Students from several classes at an Italian high school completed questionnaires about their hometowns of Viadana and Mantua as part of a school project. The majority of students reported being happy in their cities due to their quiet, small nature and amenities like restaurants, museums, and friends. Some students felt their cities could be improved with more parks, shops, sports facilities, and transportation. Most observed cultural and historical buildings in their cities, and believed elements like nature, healthy lifestyles, and cultural diversity contribute to the "slow" pace of life.

1. Istituto di Istruzione Superiore “San Giovanni Bosco”Istituto di Istruzione Superiore “San Giovanni Bosco”
Viadana (MN) - ITALYViadana (MN) - ITALY
Haskovo, 2° Meeting 4 – 8 March 2013

2. After the first meeting in
Ankara in November …
where the teachers Giovanna and Marco participated …

3.  6 classes of our school STARTED to develop
the activities within the project
4 classes in our 1st
center located in Viadana:
4AA, 2BA (Social Services sector)
and …

4. Hskovo, 4 - 8 March 2013
4AE, 4AM (Electrical and Mechanical sector)

5. 2 classes in the 2nd center
Gazoldo degli Ippoliti:
2BR
3AB – catering

6. With these classes…
 We organized a tour in the territory with an
expert guide
 The students took some pictures and videos
 The students were asked to fill in a
questionnaire about …

7. These questions… (1)
 Are you happy in your city? (Y/N)
 If your answer is “Yes”
 What are the things that make you happy?
 If your answer is “No”
 What are the things that make you unhappy?
 What are the things that would make your city
better to live?
 Are there any cultural, traditional or historical
items/buildings you see in your city?

8. The questions… (2)
 If your answer is “Yes”
 What are these items/buildings?
 If your answer is “No”
 What would you like them to be?
 Do you know the things that make the city
“slow”?

9. THEIR ANSWERS

10. 4AA 17 years old
Social Services Sector
… Nobody is happy in our
city … because we are unhappy when we look
around!

12. yes, the Church of the Castle, the Church of San
Rocco , the Synagogue and the Muvi Museum
but they are often neglected and unknown to the
residents
Are there any cultural, traditional or
historical items/buildings you see in your
city?
Muvi Museum

13. •meeting places for teenagers,meeting places for teenagers,
•buildings painted in lively colours,buildings painted in lively colours,
•facilities where you can learnfacilities where you can learn
•the taste for Art and beautythe taste for Art and beauty
What are the things that would
make your city better?

14. Do you know the things that
make the city "slow"?
Yes
More meeting possibilities for people,More meeting possibilities for people,
more security both during the day andmore security both during the day and
during the night,during the night,
more waste binsmore waste bins

15. 2BA
2BA 15 years old
Social Services
Sector
Girls realised a good movie … about Viadana

16. The most part of the class
answered…
Yes, I’m happy, because …
 It’s a quiet town
 I have lots of friends
 There are restaurants, a library, parks, shops,
and schools…

17. What are the things that
would make your city
better?
 A train station
 Outdoor sports
 More cafés, pubs…

18. About the historical
items/buildings…
 The Churches
 The Synagogue
 The Museum
 TheTheatre

19. About things that make a
city “slow”
 Healthy lifestyle
 Healthy food
 Natural beauties
 Simple life
 Walking along the river banks or the countryside
 Local traditional festivals

20. 4AEM 17 years old
Elecrical and Mechanical sector

21. We visited the MUVI center – MUSEUM VIADANAWe visited the MUVI center – MUSEUM VIADANA

23. The most part of the class
answered…
 It’s beautiful
 I can play rugby
 I have lots of friends…
 Pubs, cinemas,…
Yes, I’m happy because …

24. What are the things that
would make your city
better?
 Green areas
 More young people
 More football and rugby camps

25. About the historical
items/buildings…
 The Churches
 The Avigni Arc
 The Library
 …
 …Polenta, salame and Lambrusco wine 

