Experience from Altamura by the Bulgarian students

My visit in Italy

The host families waited for us at the airport when we arrived. We headed to Altamura and there we met the Italian students and teachers, then we went to a pizzeria.

On Monday the Italian students welcomed us to Italy by a spectacular concert. They were singing, dancing and playing flutes. In the afternoon we played volleyball and basketball. After that we went for a walk in the city centre. We ate yoghurt and panzerotti and then I went to the home of Maria Grazia.

On Tuesday we visited a farm for cheese, milk and mozzarella. We tried the milk and we made some mozzarella. We also saw the sheep. In the afternoon we presented our project about traditional Bulgarian dishes. We cooked some.

We went to a bread factory on Wednesday. Before going in, we put special clothes. They showed us the way of preparing and baking the bread. After the lecture they explained to us the big impact of the bread in Altamura and let us try it. We went to the school in the afternoon and the Italian mothers and grandmothers taught us how to make pasta. They baked foccacia and we tasted it.

On Thursday we presented different kinds of experiments. After that we had a treasure hunt in the city centre and then we all got in a pizzeria.

On Friday we went to Matera, an old, almost abandoned little town. The houses there are made of stone and they are hundreds of years old. The view was amazing. There were big, big hills with rivers.

We went to the school at 6 pm and showed the presentations we made together with the students from Czech Republic, Poland and Italy. There was a goodbye-party. They interviewed some of us.

I had a great time in Italy! It was a fantastic and unforgettable experience for me! I am fascinated by the Italian, Czech and Polish culture and languages. I want to command the organizers for their excellent work.

Iva Uzunova

Hello,

My name is George and I would love to share with you my experience from Altamura, Italy.

First day: We traveled by plane from Sofia to Baden-Baden and then to Bari. This was very exciting for me because I traveled on an airplane for first time. When we arrived at Bari, our host families welcomed us at the airport. I liked them so much, they were all great people. Then we went to a pizza-bar to eat traditional Italian food which was very delicious.

Second day: We were welcomed with a great show program in the morning. Then I had lunch and later we went back to school to play various sports like volleyball, basketball, and handball. It was so fun! After the games we walked in the town with our Italian, Czech and Polish friends.

Third day: We visited the country farm ‘’La Calcara’’ for dairy products where we learned how traditional Italian cheese from natural ingredients was made. I tasted mozzarella and it was so delicious. Then I had yummy pasta for lunch. That afternoon we delivered our presentation on Bulgarian dishes. Also I learnt about other typical dishes from different countries.

Fourth day: We visited ‘’Oropan’’ (bread industry). The personnel gave us special suits to wear. All bread ingredients are natural. There were many machines and workers. I learnt that this bread was sold in Bulgaria as well. We went back to school where we started working on a presentation on traditional Czech soup - Bramborova polevka (potato soup). Then some parents and grandparents taught us how to make pasta, I tried to make it and I enjoyed it so much.

Fifth day: I had sandwiches with natural jam for breakfast at school and they were great and so delicious. After breakfast we made a very interesting experiment with all participants. Also we learnt about traditional breakfasts of others countries. That afternoon we worked again on our presentation. Then we went to the center of the town for treasure hunt. My team did not win but the most important was that we all enjoyed.

Sixth day: We visited Matera (half day). I saw many beautiful views. I learnt how people had lived in caves. Those caves are turned into houses nowadays. I like that place so much! In the afternoon we finished working on our presentation and in the evening we presented it. Also there was great healthy party and dinner which I enjoyed a lot. I had the best time of my life!

I am very thankful to family Lofresie and my host child-Raffaela. I am happy that I took part in this project because I met with many students, made new friends and got to know much about different cultures. I want to congratulate all the organizers for their superb job! I am looking forward to the meeting in Bulgaria in November when we will host students from Czech Republic, Poland and Italy and continue to develop our friendships and skills.