Exchanges with Italy

2016/2017 school year

Exchange with Genoa – May 9-16, 2017

Please visit the photo gallery

From 9 to 16 May 2017, seventeen first and second graders under the supervision of prof. Katarzyna Borejczuk and prof. Paulina Leśniak went to Genoa to visit her Italian correspondents, who had been hosted in Krakow a month earlier.

On May 9 at 8 p.m. we landed at the airport in Bergamo, from where we took a coach to Genoa, 200 kilometers away. At around 11pm we arrived in the city, where we were greeted with a traditional Genoese focaccia. The next day at 9 o’clock we had a meeting with the headmaster of the Sandra Pertini and a concert prepared by the students of that school. In the afternoon, the art history teacher showed us around the city, telling us about the architecture and interesting facts related to Genoa. The next day, many attractions awaited us: we took a train along the Ligurian coast to the town of Camogli, where we had a boat trip to the San Fruttuoso Abbey, picturesquely situated on a beach hidden among the rocks. Then we sailed to Portofino and ended the cruise in Santa Margherita Ligure, where we walked on the world’s longest carpet, 6.5 km. The next day we went to the Genoese aquarium, which is the second largest in Europe. There, we saw what feeding sharks looks like, we could touch the rays and admired acrobatic performances of dolphins. On Saturday, we went for a walk along the Anita Garibaldi promenade, where there were plaques commemorating the stay of Józef Piłsudski and Maria Konopnicka in Nervi, a former health resort, today a district of Genoa. We finished the walk in the gardens of Nervi, admiring the magnificent rose garden. After the weekend, on Monday, all students took part in lessons until 1 p.m., and we spent the afternoon on the beach near the monument commemorating the Expedition of a Thousand led by Garibaldi. In the evening we attended a farewell party that took place at school. After the school disco we went to Castelletto, a district from which you can admire the view of the port and the whole of Genoa. The next day we played a rematch volleyball match. After lunch, at 3pm, we left our Italian friends and the fabulous Ligurian landscapes to go from Genoa to Bergamo airport.

Thank you for a great week and see you!

 

Wymiana z Genuą: witamy uczniów z Włoch!

On Tuesday, April 4, the representation of our Lyceum welcomed a group of students from Genoa.

Thanks to the attention to detail and careful preparation, it was loud about us even on the airport website! https://twitter.com/KrakowAirport/status/849258676175155201

We started the exchange with a joint walk around Krakow. There are still many attractions ahead of us.

We wish our new Italian friends a pleasant stay!

 

Exchange with Liceo di M. Gioiado in Piacenza – March 6-11, 2017

 

Please visit the photo gallery

On March 6 – 11, 2017, under the supervision of prof. Grzegorz Harabasz and prof. Wojciech Rak, we set off for an exchange to the Italian town of Piacenza.

On Monday, March 6, in the morning we all arrived at the airport to bravely face the hardships of the journey. It did not last too long in itself – an hour and a half on the plane, a moment on the bus … and here we were, in front of the Liceo di M. Gioia building, romantically located near the famous Palazzo Farnese.

The promised Italians were waiting for us there. After a short refreshment and careful examination, we went to the homes of the families assigned to us to eat, unpack and tighten our bonds.

The second day of the exchange was mainly in Mantua, where we had the opportunity to admire the Palazzo Te, a palace complex in the mannerist style. It was built in the 16th century by order of Frederick II Gonzaga and thanks to the courtesy of Giulio Romano, an architect skilled in his art. After looking closely at the center of Mantua itself, we returned to Piacenza to spend the evening there in the company of Italian colleagues.

On Wednesday we were catching up at school by distilling alcohol from wine
and philosophizing together. We also saw Piacenza very carefully and had a meeting with the mayor of the city himself.

The highlight of the program was Thursday’s trip to Milan.
In the Pinacoteca di Brera gallery, we had the opportunity to see, for example, Il bacio, the most famous painting by Francesco Hayez.

On the last day of the trip, we visited the mysterious Palazzo Farnese, a memento of the reign of Prince Ottavio Farnese over Piacenza. In the afternoon we went to Rivergaro. In honor and glory to the former heroes, on a beautiful sunny day, we reconstructed the memorable battle of the Romans with the Carthaginians at the Trebia. Fortunately for the Punic troops, history graciously decided to repeat itself. 2: 0 for Carthage!

After the battle, we went to a farewell dinner to celebrate
and summarize the past few days. On March 11 in the morning we said goodbye to the Italians effusively, but not too heartily – we will see you again this month! Non vedo l’ora!

Text: Sara Kolańska, class 2h3

Exchange with Verona – October 2016

 

Please visit the photo gallery

EXCHANGE WITH VERONA

Tutors: mgr Paulina Leśniak, mgr Katarzyna Borejczuk

On October 6, 2016, we, second and third grade students from Secondary School No. 6, arrived at the Balice airport to go on an extraordinary and charming journey to Verona. After an almost two-hour flight, we arrived in Milan, where we were picked up by teachers from Liceo Linguistico Niccolò Copernico in Verona. Together with them, we went to the magical city of love of the most famous lovers – Romeo and Juliet. There, in front of the school building, our hosts were waiting, with whom we went home.

We started the next day with visiting one of the largest Roman amphitheatres – Arena and the Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore considered to be one of the greatest achievements of Romanesque architecture in Italy. There were so many attractions that Professor Cristina planned for us that it is impossible to describe them all! After an intensive sightseeing tour, Italian friends took us home.

On Saturday morning we went to high school to see how the local school works. For us, students of Polish schools, it may be a bit strange, but Italians go to school from Monday to Saturday! Right after the lesson ended, we went back to our families to prepare for a chocolate festival in the nearby town of Soave. Tasting a variety of confectionery products was a great experience for chocolate connoisseurs and its opponents, because there everyone found something for themselves. Then we went to our homes and stayed there until Monday.

Saturday evening and Sunday were different for everyone. Some spent time with their Italian families exploring Verona and its surroundings, watching Pirates of the Caribbean or playing Monopoly, others had karaoke, and still others went to a birthday party.

On Monday we took the train to Venice. We liked the winding and narrow streets the most, as well as the Grand Canal, on which we had the opportunity to ride a gondola. After eating meals in atmospheric restaurants and having free time, we visited St. Mark. From the observation deck of the temple, we had an unearthly view of the square below and the entire city. Then we went shopping on one of Venice’s most touristic streets. After a day full of attractions, we returned to Verona tired.

The next day, together with the Italian participants of the exchange, we went to the beautiful and picturesque Lake Garda. Before relaxing on the sandy beach, we visited the charmingly situated town of Sirmione, the only entrance to which is through the gate of an impressive castle belonging to the Scaliger family. The city was known to be very touristic, thanks to which we acquired many interesting souvenirs. On the same day, we also visited the remains of one of the largest Roman estates known as Grotte di Catullo.

On Wednesday, we went to Mantua to visit, among others, the Palazzo Ducale in a medieval atmosphere. Fascinated by this building, we also visited Palazzo Te, full of beautiful frescoes. At the end of this fruitful day, some of us spent at the lake, while the rest of the students did their last shopping. In the evening, already in Verona, we all met for an Italian dinner. By dancing integration, we introduced ourselves to the atmosphere of saying goodbye. After such a meeting, we got close to each other, we had an even greater problem with leaving wonderful Italy. We don’t say goodbye, but goodbye! See you in Cracow!

Karolina Chyb and Adrianna Baran (class 2c) wrote down their impressions