Educational Initiative in Bardolino Revitalizes Medieval Heritage for Students and Tourists
Don’t be surprised if you encounter elementary school teachers and middle school professors wandering among Romanesque churches and remains of medieval walls: they’re updating their knowledge. And if you come across groups of children amid country chapels and traces of ancient castles, know that they are in class.
The Educational Project in Bardolino
Teachers and students from Bardolino’s middle schools and the fifth classes of elementary schools in the town and the hillside district of Calmasino are engaged in an extensive educational project dedicated to “Early Medieval Churches and Castles in the Bardolino Area.” It has been initiated by the teaching staff of the Falcone-Borsellino comprehensive institute.
This represents an intriguing experience of involving the very young in the knowledge and enhancement of Garda’s historical and artistic heritage. And it will eventually involve parents and even tourists.
The project is coordinated by principal Giovanni Guidorizzi and teachers Fabio Gaggia and Donatella Tarozzi. Gaggia, in particular, besides being a teacher at the Bardolino school, is also one of the leading experts in Garda’s history.
The deputy mayor of Garda, he also manages the archaeological project “Adelaide ’99,” launched by the municipal administrations of Garda and Bardolino and by the Province of Verona.
Historical Activities and Educational Routes of the Schools
The educational experience of Bardolino’s schools began with the teachers’ self-training, during which they explored the Lombard itinerary from the lake to the inland area—part of the Garda link in the major exhibition “The Future of the Lombards” currently nearing its conclusion at the Santa Giulia Museum in Brescia.
They focused on sites such as the Rocca, the churches of San Severo, San Vito, and San Zeno, as well as Bardolino, the Santa Maria pieve in Cisano, and the Garda pieve.
At the start of the school year, guided visits to the territory were organized. Excursions to the Brescia exhibition on the Lombards are also ongoing. In February, seminars will be held covering themes of the project: art and history of Garda’s early Middle Ages.
Future Activities and Student Involvement
The educational itinerary promoted by Bardolino’s schools also includes, at the beginning of the second semester, a week of inter-class work focused on creating an exhibition by the students. The completed works will be displayed in a public space in Bardolino before the end of the school year.
This will then evolve into an educational informational tool on the subject: a brochure designed and produced by the students.
But that’s not all. The students will also become tour guides. In March, they will lead their parents—and also the numerous tourists arriving in spring—to visit churches and castles in Bardolino and the surrounding areas.
In short, the students will become genuine cultural operators.