ITALY 10 - 14 FEBRUARY 2020

FIRST DAY

Welcome Ceremony with Sicilian Folk music and dance

Our dances are all "TARANTELLE" which are typical traditional dances of our land. Each tarantella is preceded by a song. They very quick and cheerful. They can be distinguished by an handkerchief (called muccaturi) that comes waved by the men. In this tarantella comes put in emphasis the sound du' friscalettu' (Whistle- typical Sicilian breath instrument).

Everybody danced Tarantella, a commanded dance, where the participants execute some figuration on command.

Ludoschool: Ice breakers games

Icebreakers presented as games in our gym to "warm up" the group by helping the members to get to know each other. Then a workshop on the importance of water for our lives.

Mount Erice: Student-led tour of the old medieval town

To discover Erice medieval town, a student guided tour from Porta Trapani and walk through the alley streets and the squares, bordered by churches and palaces that, in open spaces, reveal majestic landscapes. Erice is famous for its numerous churches, indeed it was known as the city with a hundred churches.

Second DAY

Visiting ISS Upper Secondary School L. Da Vinci/M.Torre

Seawater experiments with samples taken from the port to allow students conduct research at a marine system. The water quality and the salinity can be monitored, and the growth rate of algae can be studied under the influence of various variables, such as light or nitrogen content. Students also observed Artemia salina, a species of brine shrimp which gives Flamingos their wonderful rosy pink color.

The Sea Museum hosted in the school with a display of old objects relating to ships and travel. An opportunity to admire precious maps, paintings, drawings, ship models, construction and navigation tools.The students had also the opportunity to try the Naval and aeronautical simulators of the school.

Ligny Tower and the Ancient Walls of the town

A nice walk before lunch to Ligny Tower, a coastal watchtower in Trapani, built between 1671 and 1672 at a strategic position on the city's western coast. Today, the tower is in good condition, and it is open to the public as an archaeological museum.

Marsala: Ettore Infersa Salt Pans guided tour

Salt Production is an ancient activity of the Western Sicily. The windmill of the Ettore Infersa salt pans is one of many which dominated the landscape of the lagoon with the characteristic cone shaped cupola and the sails in material used to capture the force of the wind; it was used to action the gear which allowed the grinding of the salt, which was extracted from the Stagnone, probably began during the presence of the Phoenicians on the island of Mozia. The Ettore Infersa salt pans cultivated and collected the salt in a traditional way in pools situates at different levels and banked by tuff stone, making use of the saltiness of the waters of the lagoon, of the force of the wind and the heat of the sun. in the rooms attached to the windmill, there is a conference room and a small shop. Students and teachers enjoyed a guided visit of the windmill and a walking into the reserve between canals and pools.

THIRD DAY

Favignana island: The Marine Protected Area of The Egadi Islands

Students got familiar with the role of The Marine Protected Area in protecting the the environment. Visiting The Marine Protected Area (MPA) of the Egadi Islands, with an extension of 53,992 hectares, the largest marine reserve in the Mediterranean Sea. Located off the northwest coast of Sicily Island, it surrounds the Egadi archipelago, including the islands of Favignana, Levanzo, Marettimo and the islets of Formica and Maraone. The MPA includes the largest (about 7,700 hectares) and best preserved Posidonia Ocenica of the Mediterranean Sea. The MPA includes the largest (about 7,700 hectares) and best preserved Posidonia Ocenica of the Mediterranean Sea. Posidonia, internationally protected habitat, is considered the green lung of the Mediterranean Sea, playing different roles crucial to the marine ecosystem: as well as producing oxygen and absorbing CO2, it helps mitigate coastal erosion through the formation of "banquettes" produced by the accumulation of dead leaves washed ashore by tidal surges; it also protects the youth of hundreds of species of organisms, forming an area of vital nursery. The presence of so many and different habitats generates a very high biodiversity in the Egadi: among the protected animal species, the presence of the very rare monk seal, a symbol of the Mediterranean, already extinct in Italy, has been recently documented; it is also present the sea turtle Caretta caretta, various species of cetaceans , some species of sharks and an important colony of storm-petrels, a marine bird endemic to the Mediterranean. Fish fauna is rich and varied.

Visiting The Sea Turtle Rescue Center

The Centre is operational for the hospitality and care of specimens of marine turtles in critical conditions. The specimens are those recovered in the maritime compartments of Trapani and Mazara del Vallo, then referred to the Centre for treatment.

Students visited an area entirely dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of marine turtles, the facility has also a small area dedicated to guided tours, in which the interested visitors are provided with basic notions on the biology and ecology of marine turtles as well as on the best practices to follow in case you sight and/or recover a specimen in need of saving.

Trapani Town Center walk

A nice town center walk to discover Trapani monuments, buildings and churches led by our students

FOURTH DAY

Visiting The Italian Coast Guard and Harbour Master, the nation's oldest continuous seagoing service with responsibilities including Search and Rescue (SAR), Maritime Law Enforcement (MLE), Aids to Navigation (ATON), Ice Breaking, Environmental Protection, Port Security and Military Readiness.

Students visited the Operations control room, they understood the role of the Italian Coast Guard in the protection of the Marine and Coastal Environment and the services related to the actions for fighting marine pollution and protecting of Underwater Archaeological Sites.

Cleaning the coastline San Giuliano

Students from six different countries got involved in cleaning a part of Trapani beach. Taking part in a beach clean was a great opportunity to take learning outside and into the local environment. Marine litter is a problem that we can all play a part in solving. Beach cleaning empowers students to do their bit for nature and learn how their actions impacts on our sea.

Acquaculture: a workshop at school with the great contribute of The Marine Biology Department of the University of Palermo

Aquaculture is breeding, raising, and harvesting fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants. Basically, it's farming in water aquaculture is an environmentally responsible source of food and commercial products, helps to create healthier habitats, and is used to rebuild stocks of threatened or endangered species.

Sea Tunnel: a sensorial experience at school to let students understand how plastic kill fish, how plastic hurts sea life, what happens to animals when they eat plastic, how plastic affects the earth, how many sea animals die from plastic. Then a guided self reflection and some tasks: students contribution to environment through slogans and ideas to save water as a natural resource a an art laboratory using recycled plastic.