The Endeavour Language Teacher Fellowship is an Australian Government initiative which provides opportunities for practising language teachers in Australian schools to be immersed in the target language and culture through an intensive short term study programme.On the 30th of December, we flew out of Australia, stopped in Singapore to meet 25 other teachers of Italian from all parts of Australia and arrived in Italy in time to experience the fuochi d’artificio for New Year’s Eve. We were immersed in a two week course in Prato focussing on culture, linguistics and methodology. The study tour which followed included visits to Firenze, Pistoia, Siena, Assisi, San Gimignano, Perugia, Roma and Milano. In each city the group was given an extensive and informative guided tour by historians passionate about their local history, art and culture.
Some of the highlights of our experience include working with gold leaf in an artist’s workshop, climbing the Torre Pendente di Pisa, attending two wonderful plays, meeting il Sindaco di Prato, working with Italian school students, experiencing the wonder of l’Epifania a Firenze con il corteo storico, bumping into la befana, and of course savouring Italy’s culinary delights on a daily basis including la pizza al taglio, il gelato e il caffe`.The trip was a wonderful opportunity to network with a range of teachers of Italian from every Australian state and territory and a great way to bring Italy back into our classrooms. It was a timely reminder of what an exquisite treasure Italy is and how privileged we are to transmit the beauty of her language, culture and traditions to our students and the wider community in Australia. As the Australian Ambassador at the Embassy in Rome said, “We have the opportunity to give our students a lifelong love of all things Italian.”
We look forward to sharing what we have learned with others and look back on our experience as the opportunity of a lifetime for which we are very grateful.
Our Western Australian ambassadors with the Mayor of Prato Marco Romagnoli. [Da sinistra Esther Aulsebrook, Rachel Konsolis, il Sindaco, Jayde Douglas and Joseph Millimaci ].
We had the opportunity to catch up with Alicia Travaglione (a former treasurer of WAATI) and her partner Francesco for dinner. Francesco is pratese and Alicia is Prato’s most famous australiana.
Not even the rain could dampen our spirits at the top of the most famous bell tower in the world !
After un pranzo delizioso we hiked to the highest point in Assisi for a panoramic shot. Spot the Sandgropers !
“Three coins in the fountain…” You can’t help but sing when you’re in Rome, especially while tossing those euro in the Fontana Di Trevi and making “that” wish.
A full account of our avventure in italiano can be found at this address
http://perthtoprato.blogspot.com/
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