A tale of many citiesCulture in a box 

ITALY - FRANCE

ERASMUS+ 2014-2016

Here is our beautiful St. Peter's Square!St. Peter's is the largest of the four patriarchal basilicas in Rome and the symbol of Catholicism. Its construction lasted more than a century and famous architects such as Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo worked there.The large square in front of the Basilica shows a beautiful colonnade symbolizing the big hug the church gives all Christians and faithful pilgrims.In St. Peter's Basilica suggestive Catholic liturgical celebrations led by the Pope Francesco, take place.

St. Peter's Square

The Ferrari is a symbol of the “made in Italy” known all over the world.The Ferrari industry was born in Maranello, a city in Emilia Romagna, in the north of Italy. The Ferrari is linked to the Formula 1, the World Sportscars championship. All the cars made by Ferrari are red and their symbol is the “black Horse”: it was a gift that the mother of a young pilot dead during a battle, gave to Mr.Enzo Ferrari as a talisman. One of the most famous Ferrari drivers has been Michael Schumacher.

The Ferrari

Do you Know Venice? It is a city in the north of Italy known as the” city on the water” as it was built on small islands at the centre of the lagoon. Saint Mark's Basilica, (a large church) is the most famous church and one of the finest examples of Byzantine architecture in the world. Located just off the Grand Canal, the basilica overlooks Piazza San Marco. They say that in the basilica Saint Mark was buried. On the top there are five big cupolas and a winged lion which is the symbol both of the Saint and of Venice. On the terrace, there are four horses made of gilded copper. The Bell Tower adjacent to the basilica was once a lighthouse to mariners. From the 11th century on the building has been known with the nickname ”Church of gold” ( Chiesa d'Oro). Inside the church marvellous artistic treasures are admired by millions of tourists.

ST MARK'S BASILICA-VENICE

THE MELODRAMA

The Melodrama started in Italy at the end of the 16th century and became established in the 17th century, during the age of the Baroque. It is a theatrical genre in which orchestral music and songs are used to accompany the action. This new type of musical art was first used in the courts to celebrate important occasions and then developed in theatres. Claudio Monteverdi was the most important writer of melodramas in the 17th century and marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to the Baroque one, while Pietro Metastasio, known as an emotional, lyrical, and romantic poet, asserted himself in the most important imperial courts of Europe during the eighteenth century. The 19th century saw the highest point of the Italian Melodrama (or Opera) with authors like V. Bellini, G. Donizetti, G.Rossini, G. Verdi and G. Puccini, all creating masterpieces that are well known all around the world and still performed today. Italian opera has also been made worldwide famous by world-famous opera singers such as Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli.

The Fontana di Trevi or Trevi Fountain is the most famous and  the most beautiful fountain in all of Rome. This impressive monument dominates the small Trevi Square located in the Quirinale district.The Trevi Fountain is situated at the end of the Aqua Virgo, an aqueduct constructed in 19 BC by Agrippa, the son-in-law of Emperor Augustus. The aqueduct brings water all the way from the Salone Springs (approx. 21km from Rome) and supplies the fountains in the historic center of Rome with water.The central figure of the fountain, standing in a large niche, is Neptune, God of the sea. Tradition has it that you will return to Rome if you throw a coin into the fountain's water basin. You should toss it with your right hand over your left shoulder (or left hand over your right shoulder) with your back to the fountain. You're not allowed to look behind you while you're tossing the coin but the fountain is so large it's basically impossible to miss.

Fontana di Trevi

THE DIVINE COMEDY

"In the middle of the journey of our life ..."; these are the opening words of the Divine Comedy, an epic poem that is both the preeminent work of Italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature. It was written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and 1321. The masterpiece describes Dante’s imaginative and allegorical journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. During his travels he meets both people from the past and contemporaries who deserved to stay in Hell or to be admitted to the light of Heaven.The Divine Comedy is composed of one hundred poems and “Hell”, “Purgatory” and “Paradise” are precisely the titles of the three parts in which the poem is divided.The verses are not written in Latin but in Florentine, the vernacular of Florence, from which the official Italian language originates.

The Duomo di Milano, Milan's magnificent Gothic cathedral, is one of the world's largest churches. The Duomo is literally at the center of Milan. Streets radiate from the cathedral or circle it. The cathedral occupies a site that has been the most central location in the city since its founding. The construction of the cathedral was commissioned by bishop Antonio da Saluzzo in 1385. When the cathedral was consacrated in 1418, construction of the nave had only just started. Construction would continue until 1813, and final finishes were applied as late as in 1965. The Duomo is decorated with an amazing number of beautifully sculpted statues and spires. There are more statues on this building than any other in the world; the most famous of all these is the Madonnina (Little Madonna), a copper statue of the virgin Mary covered with 3900 pieces of gold leaf. The statue, four meters and sixteen centimeters tall (almost 14 ft), was placed on top of the cathedral's tallest spire and until 1959 marked the highest point in the city at 108.5 meters. The inside of Milan's Cathedral is expansive but rather dark. There are five large naves divided by fifty-two pillars, one for each week of the year.

The Milan cathedral

The Tower of Pisa is famous because of its characteristic tilt to one side. It is the bell tower of the Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta. It was built between the 12th and 14th centuries. It is 58.36 metres high and 14,453 tons heavy. The tower's tilt began in the early stages of its construction and it is due to a subsiding of the underlying soil, too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight.The tower now leans at an angle of about 3.97 degrees.

TOWER OF PISA

The Margherita pizza is a typical Napolitan pizza. During a visit to Naples of Queen Margherita of Savoy, the chef Raffaele Esposito and his wife created a pizza that named after the Queen - Pizza Margherita. To do it, the chief resembled same coloured ingredients to celebrate the Italian flag or ”Tricolore”: green (basil), white (mozzarella cheese) red (tomato).To make a tasteful pizza Margherita you need: flour, yeast, water, tomato, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil,origan, salt and oil. Mozzarella cheese in this traditional pizza is made from cow's milk .The pizza has a long tradition; at the beginning a flat bread was given the name pizza, coming from the mispronunciation of the word "Pitta", which in other languages indicated breads or buns. But when later tomato was added, this food changed a simple focaccia in a tasty and fragrant "pizza"!Bon appetit, nos amis!!!!!!

The Margherita pizza

THE COLOSSEUM

The Colosseum (Amphitheatrum Flavium) is the largest amphitheatre in the world and both the most important monument of ancient Rome and the symbol of the imperial city.Its construction began in 72 BC and was inaugurated in 80 B.C. by Emperor Titus. It was used to entertain and enjoy people with gladiator fights, mock sea battles, simulation of famous battles, animal hunts, executions and dramas based on Classical mythology. It could hold between 50,000 and 70,000 spectators.