OUR COUNTRY
And here is our wonderful Calabria!!!
ViboValentia is a city and comune (municipality) in the Calabria region of southern Italy, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital of the province of Vibo Valentia, and is an agricultural, commercial and tourist center (the most famous places nearby are Tropea, Ricadi and Pizzo). There are also several large manufacturing industries, including the tuna district of Maierato. Very important for the local economy is the Vibo Marina's harbour.History
Vibo Valentia was originally the Greek colony of Hipponion. It was founded, probably around the late 7th century BC, by inhabitants of Locri, a principal city of the Italian Magna Graecia, south of Vibo Valentia on the Ionian Sea. Diodorus Siculus reports that the city was taken in 388 BC by Dionysius the Elder tyrant of Syracuse, who deported all the population. The population came back in 378 BC, with the help of the Carthaginians. In the following years Hipponion came under the dominion of the Bruttii, who controlled most of Calabria. After the town fell to Rome, the name was Latinized to Hipponium. The town became a Roman colony in 194 BC with the name of Vibo Valentia. After a phase of prosperity during the late Republic and early Empire, the town was almost completely abandoned after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
In 1070 the Normans built a castle at the site of the old Acropolis and in 1235 a new city was established by Frederick II, Holy Roman emperor and king of Sicily, with the name of Monteleone. The city got back the old Roman name of Vibo Valentia only in 1928.
Main sights
- Norman-Hoehenstaufen Castle, located most likely on the site of Hipponion acropolis, and built around 1000. For its construction materials from the Greek temples nearby were used. It was damaged by an earthquake in 1783. Today the castle is home to a state museum.
- Walls of Hipponion, including c. 350 meters of remains and foundings of eight towers (whose height has been estimated in 10 meters).
- Church of Santa Maria Maggiore e San Leoluca (Cathedral), built in the 9th century over the remains of a Byzantine basilica. It has a 18th century marble high altar with a 16th century sculpture of "Madonna della Neve", and a Renaissance triptych.
- Church of Santa Ruba (c. 1000), built by Pope Callixtus II. It has a large cupola in Oriental style.
- Church of the Rosario (c. 1337), located over a Roman temple. Originally in Gothic style, it was remade after the 1783 earthquake.
Twin towns
Corleone, Italy
ABOUT ITC
The ITC " G.Galilei" is a technical school in Vibo Valentia, Calabria.
We have about 650 students divided in 5 courses with a law-economical -administrative address. The courses last 5 years and at the end they obtain a diploma after which they can enter University or the work world.
The lessons start at 8.15 in the morning and finish at 1.30 pm. Sometimes they have lessons in the afternoon,too when they take part to the different projects to improve their cultural and professional knowledge. The most attended projects are linguistic, professional, legal, environmental and healthy food. Pupils who attend them obtain testimonials useful for the work world as well as for University.
Our school garantees some classes in the local prison, too to enhance the prisoners' social and cultural integration and increase their selfesteem.
-AMANTEA DEMONSTRATION
This peaceful demonstration happened in Amantea (Calabria) against the poisoned ships located in the south Tirreno area. These ships are a threat for the local population because of the sea pollution and all its consequences. We think that these ships were sunk by "ndrangeta" to dissolve toxic materials. There are about 30 poisoned ships located on Calabria coasts. The population, of course, partecipated in a massive way involving the local representatives and the national politics.
-Messina bridge
The building of this bridge is only a political attempt by the actual government for the prominent regional elections.
THe Water Mills
The water mills are, first of all, concentrated in Spilinga, Zungri and Limbadi Councils inside the Poro Land. In 19th century the Poro mountain was considered the barn of Calabria because there were a lot of corn farmings, so the water mills were very necessary. The WWF of Vibo Valentia is interested in bringing back to light these ruins and involve a group of the local population to realize and be fully aware of their culture in the places where they live.
On 2nd May “ the river day “was celebrated all over Italy to monitor the river health. The WWF Calabria, during this day, with a group of volunteers crossed the Angitola river, meanwhile in Cosenza the WWF volunteers crossed the Crati river and in Rosarno the Mesima river.
A group of people go to visit the water mills
RUPESTRIAN HOUSES
A very interesting place where we can see the importance of the past is in Zungri, always in the Poro land, where there are a lot of typical rupestrian houses, which date back to 13th century and where the inhabitants dedicated themselves to agriculture and to breed cows and ovines for the milk production which nowadays is processed in Cosenza and distributed all over the region. During the 2nd World War these rupestrian houses served like refuges. The absurdity is that these ruins are visited by English and German people but they are unknown by the local population.
Something about our Town... sweet moments...
Our first meeting in Romania.
A new project, new Partners, a great will to reach our goals....
The meeting begins with a wonderful atmosphere of friendship, a visible joy and a great inner strength of doing our best to be successful!!!
Even if you have to work you can find time to amuse
yourself among friends. The project infact gives us the possibility not only to develop our goals but to make friends, to compare our habits and bo be ourselves.
TURKEY
2nd meeting
A VERY COLD WEATHER !!!! BUT WARM FRIENDS........
In the 2nd meeting examining the local context we faced traditions societies and the impact on urban life. Our personal sensation of the local societies was very impressive because it is very different from ours not only in the religious sense but for the contrast between their modern and ancient way of living.
Wales
3rd meeting
The UK introduced their learners and let us know their typical Sunday picnic inside a church community where all the participants had his/her own role. This experience gave us a sensation of a warm and nice local reality. During the meeting we analyzed the progress of the project and the future aims and plans. Among us there was coherence and satisfaction for the reached results.
And we leave again satisfied for the work done but.... sad because tomorrow we can't meet our friends....
ITALY
4th MEETING
We met at the hotel and left for the City Hall of Zungri where the Major was waiting for us.
Then we visited the rupestrian houses and the local museum “Civiltà Contadina”;
Visit of the ancient fern and the water mills “our focus projet's"
Meeting at school for the discussion about:
- Progress of the project , its achieved targets and finality;
- Update the project and its future goals common to all the partners;
- Define the date of the next meeting;
– Visit “ L’Artigiano della ‘NUDUJA” Spilinga;
. Dinner and salutation at TROPEA POLAND 5TH MEETING A fantastic meeting, we worked very well in a pleasant atmosphere of friendship; we learned very much about their country and habits.
We are at the end of the project. We met in Romania-Suceava
….End we arrived at the end of our project …. A fantastic meeting where we had the possibility to see that our goals were reached and in a friendly and worm atmosphere.
Poor landscapes, poor people who work all the day long but with a lot of love in their hearts.
Their “ASPIRATIONS” to look towards a future , a better future, is very strong.
In Italy we are very satisfied because we discovered a lot of new places, we let people know about them so now they want to know more about them. Listening about ancient stories while visiting the places where people lived is for many and many people very interesting even for the new generations.
