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Un’intervista a Trieste

Ciao a tutti, i miei viaggi in Italia sono ancora fantastici. Sabato ho viaggiato a Udine per vedere l’opera Nabucco al teatro di Udine con i miei amici. Domenica abbiamo abbiamo visitato a Trieste per la giornata. Trieste è un’altra città molto bella. A Trieste abbiamo incontrato uno studente del convitto, si chiama Jacopo. Jacopo vive a Trieste e ci ha mostrato i suoi posti preferiti in città. Ho deciso di intervistare Jacopo e chiedere della sua vita al Convitto Nazionale Paolo Diacono.

A very indulgent breakfast at the Caffè Degli Specchi in Trieste

Jacopo is in the fourth class at the Liceo Scientifico of Convitto Nazionale Paolo Diacono. He began studying at the school 4 years ago, but prior to that he did not study at Paolo Diacono. Jacopo is one of the boarders at the school, so through the week he studies, lives and eats at the Convitto. Boarding school is a bit of a foreign concept for me. I have always known about them of course and have known people who have attended boarding school but I have always attended schools in which I was able to go home to my family each night. This was ideal for me, but for Jacopo the boarding is great as he loves the freedom of not having his parents around all the time. He loves the way of life and being around people all the time (though he doesn’t enjoy the kids that yell through the halls). One of his favourite things about the Convitto is the opportunity to meet so many people from around the world. I think if I were in his position this would be my favourite thing also. There is so much that can be learnt from the culture and history of people who reside in a different country to you and I agree that the students at CNPD are very lucky to be able to meet so many new people!

The view from the waterfront in Trieste

Jacopo believes that the amount of language assistants that visit the school each year is fantastic and has been incredibly useful to the english skills of his classmates. In his words “Yes for sure, probably without them, half of my class wouldn’t know much about english so it is a very good thing”. I think that even without the help of the language assistants, the CNPD students would still be so far ahead with their knowledge of languages in comparison to Australian students. This has been one of the huge differences I have noticed in Italy. Many of the students here know more than two languages, and even if they aren’t fluent they can work their way through a conversation. I feel lucky to have been exposed to a few different languages in an intensive format throughout my life, in particular French, which I studied in an immersion program at high school. I do however feel, that the priority that is placed on learning a second language in the Australian education system is lacking. I truly believe knowing more than one language is an asset in life and that as an english speaking country, we are too reliant on the fact that a large part of the global population speaks our language.

Back to the interview! When asking Jacopo about his favourite subjects, his view was very similar to mine, being that the teachers are the ones who make the subject enjoyable. Jacopo has been a wonderful friend to us on this trip so far, showing us all the hot spots in Cividale and now in Trieste as well, working out with us and sharing his experiences growing up in Italy. He is happy to live in Trieste as it is the place he would choose to live even if he could choose anywhere in Italy! He enjoys the multiculturalism and the variety of natural landscapes surrounding the city. Italy however, is not cold enough for him and if he could live anywhere in the world he would move to Canada. I am so grateful to have met Jacopo and look forward to seeing what places in Cividale he will show us next!

Until next time, Ciao!

At the Piazza Unità in Trieste

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Firenze

Questo settimana, il soggetto del mio post sul blog è una città che ho visitato nei miei viaggi. Questo è perfetto perché questa sera sono tornato al Convitto Nazionale Paolo Diacono dopo ho viaggiato a Firenze per il fine Settimana. Firenze �� una città molto bella e storica. A Firenze ci sono molti edifici storici e musei. È la città perfetta per passeggiare tutto il giorno perché c'è così tanto da vedere. Mi piace l'atmosfera di Firenze e vorrei trascorrere più giorni ad esplorare la città.

Pictured above - Exploring Firenze

Getting to Florence from Cividale cost a fair bit of money, but it was well worth it to experience the beauty of this city...even if it was sadly only for a 3 day weekend. I travelled with my two classmates from the Conservatorium who are both working at the Convitto with me. We were lucky enough to also rendezvous with 2 more of our classmates who have been working at schools in Parma. It was interesting to meet with them and have the opportunity to share our experiences in Italy so far and to explore an entirely new place all together! It was fascinating to hear the differences between our times here, as they are both living with host families, as opposed to in a boarding school.

We all stayed in a quaint AIRBNB that was one of the upstairs levels of a ceramic shop. It was a lovely sight to see when walking in and out of the building. The biggest asset though, was that we were only 2 minutes walking distance from Ponte Vecchio! Talk about location. I will never get tired of little boutique stores/markets situated on amazing bridges and Ponte Vecchio was just as magical for me as Ponte di Rialto had been in Venice the week before.

We spent all of Saturday exploring, starting at a cute cafe near our AIRBNB that provided us with the savoury breakfast we were all so craving. I adore the pastries in Italy but I am still getting used to such a sweet breakfast every day and was very grateful for some good old avo on toast! We visited Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Uffizi (though we didn’t make it inside), Ponte Vecchio and the stunning Basilica di Santa Croce. In between we were delighted by all the boutique shopping Florence had to offer. I definitely stretched my budget this weekend but I wouldn’t change a thing.

In the afternoon we visited the Galleria Dell’Accademia to see the statue of David. I loved the room of antique instruments that were also housed there. I enjoyed my time at the Galleria Dell’Accademia however I found that as a non-religious person, I did not have a connection to the story of christ, that was depicted in so many of the paintings. Although I could respect and appreciate the artistry of the works, I did find that it was too much of the same subject matter for me and  I much preferred viewing the statue of David, antique instruments and the hall of plaster statues. We followed our visit to the Galleria Dell’Accademia with a stroll up to the Piazzale Michelangelo for one of the most beautiful sunsets I have witnessed in my life. This was definitely the highlight of my weekend! So much so, that the next morning one of my classmates and I decided to walk up again for sunrise. It was a truly special way to start the day and was made all the better by the total lack of crowds.

