitative. The rules and discipline are strict. Cell phones and computers for personal use are prohibited. Leaving the community is not allowed. Contact between males and females is prohibited. Drinking wine is prohibited. Recently, smokers are rationed to 5 cigarettes per day. Communication with family members is only allowed via mail and visits are only allowed after one year. Music is limited to only 1 hour in the evening, before the news and a movie projected on a big screen inside a large shed. After each phase of the program, there is a verification. The most important one is the one that allows returning home for a week after three years. At Sanpa, they work 8 hours a day. The young people are taught a trade that they will need once they are out in the world. Each new guest is assigned a tutor who has been in the community for at least a year and who follows them 24 hours a day. The ratio is very simple: the person who has overcome drug addiction is the best educator for those who suffer from it. “Taking responsibility for someone who is further back in the program and who you understand, because they think like you did a year ago, is the winning key to rebuilding oneself,” says Massimo, who works in the decorations sector. (text by Luca Catalano Gonzaga).

  • San Patrignano, Italy. Davide in the hallway of the housing area, before entering his new bedroom. Davide is 34 years old and has just entered the community for the second time. He has to serve a prison sentence for robbery. He was a chef in Naples for many years, after various experiences abroad, including New York, Monte Carlo, and Nice.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Luigi, 38 years old, in the community for 2 years, receives his children’s visit and is moved to tears.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Andrea, 35, at the interview with his mother in the welcome room. Parents play an essential role, along with the community, in encouraging their children to take control of their lives again.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Livestock sector. The last specimen of the “Mora Romagnola”, an ancient autochthonous Italian pig breed, is present. Soon, the pig sector will disappear, leaving only the bovine sector active, in order to bring the community closer to veganism and to protect slaughter animals.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Gabriele, 30 years old, the community for 2 years and 6 months, during the summer harvest of cabbages.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Checking every grape cluster and selecting only the best ones is one of the secrets to obtaining a good wine.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Roberto, 36 years old, in the community for 3 years, is seen laying down irrigation systems in a newly transplanted field.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Sector of cultivations. Cleaning the ground in preparation for the olive harvest.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Boys in the Vineyards. Harvesting belongs to everyone. Every sector of the community sends its boys in turn to the vineyards. The atmosphere in September is electrifying, characterized by a mix of attention and passion. For each of them, those clusters and the quality of the wine that will come out of the barrels represent the future. The grape harvest offers new job opportunities, such as agronomists or cellar technicians, once their recovery path is completed.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Alessia, 24 years old, in the community for 2 years and 10 months, is busy taking care of the seedlings in the nursery. Taking care of and growing the plants for transplanting helps the girls to have greater self-esteem and confidence in themselves.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Rest time during the grape harvest. The community provides, for those who wish, 5 cigarettes per day. It is not possible to offer them: everyone must learn to manage themselves, even in these things.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Roberto, 36, in the community for 3 years, during the harvest of “datterini” tomatoes. Training courses in the agricultural field are provided to give the boys an opportunity for external work once they have completed their recovery path.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Sector of Beekeeping where the boys of the community are professionally trained through courses on hive maintenance and the secrets of honey production.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Sanpa Dogs sector employs 24 people, both males and females. The kennel is one of the first sectors of the community and was established in 1978 initially as a breeding ground for dogs for beauty contests. Pet therapy, through continuous contact with animals, is crucial for the recovery of the boys. The dogs are brought to the community kennel for a temporary period during which the boys start a recovery process aimed at adoption.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Ramon, 21 years old, in the community for 1 year and 6 months. Today, the bakery employs 80 boys who bake all kinds of bread, biscuits, cakes, and piadinas. The products are not only for internal use but also for external sales through large retailers.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Moment of disorientation and discouragement of a drug addict. Marco, in charge of packaging, embraces him to console him. At the center of the drama, there are no hashish, cocaine, heroin or ecstasy, there is no withdrawal crisis, but there is the man with his fears and his voids in which he risks being swallowed up.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. A discussion is taking place within the butchery sector. In order to abolish the exploitation and killing of animals, the board of directors of the San Patrignano community has decided to close the sector and promote veganism.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Danilo, 32 years old, is inside a refrigerated cell. Soon, the butchery sector will be closed by the board of directors of the community. The decision is based on the suspension of animal slaughter and the promotion of veganism.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Preparation of ricotta in the Dairy sector, where 55 boys are involved. The products are made from freshly milked milk from the community’s farms.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Luca, 34 years old, in a community for 3 years and 6 months and he sanitizes the environments in the Cheese Factory sector.