Seven Italian university students who were on an Erasmus exchange program died in Sunday's bush crash in Catalonia. Genoa native Francesca Bonello, 24, was a medicine student.
Her father is an engineer at IREN energy company and her mother teaches science at a Genoa high school. "Francesca was a generous girl who experienced religion with true, concrete faith," family friend Caterina told ANSA.
"She volunteered in Romania and Africa. She worked with the poor a lot. She was a person with a lot of friends, solar, beautiful. Her life was brief, but she lived it for others".
Lucrezia Borghi, from the Florence-area town of Greve in Chianti, was studying economics at Florence University.
Valentina Gallo was an economics student at Florence University and had been in Spain since January.
Elena Maestrini, 21, was from the small town of Gavorrano in Tuscany. She was studying economics at Florence University. The university canceled all public events and held a minute of silence on Monday in memory of Borghi, Gallo, Maestrini, and the other fatal victims.
The Florence city council canceled today's meeting in sign of mourning.
Rome native Elisa Scarascia Mugnozza, 22, was studying medicine and surgery at the capital's La Sapienza University, and came from a line of academics. Grandfather Gian Tommaso was the founder and the first dean of Tuscia University in the city of Viterbo, where her father Giuseppe teaches forest ecology.
Elisa is a niece of Gabriele Scarascia Mugnozza, who directs the Geology Department at La Sapienza. A friend of Scarascia Mugnozza told ANSA that "she was like an older sister to me, I've known her forever. We're all desperate here".
Turin-born Serena Saracino was studying to be a pharmacist at Turin University and would have turned 23 next Sunday. She moved to Barcelona for the Erasmus program a month ago.
"Serena was a fantastic person," friend Marco Mirti told ANSA. "She loved Spain was very happy to be there. She was not a party girl - she loved being at university, and got very good marks".
Elisa Valent, 25, was born in the town of Gemona del Friuli in Udine province, and graduated from Padua University in June 2014. She was a master's philology student, and was in Barcelona on the Erasmus program from February to September this year.
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