Pictured below - Sunrise at the Piazzale Michelangelo

We rounded off our little getaway with some more shopping (of course!) and a stop in at the sweetest little bookshop cafe, Todo Modo. With only a slight train delay in our way, we were home to Cividale by 6:30pm and are happily exhausted from our wonderful weekend in Florence. I wish I could have stayed another 1 or 2 days to spend more time getting to know Florence and see even more of the amazing architecture and historical works that it has to offer. In every new place, I am again blown away by the history and culture that Italy has to offer and am so thankful that I applied for this opportunity.

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A Class at the Convitto

Ciao di nuovo. Sono stato in Italia per due settimane e la mia avventura continua! Ho trascorso lo scorso fine settimana a Venezia e sono tornato stasera. Ora ho il mio programma completo di lezioni all'interno della scuola elementare del Convitto. Questa sera preparerò le mie lezioni. Nelle mie lezioni, lavoro con bambini tra i 6 e i 10 anni. Mi piace questo perché ho lavorato come insegnante di canto, teatro e danza per bambini per 3 o 4 anni, quindi conosco la fascia di età.

Although I am predominantly working in the english language classes, I am also enjoying a fair amount of my time scheduled in the physical education classes. During these classes I am still very much assisting the students to learn the english language, but am doing so by increasing their knowledge and understanding of movement vocabulary. I did not expect to be helping in physical education classes but I am finding it incredibly rewarding and enjoyable. I am grateful for my previous experience teaching dance classes as I feel that my ability to assess and respond to the (at times) craziness of the PE classes is greatly aided by this prior knowledge. I also find the general space (in the school gym) and physicality of the class makes it easier for the children to interpret and understand my english instructions, as I can use more varied actions to explain myself. I am challenging myself as much as I can to use my Italian when the students ask for further clarification. So far, I am finding that I am using my knowledge of the language more so in the english classes, when I am working one on one with students on a written activity. I am very proud of the work I have been doing so far and I believe this experience has made me even more certain that choosing the career path of teaching will be fulfilling in the long term. I have been getting very positive feedback from the Convitto teachers about my work here and I cannot wait to continue developing my own skills and assisting the students in their learning for my remaining 5 weeks.

Pictured above is the Convitto Nazionale Paolo Diacono, my place of work on this trip.

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Prime Impressioni

Ciao dall’Italia. Mentre scrivo questo blog è una bella domenica ed è il mio 22° compleanno. Quanto sono fortunato a trascorrere il mio compleanno in Italia. Sono arrivato in Italia lo scorso lunedì sera. Ho avuto una partenza difficile dall'aeroporto al mio hotel a Milano. Avevo pensato che ci fosse un bus navetta ogni 30 minuti dall’aeroporto al mio hotel, tuttavia dopo 45 minuti di attessa al buoi e al freddo ho deciso che la cosa migliore sarebbe prendere un taxi. Dopo più di un’ora sono stato molto contento di arrivare al mio hotel e fare un doccia calda.

At this point I was tired, home sick and overwhelmed by being in a new country which did not have English as its first language. Though I have travelled on my own before with great success, I believe the language barrier made my arrival into Italy more overwhelming than I had previously thought it would be. I fell asleep quickly that evening, but not for long! Jet lag unfortunately arrived and I admit I did not sleep all that much, but I enjoyed my first taste of Italian pastries (this was a long awaited event) at the breakfast buffet in the morning and was on my way to Cividale del Friuli. The train services in Italy, (and I assume in Europe as a whole) are fantastic! It was a lovely journey from Milan to Cividale and I was grateful for the speed and ease in which I travelled on the trains. I was greeted at Udine station by a gentleman named Bruno who drove me to the Convitto Nazionale Paolo Diacono to meet the deputy principal, and to introduce me to my home away from home for the next two months. The Convitto is just beautiful and I am in awe of how picturesque the town of Cividale del Friuli is.

Since arriving last Tuesday afternoon I have done some exploring and am thoroughly enjoying discovering the secrets of Cividale, as well as tasting some exquisite Italian food. I am intrigued to learn more about the history of this town and its people. I believe my favourite story so far is that of the Ponte del Diavolo or, the Devil’s Bridge, which is the central bridge in town. I will finish this post by putting the story below for you to enjoy as I did. Needless to say my first Impressions of Cividale del Friuli and Italy have been good and I cannot wait to explore more of the culture, history, food, language and get to know the people of this country.

Ciao for now!

Il Ponte Del Diavolo

Legend tells that in the middle ages, the folk of Cividale were concerned that they did not have an architect who could build them a bridge. In this time, a person whose name has since been forgotten, supposedly uttered the words “If I could build this bridge, I would sell my soul to the devil”. Much to his shock the devil appeared in front of him, offering to build the bridge in return for the soul of the first person to cross it. The deal was signed and the Devil thought himself very lucky however the gentleman had a plan. The creation of the bridge occurred at night amongst crashes of thunder, lightning and frightening laughs and in the morning the townsfolk awoke to find their beautiful new bridge complete, with the less than beautiful Devil waiting on the other side. Everyone waited to see who would first cross the bridge, when suddenly a cat streaked across the bridge. The Devil was angered by this deception and wanted to destroy the bridge, but alas this was not possible, as the bridge had been blessed with holy water. So the Devil escaped and threw himself back into the depths of hell.

A Panorama view along the river Natisone, including Il Ponte Del Diavolo (pictured left)

Sunset from Il Ponte Del Diavolo