SOCRATES
Comenius 1.2

Countries of Silk and Linen : Ethnocultural Dialogue




November 5


Our journey started on the 5th of November, at 1 o’clock in the night. We went to the airport of Ryga by coach and waited there for the flight for a few hours. We had to change 3 planes: we flew from Ryga to Amsterdam, from Amsterdam to Rome and from Rome to Lamezia Terme. Our journey took about 12 hours so we were very tired. From Lamezia Terme we went to Catanzaro by bus and met our Italian partners. Everything seemed very strange and unussual for us: narrow streets, buildings, nature, people, the weather... At first we were a bit shy to communicate with our partners and their family, but they appeared to be very friendly and kind. In the evening all Italians and Lithuanians met together. Although we were tired, we enjoyed that time together and had lots of fun!

November 6


In the morning Lithuanian project participants were introduced to the headteacher and some teachers of the partner school. Lithuanians saw the school and some classrooms. It was interesting as they were different from Lithuanian ones. In the afternoon Lithuanians told the community about Lithuania, sang Lithuanian folk songs and introduced some national games. In the evening our new friends took us to the youth park – Vila Pepe – and there we met lots of new friends. The day was very impressive.
November 7


On the 7th of November at Galluppi Liceo there was our "WELCOME PARTY" and the birthday party of the headteacher. We, Lithuanians, started the party with our traditional folk dances and songs. We also were wearing traditional Lithuanian national costumes. Italians were very surprised when we started singing a very famous Italian song "Azzuro". It was really fun to watch shocked Italian faces while we were singing "Azzuro" Lithuanian version. After our presentation, Italians sang some Italian traditional songs. This evening was very special and unforgettable.
November 8


Half day excursion ROCCELLETTA and SAN FLORO. That day was unforgettable because we went to Roccelletta. There we saw the ruins of the ancient theatre and visited a historical museum. Then we went to San Floro where we saw silkworms, mulberry plantation. Also we saw how silk was produced hundreds of years ago. We even managed to make some silk threads ourselves.
November 9


In the morning all project participants participated in the lessons. The lessons were totally different from ours but we enjoyed them. It was fun to communicate with other students at school because they were very sociable.In the evening we participated in the international volleyball match. As we expected, Italians won.
November 10


In the morning Lithuanians participated in the lessons together with their Italian partners. After the lessons, at 11o’clock all project participants went to the Region Centre. It is an impressive building with amazing art exposition. We had an extraordinary possibility to visit a conference hall, to sit in the comfortable chair there and touch microphones. We were very surprised when everyone got a present to remember that visit. The other room which was shown to project participants was an office of the president of the Region Centre. Here we saw antique furniture and three flags: ES, Italy and Catanzaro. These flags symbolize the collaboration between ES, Italy and Catanzaro City.
November 11


On the 11th of November we set off for travelling to Sicilia. On the way to the island we visited various towns and other spectacular sights of Calabria region. Calabria is one of the oldest regions in Italy. It is famous of its amazing nature. The first place we visited was the town of Pizza, where we could see its Pizzo e il Castello Murat castle. The castle is old, built in as early as 1492. It has been used as jail in the past, but there is only a museum nowadays. There you can see the daily life of ancient people. Wax figures of natural size reflect the culture, clothing and different social layers of people of old times. Another museum we visited was Riace bronzes. There we could see many archeological findings but the old Bronze statues made the biggest impression on us. Those statues are wonderful copies of a human body, perfect in details, with every line of the body molded very accurately. They have eyes made of glass and ivory, teeth made of silver and lips made of copper. We also visited the town of Scilla. There is only one main street in the town, but all the streets end up in the sea. It seems that houses are built on water. The sight is amazing and it attracts many tourists to the town, especially in summer. There were many marvelous sights we visited. And in the evening we reached our goal – Sicilia Island.
November 12


On Sunday we visited Taormina, a town on the east coast of the island of Sicily. There we went to an ancient Greek theatre which is the most remarkable ancient monument, remained standing at Taormina. This theatre is frequently used for operatic and theatrical performances and for concerts. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see any performances. Visiting this theatre, we could see breathtaking views of the sea and the biggest active volcano in Europe- Etna. After that we went to the city of Mesinna, the third largest city on island of Sicily.
November 13


We spent that day in Catanzaro. First of all, we all went to P. Galluppi Liceo with our Italian friends and participated in some lessons together: English, Maths, Latin and some others. It was very particular. After the lunch all Italians and Lithuanians visited the museum that is called “Diocesano”. There we saw a lot of interesting things which were brought from all Italian churches.
November 14


On November 14th we visited Crotone town. Everybody was charmed when they saw ruins of Roma Empire. Then we visited Le Castella Castle. Everything was beautiful because around the castle there was the sea. In the evening we all went to the city park with our Italian friends. There we played some Italian and Lithuanian games.
November 15


On that day we went to see the great theatre of Catanzaro. Then we visited the City Council and met the Mayor of Catanzaro. He told us about the city and the Calabria’s region. Finally, he showed us the entire municipality. It was a wonderful experience for everybody.
November 16


On that wonderful day we had some free time so in the morning we decided to swim in the Mediterranean Sea. That was very refreshing. In the evening we had a farewell party in Catanzaro Lido. We had a wonderful time with our Italian friends. We exchanged our contacts with each other so we could talk via the Internet. After eating pizzas, we went to play different games to the Ionian Sea. We played Lithuanian national games for the last time. That was like saying good-bye.
November 17


The day before leaving... The day began as always. The cloudless sky was without any wind, it was warm. After the breakfast we had a few lessons. Because it was the last free day, we all spent it as we wanted. After the lessons we were walking around the city and doing the shopping. In the evening we met with our friends Italians in the park, as usual. Also we had a great opportunity to say good-bye to all our new friends.
November 18


The day of our departure The things were packed the day before. The luggage was overfull. At the airport we played the Lithuanian game “Skrido zvirblis…”, which Italians liked a lot. Everybody was sad, a lot of us even cried. It was difficult to say good-bye to our new friends. At 11:20 the plane took off from Lamesia-terme and went to Rome. In Rome we changed our plane and went to Amsterdam and at 23:25 we landed Ryga. Only at night we reached Siauliai.

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