Liceo Ginnasio Statale “ G. B. Brocchi” Bassano del Grappa

Giovanni Battista Brocchi (or Giambattista) (February 18, 1772 - September 25, 1826) was an Italian mineralogist and geologist. He was born in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, and studied jurisprudence at the University of Padova, but his attention was turned to mineralogy and botany. His most important work is the “Conchiologia fossile subapennina con osservazioni geologiche sugli Apennini, e sul suolo adiacente” (1814), containing accurate details of the structure of the Apennine range, and an account of the fossils of the Italian Tertiary strata compared with existing species. Several papers by him, on mineralogical subjects, appeared in the Biblioteca Italiana from 1816 to 1823. In the latter year, Brocchi sailed for Egypt, in order to explore the geology of that country and report on its mineral resources. Every facility was granted by Mehemet Ali, who in 1825 appointed him one of a commission to examine the territory of the recently conquered Kingdom of Sennar; but Brocchi, unfortunately for science, fell a victim to the climate, and died at Khartoum.

Liceo “G. B. Brocchi” is in Bassano del Grappa a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto region, in northern Italy. The city was founded in the 2nd century BCE by a Roman called Bassianus, whence the name, as an agricultural estate. The first news of the existence of the medieval city dates from 998.

The original name of the town was Bassano Veneto. After the terrible battles on Mount Grappa in World War I , where thousands of soldiers lost their lives, a decision was made to change the name of the town. In 1928, the name was changed to Bassano del Grappa, meaning Bassano of Mount Grappa, as a memorial to the soldiers killed.

The symbol of the town is the covered wooden bridge, which was designed by the architect Andrea Palladio in 1569. The bridge was destroyed many times, the last time during World War II. The Alpine soldiers, or Alpini have always revered the wooden bridge and Bassano del Grappa. After the destruction of the bridge, they took up a private collection and had the bridge completely rebuilt. Often soldiers flock to the bridge to remember and sing songs from their days as alpine soldiers. The covered bridge is also known as Ponte Vecchio.

Liceo “G. B. Brocchi” is an experimental Liceo, founded in 1819, which today has 2002 students and 179 teachers. Experimentation began in 1975 and Brocchi is one of the five Liceos named as Pole schools, trail blazers for the rest of the country. Today the school offers 5 experimental courses: Classics, Languages, Scientific, Scientific-Technological and Social.

To keep teaching standards high, teachers constantly update their knowledge and their methods, attending courses. They also use the many teaching aids available, for example: language laboratories, physics and chemistry laboratories, technical drawing room, music room, computer rooms, where students can learn to use the most modern technology.

Sometimes lessons even go outside the walls, to infant or elementary schools, learning by doing, to museums, or doing restoration work or abroad on educational exchanges with schools in Britain, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Greece, Denmark, Hungary, England, The Netherlands, Finland, Poland, Austria and Australia.