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. In the kitchen, Carmine, 30 years old, in the community for 2 years and 7 months. He is the coordinator of the service. Soon, 900 people will have lunch in the community’s large dining hall.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Anna, 32 years old, in the community for three years, while giving directions for table service.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Claudia, 28 years old, in the community for 3 months. Approximately 90 kg of pasta are consumed for lunch each day. Due to the war in Ukraine, in order to save more electricity, only velvety dishes or soups are served in the evening.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Community Study Center during a hospitality course.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. The first dining hall was built in 1982, today it can accommodate about 1,300 people and is considered the largest in Europe. It is a place where community celebrations and events take place, a place to face together the problems and difficulties of each individual.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Who is on duty serves plates of food. While waiting to take off their white coat and sit down themselves, they are served by those who are on the next shift. The dining hall is a fundamental place for the formation of a common spirit, that bond that ties together the entire history of the community.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Elena, 30 years old, in the community for 11 months , while taking care of laundry. In the Laundry sector, considered the hygiene sector, 4 tons of dirty clothes are washed weekly.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Ivana, 26 years old, in the community for 3 years, is sorting clean clothes alphabetically. She is studying medicine and will have a test soon to try to enter the University of Florence. The laundry sector is called the young adult sector, and among the 40 girls who work there, 10 are minors (between 16 and 18 years old).
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Jennifer and Asia in the weaving laboratory. They use looms manufactured in the 1980s by the carpenters of San Patrignano, based on designs from the 1800s. Handmade work allows them to think, concentrate, and confront themselves with the craftsmanship skills and discipline that it entails.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. L’Oreal Paris course for hairdressers. The objective of the course is to facilitate work outside the community at the end of the recovery path.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Livestock Sector. 5:00 AM and 4:00 PM are two daily moments for milking. They house 250 cattle that produce approximately 1,500,000 liters of milk annually.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. The livestock sector has a barn that produces millions of liters of cow’s milk, used for internal consumption and for sale outside as dairy products.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Blacksmith sector. These are the last days of activity before the definitive closure due to the excessive increase in electricity costs, caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine. In the month of August alone, the community received a bill of 730,000 euros, putting several production activities at risk.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Anglad Association of Cesena, a parallel path for families of drug addicts. The UNODC World Drug Report, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, estimates an 11% increase in drug use by 2030.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Tommaso, 38 years old, father of a family, has already attended 3 recovery communities. His father scolds him because he doesn’t see him motivated and is afraid of a relapse into the world of drugs.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. They didn’t talk anymore until Alessia made her decision. Now they are about to separate, she will enter the community and her parents will go back home. Initially, there will be a distance, except for exchanging letters. After a period of adjustment and based on the progress of her journey, the family can make the first visit to the community.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Federico says goodbye to his mother and father. In the early days, they wrote to each other. Then, when he regained some serenity, he asked to see them again. Their relationship will be reborn on new foundations.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. After at least a year, visits from family members begin. Gino sees his parents again for the first time. A year has passed since his admission. They were devastated when they accompanied him to the community. Now they are happy.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Guido, 43 years old, in the community for 15 months, while embracing his children during a visit. In San Patrignano, they write letters. It is the only way to communicate with family and friends. There are no cell phones, no internet, no emails, no WhatsApp, or Instagram.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Federico, 23 years old, in the community for 2 years, while receiving a visit from his girlfriend on his birthday. Affection is a great stimulus to start over.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. His mother had left him in the community a few months earlier. She remembered him when he was sick, using drugs. Today she sees Peppe very changed. And she is happy to hold him tightly together with her son.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. The mother and daughter left him in the community a few months ago. They remembered him when he was in a bad state and addicted to drugs. Today, they see him very changed, and they are happy to embrace him tightly.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Mattia has reflected for a long time, then he made his decision. Ready to enter the community with a suitcase. His brother accompanied him.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Luigi, 38 years old, in the community for 2 years, receives his children’s visit and is moved to tears.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Cristian, 41 years old, a former professional technician at Fiat, kisses his daughter during a visit. Cristian has entered the community several times due to various relapses. Separated with a son, he met Valentina with whom he had another daughter.
