LTTA Italy

FIRST MOBILITY – CASTELLANETA

ITALY – 18th – 22nd November 2019

Cordial reception from the Italian partners, really fantastic attitude towards all of us! The principal, the teachers, the students, the families are so hearty welcomed. Thank you so much to all of you! We really appreciate what special things you did for us.

DAY 1

Day at school till noon; a walk in the old town of Castellaneta and in the evening - Erasmus Conference where each country present itself; organized dinner party with traditional Italian food.

CASTELLANETA

A city in the province of Taranto, in the Apulia region of Southern Italy, located in a territory spanning from the Murgia to the Ionian Sea, characterized by numerous ravines. We visited The Castellenata Cathedral, San Domenico, San Francesco d’Assisi, Santa Maria della Luce, The Gravina of Castellaneta and The Rudolfo Valentino museum.

DAY 2

MATERA

is a city in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Matera. The town lies in a small canyon carved out by the Gravina River. Known as historical centre "Sassi" contains ancient cave dwellings. Matera is one of the 2019 European Capitals of Culture, together with the Bulgarian town of Plovdiv. Matera Cathedral has been dedicated to Santa Maria della Bruna since 1389. Built in an Apulian Romanesque architectural style, the church has a 52 m tall bell tower, and next to the main gate is a statue of the Maria della Bruna, backed by those of Saints Peter and Paul. The main feature of the façade is the rose window, divided by sixteen small columns. Two other important churches in Matera, both dedicated to the Apostle Peter, are San Pietro Caveoso and Sn Pietro Barisano.

DAY 3

BARI

is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in southern Italy. It is the second most important economic center of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas. Basilica of Saint Nicholas, the Cathedral of San Sabino and the Hohenstaufen Castle built for Frederick II.

ALBEROBELLO

is a small town of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It is famous for its unique trullo buildings. The trulli of Alberobello have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996. A first occupation of the area started only in the early sixteenth century on the impulse of the Count of Conversano Andrea Matteo III Acquaviva d'Aragona. He allowed about forty peasant families from Noci to settle here and cultivate the land, with the obligation to give him the tenth of the crops.

DAY 4

TARANTO

is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. It is considered one of the oldest cities in Italy. Taranto was founded by the Spartans in the 8th century BC and it is the only colony ever founded by Sparta. It is the third-largest continental city of southern Italy and an important commercial and military port with well-developed steel and iron foundries, oil refineries, chemical works, naval shipyards, and food-processing factories. Because of the presence of these two bays, Taranto is also called "the city of the two seas". The Greek colonists from Sparta called the city Taras, after the mythical hero Taras, while the Romans, who connected the city to Rome with an extension of the Appian way.

DAY 5

LATERZA

is a town and in the province of Taranto, part of the Apulia region of southeast Italy. The Gravina di Laterza, a deep gorge, starts at the southeast edge of the town. The beautiful ravine of Laterza is a natural paradise with rocky churches and dwellings, dug into rocks overlooking deep gullies. Laterza, the heart of the “Terra delle Gravine” Regional Natural Park, nestled between the Murge of Santeramo, Altamura, and the rocky caves of Massafra and Mottola. In this wild paradise, the birthplace of the 11th-century Apennine civilization, there are 30 churches and many dwellings dug into the rock and tufa stone, some of which have yet to be explored.

PALAGIANELLO

is a small town in the province of Taranto, Apulia, southeastern Italy. A walk in the mediaeval village, the Church of Saint Pietro Apostole, the old hamlet of the Renaissance, located at the bottom of the Castle Stella Caracciolo has a quadrangular shape with a closed court where we finished this spectacular trip in Southern Italy with full satisfaction, contentment and moral gratification with some traditional Italian dances, many gifts and delicious food.

Our gratitude to the Italian partners cannot be expressed, thank you a lot again and again!