Eight selected students from grade 9, 10 and 11 of Avicenna International College along with their teacher, Mr Harout Parseghian participated in an Erasmus+ student group mobility in Rho, Italy for 5 days at the school Liceo Statale “Ettore Majorana” from 14 to 18 October 2024.

The group came together early on Sunday morning in Budapest airport before taking off to Italy’s Malpensa airport in Milan. While waiting for the flight time, students received their tasks and each one was assigned to prepare a report on a specific day which later they would present in front of their peers. Few days before the departure, the participants received the host student names and most of them were already contacted by their hosts which made the trip more exciting. After landing, we were warmly welcomed by the host families including the students and their families. Some of the hosts were also holding hand written “welcome” signs which warmed up the atmosphere even further. The Erasmus manager, Vincenzo, was also there to greet all of us and the host families and to make sure everything was organized. Everyone of the participants was escorted by their hosts to their “new” homes and had enough time to get to know their host families and feel at ease with them.

The next day, we all met at the school where our students individually presented themselves to their host students in the presence of Vincenzo. After that, the host students presented in a group about their city and the Lombardy region from its tremendous history to the superb cuisine. Vincenzo distributed each student to different classrooms so they can attend and experience the lessons that their own students follow. The lessons ended at around 2pm with no lunch break, so we all went together to a local bakery where students enjoyed cold cuts and pizzas. After that, we had a small city tour visiting the main churches and Basilica Romana, a 1586 structure which had an astounding interior famous with the face of Madonna which began to cry blood.Our tour ended with Europa park which is known to be the biggest park in Rho.

Day 2, we had a full day trip to Milan city which we reached by using the Metro. The interior of the metro was memorable since it was decorated with flowers everywhere. The beginning of the city tour started at the skyscrapers which were also near the vertical forest known as Bosco Verticale along with some other attractions. We followed by passing through the Milan city gate “Porta Garibaldi” which was an amazing sight to see, visiting the statue of Leonardo Da Vinci and then going through the spectacular Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to reach to our destination, Duomo di Milano, the gigantic and fascinating cathedral in the heart of Milan. We met our guide for the Duomo and enjoyed a detailed guided tour inside the Duomo where we found out much valuable information about the historical, artistic and religious aspects of the structure and the surrounding city. The highlight of the day was going up the roof of the cathedral and enjoying the amazing view of the architecture from outside plus the whole city view. After this tour, we were escorted to a place which offers a typical Italian street food called “Panzerotti” which was famous for being the oldest in the region “Panzerotti Luini”. The street food was followed by a well deserved Italian Ice cream recommended by our host, Vincenzo. The tour concluded by visiting the Sforzesco Castle with its breathtaking fountain and the gardens in its backyard!

The third day, students went to school where they first had a workshop about the day before with their host students. They produced very nice work about Milan and their experience there after which they attended their classes regularly with each having their own experience during which some of them could join and observe the chemistry lab session with a specific class. Also, we had the chance to observe onion cells in the school’s well developed biology lab. On this day, the host students took everyone to the local largest mall where we all had lunch together after which students could shop in the mall. In the evening, they organized a surprise birthday party for Gracia during a dinner gathering in a local pizzeria.

On day 4, we had a full day planned in Torino with a guided tour of the amazing Royal Palace. The day started with a special chocolate coffee in the famous Caffe Al Bicerin established in 1763. Some of us even tasted the famous chocolate of the region called “Gianduiotti”. The biggest highlight of the day was definitely Palazzo Reale, the Royal Palace of Turin which was once the capital of Italy. Our guided tour was incredibly amazing and much worth it since we learned a lot about the historical past of the city including their culture and customs, not to mention the spectacular Royal Armoury museum. From within the palace, we also had access to the Chapel of the Holy Shroud in the house of Savoy. The day ended by having lunch in a decent local restaurant where everyone could choose a local dish.

The following day, the group had another full day trip to Bergamo along with their teacher, Mr Harout, and although the beginning of the day was rainy, the afternoon was complete sunshine to enjoy the views from upper Bergamo. We reached the upper part of the city using the funicular and after visiting many attractions including Piazza Vecchia we got back down on foot walking along the venetian walls. Early Saturday morning was time to gather in the airport with all the participants and the host families where a warm atmosphere covered the farewell of this unique experience.

This mobility was funded by The European Commision.

The information presented here does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.

Written by Mr Harout Parseghian
14-18 October 2024