Task of the visit in Verona and Venice by Italian group

 GRUNDTVIG Learning Partnerships

Young and Adults for a Better Life

ITALY

CULTURAL AND SOCIAL ENCOUNTER WITH THE INHABITATS OF VERONA AND VENICE

You are kindly requested to come back from your visit to Venice/Verona with the answers to the following questions:

1.       While walking in the streets of the city try to find out the proportion  of the two generations ( young people  and elderly people) represented in the means  of public  transport and other public places ( like bars, restaurants, shops etc.)

In Verona and around Garda Lake we realized that adult people are kinder than the young in helping other people for example in public transport to give up their seat to an old person, but, at contrary inside bars and shops young people are more open mind than older ones.

Senior prefer to stay with their peers, playing with play-cards or reading newspapers, while young people prefer to drink with their friends, avoiding intergenerational contacts

2.       As you are a tourist you can find out whether more young or elderly people work in tourism and try to think over why?

We found out that more young people than elderly ones work in restaurants and bars during weekends, but in tourist offices we came across more elderly people. We think that the reason is at first that the economic crisis affects more young people than senior ones.

3.       Try to find out how many people speak English and whether more young people speak English than to the elderly? Why/

We hadn’t a chance to speak English to Italian people because we’re Italian too; but , in general,  We can meet more young people speaking  English than elderly. Referring to Italian people,  we know that most elderly people studied French at school when they were young. Only in the last decades English language became the compulsory first foreign language studied in Italian schools.

4.       When looking around in the streets of the city can you find signs that Italy belongs to the EU? How? (Flags, slogans, posters)?

In front of public buildings we always saw  3 flags waving: Italian, European and Regional flags. Some posters which  advertised  concerts, environmental activities, archeological excavations and so on, showed  both Italian and European flags.

On some posters that sponsorize the restoration of local monuments you can see European logos

5.       Do you think that the Italians are an optimistic or pessimistic people? What makes you think so?

We think that Italians are pessimistic and optimistic on a fifty-fifty basis . About economy, politics and the future for new generations they are pessimistic, but about familiar values and willingness to  socialize they are absolutely optimistic.

by  Ivo Zambello, Salvatore Filella, Marina Mecarelli - Italy