Index ●
First stage: Lucca ............2
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Second stage: Pisa ..........3
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Third stage: Florence ......4
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Forth stage: Bologna ......5
Traveling around Europe Last week some students who are studying in the IES Xoan Montes, travelled from Lugo to Italy with a Comenius project. Three cities that have a river and a wall became linked by this European project: Saint Malo, in France; Lucca, from Italy and Lugo, in Spain. The objective of this experience is to create friendly relationships between students from different countries and learn new things in a different way. They must study the differences and similarities between the cultures and history of the different walls and rivers. 1
Lucca After a long journey, first by bus and then by plane, they arrived at Lucca at 4.00 pm. That city is in Tuscany, the north-west of Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plain near the Tyrrhenian Sea. As well as far other reasons, it is famous for its intact Renaissanceera city walls.
First they went on a trip to Grotta del Vento,in Garfagnana, where they could see things ranging from shining stalactites and stalagmites, to little lakes, water courses, forms of erosion, mud formations and even perfectlyvertical shafts which can be visited with practical walkways. 2
The next day, on a guided tour through the beautiful city of Lucca, the girls enjoyed visiting St Martin's Cathedral, the Church of San Michele in Foro, the Piazza Anfiteatro and the Basilica di San Frediano.
Church of San Michele in Foro 3
In the picture on the left we can see Duomo di San Martino (the Cathedral). There is a legend to explain why all the columns of the faรงade are different: when they were going to decorate it, the inhabitants of Lucca announced a contest. Every artist made a column, but then the inhabitants of Lucca decided to use them all, without paying the artists. This picture shows the Piazza Anfiteatro and the Basilica di San Frediano. Here you can usually find a flower market. 4
Pisa On Wednesday, after a few days walking along the streets of Lucca and meeting with other students they arrived at Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower (the bell tower of the city's cathedral), it's a very beautiful city and they enjoyed having a walk.
The most important place is the Piazza del Duomo recognized as one of the main centres for medieval art in the world. It is dominated by four great religious edifices: the Duomo (cathedral), the Campanile (the well-known bell tower), the Baptistry and the Camposanto. 5
Florencia On Thursday, they went to one the most important cities in Italy. They cought the train at the station and after about one hour, they enjoy visiting the monuments of this beautiful city.
This is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore which is the main church in Florence. The cathedral complex is located in Piazza del Duomo and includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. 6
The cathedral, topped by Brunelleschi's dome, dominates the Florentine skyline. Using construction techniques and truly innovative engineering concepts, Flippo Brunelleschi, the dome's designer, created a Renaissance masterpiece that has not been rivaled. On the right we have a photo of Ponte Vecchio. It is a Medieval stone arch bridge over the Arno River, noted for still having shops built along it. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewellers and souvenir sellers. 7
Bologna
Finally, the last day, before catching the plane, they made a fast visit of the city of Bologna. In spite of the fact that Bologna is not wellknown between a lot of Europeans, it is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian university city, with spectacular history, art, cuisine, music, and culture. In this picture, taken from the higher tower of the city, Asinelli's tower, we can see the Piazza Maggiore and the town hall. And after finish their wonderfull journey they went to the beautiful Fontana di Netunno.
Beatriz Álvarez Díaz Ana María Fernández Santos