SOCRATES-COMENIUS 1 SCHOOL PROJECT

1. SOCRATES-COMENIUS 1SCHOOL PROJECT FUTURE CITIZENS OF THE E.U. CIRCOLO DIDATTICO “S. A. LI BATTIATI” ITALY 2006-2007

2. Warsaw A Walk around some European Capitals London Bucharest Madrid Rome Ankara

3. Hello! My name is Jane. I live in London. It is the capital of the United Kingdom. It has lots to offer to visitors. Let’s go for a Virtual Tour of this wonderful city. Welcome to London

4. London is the capital of the United Kingdom. It is in the south East England, on the river Thames. It is one of the six largest cities in the world.

5. Big Ben Big Ben is really a 14-ton bell in the clock tower that stands beside the Houses of Parliament. It is named after Sir Benjamin Hall, commissioner of works when the clock was installed. Both the clock and the tower itself are also known by his name. You hear the bell every hour. You hear its deep voice on the radio: ”This is the BBC. The time is six o’clock.” And you hear the deep Boom of Big Ben six times.

6. Czesc! My name is Karol. I live in Poland. Its capital is called Warsaw. There’s a lot to see here. Would you like to visit the city? OK! Let’s go… Welcome to Warsaw

7. Warsaw is the capital of Poland and is one of the largest city in central Europe. It is situated on both sides of the Vistula, almost in the heart of Poland. The origins of the Warsaw date back to end of the 13th or perhaps the beginning of the 14th century. It was King Sigismund III Vasa who decided to move the capital of Poland from Krakow to Warsaw in 1596, after a fire had destroyed the Vawel castle. He and his court eventually moved to Warsaw in 1611.

8. We are standing in the historical Old Town, dating back to 13th century. The Old Town was totally destroyed by the Nazis during the Second World War, but it was rebuilt back as original as possible up to the smallest detail. To give tribute to the work of reconstructions, UNESCO has decided to enlist the Old Town of Warsaw on the World Heritage List.

9. Hola! My name is Pablo. I live in Madrid, the capital of Spain. Let’s start our Madrid Virtual Tour. I hope you will enjoy the Tour. Welcome to Madrid

10. Madrid, capital of Spain, is placed on the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and it the biggest city in Spain with almost 6 millions inhabitants. The Madrilenos, or citizens of Madrid, are known as “los gatos”, or cats. Most people believe this stems from the fact that they like to stay up late. However the official explanation is historical. During a siege at the time of the Arabic invaders, during the time when the city went by the name of Magerit, a particularly adept soldier managed to climb the outer walls with the agility of a cat by inserting his dagger between gaps in the outer walls to gain footholds. The story passed into legend and the soldier and his family assumed the name of Gato. They eventually had a street – The Callejon del Gato.

11. Bullfighting is a very popular tradition in Spain, especially in Madrid. If you want to see a “Corrida”, Las Ventas Bullring is one of the two best bull-ring in Spain. On San Isidro’s day (the Patron Saint of Madrid) a Bullfighting festival takes place here. Some of the best “Toreros” come to “torear” in this Arena. A Corrida starts with the paseillo, with everybody involved in the bullfight entering the ring and presenting himself to the public. Two Alguacilillos, on horse’s back, direct themselves to the presidency and symbolically ask for the keys to the “puerta de los toriles”. Behind that door there are the bulls. With the door opened and the first bull entering the spectacle starts. It consists of three parts being separated by horn signals. There are three toreros in each Corrida and each will have to torear two bulls.

12. Salut! My name is Ana. I live in Romania. Its capital is called Bucharest. There are lots of places to visit here. Let’s start our Bucharest Virtual Tour. Welcome to Bucharest

13. Bucharest is in Romania and is the capital of this country. It is situated in the south-eastern part of the country in the middle of large fields. The river Dambovita flows through Bucharest. There is a legend that says that a shepherd named Bucur has established the first settlement for him and his family and he called it Bucharest. In time, the city has developed, becoming nowadays the capital of this country. But the true history of this city dates back to Vlad Tepes, who built a fortress to defend the country from the Turkish invasions, in 1417. During his reign and that of his brother’s Raud the Handsome, the fortress developed economically and politically as never before. The city flourished and became more and more powerful. At the end of the 19th century the city changed a lot: lots of buildings were built and the look of the city was improved so that people called it “Little Paris”.

14. The Palace of Parliament This magnificent building of 1,000 rooms began in 1984.The Palace of Parliament is the world’s second largest building after the U.S. Pentagon: it is is 270 m length, 240 m width, 84 m height. Only Romanian materials were used to build it and it is decorated with local marble.

15. Selam! My name is Abdul. The city where I live is called Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Let’s go for a Virtual Tour around the city. Welcome to Ankara

16. Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country’s second largest city after Istanbul. The city was formerly called “Ankyra” which meant anchor and later on it was changed to “Angora”. According to a legend an anchor was found while the city was being constructed. Ankara, like many Turkish cities, is built on a number of hills, one of them carrying a fortress. The city is ancient but was of minor importance until Atatürk decided it would be the capital of the Turkish state, instead of Istanbul, because it was in the heart of the country and did not have all the connotations Istanbul had as a pretty Europized city. As a result there are some very old mosques and most of the rest of the city is from the twenties and thirties of the 20th century, or quite modern.

17. Anitkabir – Mausoleum of Ataturk The principal monument and dominating sight in Ankara is Anitkabir, the magnificent Mausoleum constructed to commemorate Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic. This structure was started six years after Atatuk’s death in 1944 and finished in nine years. The building stands in majesty, with its simple geometric architectural style and is reached by a ceremonial road adorned with fine statues. Nearby a museum, housing some of the personal belongings of Ataturk. The mausoleum was believed to represent the Turkish nation under the name and personality of Ataturk. Therefore it includes statues, inscriptions and reliefs on topics from Turkish history and Ataturk’s life.

18. Ciao! My name is Maria. I live in Rome, the capital of Italy. If you come with me, I will try to show you some of its treasures on this Virtual Tour of the city. There are so many things and monuments to visit in Rome. Welcome to Rome

19. Rome is the capital of Italy. It is in the centre of Italy. The city of Rome was founded in 753 B.C. on the banks of the Tiber about 25 km (16 miles) from the sea. Legend says Rome's founders, the twin brothers Romulus and Remo, were abandoned on its waters, where they were rescued by a she-wolf.

20. The Colosseum is one of the most famous monument in the world. This amphitheatre, inaugurated in AD 80, is also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre after its initiator, the emperor Vespasian. It took the name of the Colosseum because of its own colossal dimension. This magnificent construction is built in the shape of an ellipse. With its three Classical orders (Doric, Ionic and Corinthian), it is a masterpiece of classical architecture. The Colosseum It could seat 50,000 people. The crowd watched chilling bloody shows involving exotic animals shipped in from the far corners of the Roman Empire and beyond, gladiators contests and races. Naval battle simulations were also staged because the Colosseum could be flooded.