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
