Valèse Agnolìn and Tortellini Cultural Exchange Between Italy and Poland
The Valès agnolìn, the tortellino, will they migrate to the land of the Pope? Probably yes, since the students of a tourism and hotel management institute in Warsaw, hosted by the hotel institute in Valeggio, also practiced the delicate techniques required for making tortellini, in a well-known artisan pasta factory.
But, despite their skill in learning the techniques of this craft, their intention was much more ambitious. “This is a cultural exchange, linked to the Comenius project, between students and teachers of the two institutes,” states the French teacher Claudia Micheletti, “which is taking its first steps towards a more formal strengthening of relations in the upcoming autumn.”
The activities and cultural exchange
Thus, a first group consisting of four students and three teachers took the initial steps. The students did so by offering a small group of guests, including the school principal Maria Grazia Lugheri, some typical Polish sweets. The diners were quite surprised to discover that, alongside a delicious ricotta and poppy seed cake and a cherry-filled rolled cookie, the menu also included Polish galani (faworki), very similar to those we find on our tables during Carnival season.
“The exchange between different cultures,” said Maria Grazia Lugheri, “is a fundamental step toward building a Europe of understanding rather than one dominated by a few over others.” The Polish students were very pleased, many of whom, after high school, view the tourism and hotel management institute as a specialization. They were impressed by the warm welcome they received at the visited companies and surprised to meet a fellow teacher from the Valeggio school who speaks their language fluently.
The reason for the trip and personal motivations
“The motivation that drove me to learn Polish,” reveals the sixteen-year-old Diletta Benati, who colleagues in Warsaw say speaks without any particular accent, “was curiosity, combined with knowing Polish classmates with whom I’ve maintained contact over the years.” Probably, it will be precisely the ability to overcome language barriers that will become the foundation for communication between the peoples of Europe.
