Laura Gambini, PhD. She would not like me writing this, because she thought adding her title made her sound pretentious, but this is how we can start talking about the life of this extraordinary woman.
She boldly left Italy in 1956, when women were simply expected to marry, in pursuit of something new, different, and bigger. She left her accounting job and boarded a ship with a family of friends from her town of Santa Maria del Giudice - a little borgo outside of Lucca, Italy. Little she knew at that time, but that family would become her extended family, caring for her at the beginning of her American adventure in the Mission district in San Francisco. In the end, Laura cared for them. When I moved to the US, she did the same for me. My name is Piera, I was her Italian teaching assistant at USF when I first moved to the US, and in the end, she called me her daughter. She became a wonderful “nonna” to my two children, a mother to me and my husband, and a friend to my friends.
Laura was a talented Professoressa to the many students who learned Italian from her at USF, City College, UC Davis and UC Berkeley.
When Laura arrived in San Francisco, she had to go back to high school to learn English. Her passion for languages continued thru college and her post-doctoral at UC Berkeley. Laura was fluent in English, Italian, Spanish, and French, with a bit of an accent, but certainly with a knowledge of grammar that very few master. Her classes were full of passion for cinema, travel, and food. If you have been her student, you had the opportunity to enjoy her delicious tiramisu she aways prepared for the last class each semester - she surely was generous with the liquor! With her American students, she shared many stories of growing up in beautiful Tuscany. With her Italian friends, she shared story of how San Francisco looked in the 60s, her trips to Hawaii and Las Vegas, the elegance of a first cabin on a boat or a plane. She loved the opera, we went to many operas together, and she once took us to Torre del Lago to see the Butterfly by her beloved Puccini. She loved ballet, and it was our Christmas tradition to go to the Nutcracker all together. We shared many meals together and laughter, even in the sadness of her last days. Laura was brave in the end, always worried about being a burden to the ones she loved. I am sure she would want me to thank all the wonderful people at Chapparal House in Berkeley and the medical staff at Alta Bates. If you had the pleasure to meet Laura, please raise a glass to her, and think of her when you travel to Italy or go to North Beach for pizza. Her final trip will be to Italy to rest and reunite with her parents Ulisse and Dina.
After about 5 years in the investment industry I started studying Italian with our beloved, Laura. It was life-changing. I at CCSF,a degree from SFSU, U of Firenze Italy ????,2014 wi I’m African American ???? educator in Italy Public Schools, Universities, television, radio theatre special thanks to Dott. Laura Gambini e Dott. Claudio Concin at CCSF.??