  • An emotional grandfather during the visit. Loved ones are a great motivation to start again.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Roberto comes from the province of Salento. He is one of the many young people who are welcomed into the community every month from all over Italy and many countries in the world. Most of the boys are entrusted to the community by the courts as an alternative to prison. Often they have non-existent families behind them and stories of loneliness and degradation.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Alissa, 25 years old, says goodbye to her mother and father. In the early days, they will write to each other. Then, after at least a year, when she has regained some balance and serenity, she will ask to see them. And their relationship will be born on new foundations.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. The hug. They haven’t spoken anymore until Mattia made his decision. Now they are about to say goodbye: he is entering the community and his girlfriend is going back home.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Angelo, 24, hugs his parents. He has a few months left before the end of his 4-year journey. Thanks to the training he received in the community, he will work as a gardener in Rimini.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Giulia, 20 years old, in the community for almost a year, during a video call with her child. Women who have children and use drugs are temporarily deprived of custody of their children.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. They look into each other’s eyes at the entrance of the community. Nicolò has decided to try to change, deciding to enter the community to undertake a recovery path.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Physical exercise in the late afternoon. At San Patrignano, we work 8 hours a day. We start in the morning from 8.00 to 12.00 and in the afternoon from 14.00 to 18.00. Many of the boys have never lived in a family environment: they have only experienced loneliness, juvenile detention, and abandonment. All of them have gone through experiences of marginalization, violence, and drug addiction without a lifeboat to hold onto. Today, they try to make up for lost time by studying, doing sports, and learning the first rudiments of a profession.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. The last embrace. To celebrate the end of a journey, a “scroll” is read that describes the boy, starting from funny anecdotes and ending with a serious part that talks about the period faced in the community. Hugs, tears, and love in pain are fundamental ingredients in the life of the community.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Alessandro and Emiliana met in the community. At first, they could only exchange distant glances. Then, after a year, they asked their respective supervisors for permission to see each other in public. After a careful evaluation of their recovery progress and after consulting with their families, they were allowed to pursue the relationship.”
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Free time in the swimming pool reserved for men only.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Many of the boys have never lived in a family environment: they have only known loneliness, reformatories, prisons, and abandonment. All have experienced marginalization, violence, and drug use. Today, they try to make up for lost time. They study, practice sports, and learn the basics of a profession. And, above all, they help each other.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Many of the boys have never lived in a family environment: they have only known loneliness, reformatories, prisons, and abandonment. All have experienced marginalization, violence, and drug use. Today, they try to make up for lost time. They study, practice sports, and learn the basics of a profession. And, above all, they help each other.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Mary, 20 years old, entered the community as a minor. Boys discuss and joke outside of their professional sector. Each young person is paired from the first day with an older resident, whose task is to always be with him, introduce him to the life of the community, and be an example.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Tatiana, former model, has just entered the community. Many young people have abandoned their studies and jobs and no longer have any interests. Drugs have become their way of rejecting this world. They are perfectly capable of understanding, but they lack the strength to want. Because they are afraid of living, not of dying.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. A moment of relaxation at the end of the evening, before returning to their bedrooms by 10:30 pm.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Free time. A moment of reading break at the end of the day.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. A moment of break in the bedrooms reserved for the girls. Some take turns cleaning while others take the opportunity to get ready for dinner.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. The roommates prepare the bed for the new arrival. Each new guest is assigned a tutor who has been in the community for at least a year and who follows them 24 hours a day. The reason is very simple: the person who has overcome drug addiction is the best educator for those who suffer from it.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Mike, a 24-year-old of Indian origin, in the community for 7 months. The young people at San Patrignano have 2 hours of free time before dinner to relax after a day of work: some take a shower, some read, and some write letters.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. “Life is a cigarette that you have smoked too quickly.”
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Roberto, 30 years old, 8 months in the community, getting ready for dinner.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Portraits of Marco’s grandchildren, in the community for 2 years. Most of the boys are entrusted to the community by the courts as an alternative to prison. They often have non-existent families and stories of loneliness and degradation behind them.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Marco, who left the community at the end of September and returned after a few days, is talking with his roommate. Many boys have experienced loneliness and have difficulty integrating with other people and respecting some behavioral rules.
  • San Patrignano, Italy. Mauro, 39 years old, who entered the community as an alternative to prison 1 year ago. It’s seven in the evening and everyone has returned to their rooms. It’s time for a brief rest before dinner.