9 AIC students took part in a very busy, one-week long study and cultural trip in Lecce, in the Salento countryside in the Puglia region of South Italy. The whole trip with its magnificent natural, cultural and academic offering was made possible thanks to the invitation of Istituto Tecnico Grazia Deledda, their principal, the staff and Anna who is the Erasmus coordinator of Deledda.

Our weekly academic calendar for the morning hours at the school and cultural programmes calendar for different cities in the afternoons were fully packed with activities and the pleasant 24–26-degree Celsius temperature was also on our side.

When we arrived at the Deledda Institute we were greeted by students and colleagues of the school and were taken to the conference room for the first joint programmes, where local students performed a dance typical of Salento, the Pizzico. It was followed by our students’ self-introductions where the AIC principal also introduced his school and extended his invitation for the students and their teachers to come and visit us in Budapest. 6 students and 2 teachers are going to join us for one week in March at Avicenna, to exchange this occasion and further deepen the relationship between the 2 schools 800 km away.

We also participated in a Green Cities presentation made by the local students and then took part in organic chemistry lab practices to produce soap. We were then invited to have lunch together at the school courtesy of our hosts. The afternoon was all about the Lecce city tour with one professional guide who is also one of the teachers at Deledda. We visited 4 major churches and other important local landmarks, among them the Roman Amphitheatre and the Roman theatre bringing 2000 years of history back to life. We also learned about the Lecce stone ( pietra Leccese), Apulian ceramics and local traditions.

On Tuesday we learned about cryptocurrencies which is an important project our hosts have been involved in, conducting research and publishing papers about it. In the afternoon we went to Brindisi to see the port, the castle and more importantly the Roman Columns at the Sea, signposting the end of the first and oldest built trading route in Europe the via Appia that started in Rome and ended up in Brindisi at the Adriatic Sea, 530km in total length.

On Wednesday we had a full day trip to Corigliano, Otranto and to Roca. In Corigliano we got an insight into the lives of locals of Griko ethnic origin proudly keeping their ancient traditions. We met by blind chance also a 100-year-old lady who was celebrating her birthday with her family in the open family courtyard. We had the occasion to greet her and convey our best wishes as a group making this event even more special and memorable for all.

Otranto is a seaside city with characteristic streets and a spectacular lungomare. Roca is a
beach with stunning natural rock phenomena.

On Thursday we went back to school to have a long outdoor education at the Lecce seaside, called San Cataldo. We collected water and sand samples to analyse them later on in the laboratory. The water samples were meant to be examined for phyto and zooplankton under stereo microscope. The sand samples were collected for micro and macro plastic analysis and to determine their origin.

On Friday morning we picked up our certificates and went to a truly spectacular garden in Giuggianello, to the Cutura. La Cutura is a private collection of exotic succulent plants, the owner’s father started it and the family itself has collected more than 1000 specimens so far.

After this jaw dropping beauty, we headed to Castro which is another magnificent seaside location, no wonder why they call this part of Italy the Italian Maldives. On Saturday we had a significant change in the weather, they forecasted rain for the whole day, so we had to plan our day carefully. We decided to stay in Lecce, where the AIC principal gave another guided city tour to discover the rest of the city, we had no time to visit so far, then the students were given a free afternoon to prepare their personal report and ppt presentations, that is the prerequisite of their Erasmus participation.

Sunday was the day of travels again, first to the regional capital Bari, which is another spectacular port and seaside city where we spent 4 hours and then to the Airport to go back home with a heavy heart given the whole tirade of unforgettable events and places and the
welcoming spirit and hospitality of our host here in this beautiful Salento where this article is being written now, on the balcony of our apartment overlooking a mediterranean garden with palm trees and succulent plants.

This mobility was fully financed by Erasmus funds and co-organised by AIC and our partner in Lecce, Istituto Tecnico Grazia Deledda.

This mobility was funded by the European Commission.

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

Led and written by Steve Szabó
13-20 Oct 2024