26. About things that make a
city “slow”
 I don’t know …

27. School trip to Mantua
Students from our Form, 3AB, are
discovering their own town

28. Mantua- on 13th
December 2012, on a cold market day.
We are students at a Catering and Hospitality School in Gazoldo, a little
town 15 km from Mantua. We have discovered elements of art and
architecture typical of Mantuan palaces and churches.
St. Andrew’s
Basilica

29. A town surrounded by lakes
The three lakes around Mantua are an important water resource and,
in the past, they were also a line of communication.
Today they are a place for fun and sports, such as canoeing. The flora
and fauna are rich, especially in July and August, when water lilies
are in full blossom. But there is also the other side of the coin: in the
summer, the water of the lakes gives origin to lots of humidity as well
as to very annoying mosquitos.
Photo by
Dall’Aglio
Anna Maria

30. Our town is a precious
little jewel protected
by its lakes.
Protection is,
sometimes, isolation,
lack of facilities;
but our town also has
an original
personality, maybe
fragile, yet unique,
like any human being.
(Masso Clarissa and Form 3AB)

31. Students of 3AB answered
about MantuaMantua …
 It’s wonderful
 Full of history, ancient buildings
 The three lakes, lots of green areas, you can
go cycling…
 It’s a quiet city
Yes, I’m happy because …

32. What are the things that
would make your city
better?
 More cultural events
 More parking areas
 Public transports on time
 Better road surfaces

33. About the historical
items/buildings …
Palazzo ducale
PalazzoTe
Church of S. Andrea
Teatro Bibiena
Rotonda di S. Lorenzo
Duomo…

34. About things that make a
city “slow”
 Many green and quiet areas
 Cycle tracks, pedestrian zones

35. Mantua
a great historical town
Istituto Istruzione Superiore "S.G.Bosco”
Gazoldo – class 2BR

36. The origins of Mantua
➲ The origins of Mantua can be traced back to
the prehistoric time
➲ It was founded on a group of three lakes
formed by Mincio river
➲ The names of the lakes are “Superiore” “Di
mezzo” and “Inferiore”
➲ Water for Mantua was important because it
was its defence against possible invaders

37. San Giorgio Castle
It is an imposing building designed by Bartolino
da Novara on wish of Francesco I Gonzaga. I
was built between 1395 and 1400.The castle
was the first official residence of Gonzaga
family.

38. The Duke
Palace
➲ The Duke palace along with San Giorgio Castle is the
largest and the most famous construction in Mantua.
It is about 34.000 square metres. It was built during
the century by Gonzaga Family and it contained
famous paintings and masterpieces.

39. “Camera degli Sposi” by
Mantegna
➲ A famous room visible in San Giorgio Castle is the “Camera
degli Sposi” painted by Mantegna between 1465 and 1474,
it represented Gonzaga Family

40. Important persons in Mantua
History: Virgilio
➲ PublioVirgilio Marone the famous Roman
poet who wrote “Eneide” was born in Andes
the present day Pietole. Statue ofVirgilio in
Virgiliana Square

41. Isabella d'Este
Gonzaga
➲ Isabella d'Este Gonzaga, the wife of Francesco II, one of the
leading women in the Italian Renaissance, an important
cultural and political figure. She was a patron of the arts, a
leader of fashion, her innovative style of dressing was copied
by women throughout Italy and at the French court.

42.  Our English teacher guided us in knowing
history and beauty of our town Mantua and
after that we answered to the questionnaire.

43. CONCLUSIONS
Italian students replied to the questionnaire about the project “PTWTDD” in the
following way:
• 80% of students are happy in their cities (Viadana and Mantova) because they
are quiet, small; there are restaurants, museums, many shops, the hospital and
they have got a lot of friends;
• 20% of students aren’t happy in their city because they don’t like it and they
think it’s too noisy and ugly.
Students say that the things would make their cities better to live are:
• parks with many trees, a lot of shops, sport facilities, meeting places for
teenager, activities for young people and more transports.
Most of the students saw and visited cultural and historical buildings in their cities
like: churches, the synagogue, the theatre, museums, library, the square and
ancient remains.
They think that the natural landscape, a simple healthy lifestyle for example
walking along the banks of the river or the lake, cycle, festivals with traditional
food of the place, different cultures and religions of people, make the city “slow”.