THIRD SHORT TERM JOINT STAFF TRAINING EVENT
Tuesday 28th January 2020
The day started with a warm welcoming ceremony by the whole school at D’Alessandro Vocino secondary school.
Some pupils were dressed in their local traditional dresses and the all sang Italian songs. The school Principal lead the ceremony and received gifts from Greek and Spanish teachers.
Host teachers have prepared a guided school tour of the school including the visit to different classes and a look to the Holocaust Remembrance Day display.
After that, the training session kicked off with a videoconference with Dr Antonio Belilacqua, from the Department of agricultural, food and environment at the University of Foggia, who will collaborate with the project.
A staff meeting planning for the upcoming pupils exchange took place discussing all the necessary arrangements. Teachers discussed about budget control, outputs, the project progress and future opportunities for collaboration.
The meeting ended with the visit of a representative from a local environmental NGO.
After the meeting, host teachers had prepared a delicious healthy meal. Music teachers played national music after lunch.
In the evening it was time for a practical workshop based on the civic competences in which the Mayor of the city and the School Principal joined by many students, recreated a session of the local Assembly dealing with school issues. A gift exchange took place followed by a meal provided by the City Hall.
Wednesday 29th January 2020
Our day started with a visit to a dairy farm. The Contessa’s family owns a farm with cows, buffalo and a large area with various trees and plants in which theirs animals graze. Luigi, his brother and his son showed us how to make mozzarella cheese and caciocavallo, a famous local cheese. In the end we tasted mozzarella, bufalina and caciocavallo.
Then we visited Monte D’Elio and Torre Mileto.
Monte D’Ellio is a set of hills with great naturalistic and archeological interest in the area of San Nicandro Garganico. There is the church of Santa Maria, a basilica with historical interest.
Torre Mileto is a seaside resort of San Nicandro Garganico. The name refers to a tower of look-out and defence, one of the oldest on the Adriatic coast.
After that we had lunch. During the lunch teachers and pupils of the Italian school came to see us and pick up us for a tour of the Old Town Centre called “Terra Vecchia”. The pupils were those who visited Greece last year. It was very kind of them to be with us. The hospitality of the teachers, their families and the owners of the B&B, who were parents of an Erasmus’ pupil, were excellent.
THIRD SHORT TERM JOINT STAFF TRAINING EVENT
Thursday 30th January 2020
We had to stand up early in the morning in order to visit the Abbey of Pulsano. The Abbey of Pulsano is a Catholic sanctuary on Mount Gargano. A monk gave us information about the church which has Byzantine influences. Orthodox and Catholic hermits lived in the past in the caves on the mountain. This historic site and its environs are protected by the Parco Nazionale del Gargano.
Then we visited the city of Monte Sant'Angelo and its Sanctuary dedicated to Archangel Michael. It is considered one of the most important places for Christianity. The unique basilica is on the top of the mountain, consisting of a complex of buildings of various ages around the natural cave, shows 15 centuries of history.
In the end we visited Padre Pio Pilgrimage church in the city of San Giovanni Rotondo. The church is a sacred building with ample open space for the public. The project was based on two fundamental principles: the use of a single type of stone as a symbol of oneness with its surroundings, and the idea of the church as a home open to all. It holds 7,000 pilgrims. The architect is Renzo Piano. We also toured the hospital museum. The hospital was built by Padre Pio's efforts.
Staff Training Event Video
A summary of the training event, project meeting and cultural visits that took place during the Third Short-Term Joint Staff training event in San Nicandro Garganico, Italy.
Once again, our gratitude to the entire school community at D'Alessandro Vocino for all their attentions and very specially to Giovanna Della Monica, Italian Coordinator for an outstanding organisation.