Erasmus+ Youth Exchange in Italy

On July 17-24, 2023, an Erasmus+ youth exchange took place that aimed at spreading other cultures, among others, through the title food.

Our Polish group consisted of 7 people (including the leader, our wonderful Wiktoria). The project took place in Passignano sul Trasimeno on the ecological farm La Buona Terra, where, apart from the project itself, which was a great adventure, we had the opportunity to observe life on an Italian farm. Groups from Poland, Germany, France and Italy participated in the exchange, and each of them had the opportunity to introduce us to their country through various dishes. We decided on pierogi ruskie, potato pancakes with yogurt and jelly with strawberries and whipped cream. We had a great time while cooking, and our dishes were enjoyed by all. In addition to cooking, we had a lot of integration activities and about: culinary history in our countries, healthier choices and many other interesting things. On Friday, in our free time, we went on a trip to Perugia. I remember the whole trip very positively, and here are the memories of other participants:

Aga:

My last Erasmus exchange was one of the strongest experiences of my life. The system in which the inhabitants lived there and cared for nature was something wonderful for me. I spent only 7 days there, but I met such incredibly valuable people as never before in my life. Every day I had a very deep conversation with someone about the values that each of us professes, about family, about being yourself, that I didn’t even know that such people existed. Also, the exchange was on an organic farm where there was very little water and everyone had to take great care of it. There was a completely different system than the one in big cities, which allowed me to appreciate every drop of water. What you don’t do in cities, because if you have a lot of something, you don’t care about it. During my exchange, I adapted to the principles of living in harmony with nature and it turned out that I would like to live in this way for more than a week. I feel that I will come back to this place again.

Kamil:

The “Greet & Eat” project in Italy on a solar farm in Passignano organized by YoWo was the first youth exchange I could participate in. I met extremely unique people with dreams, different life goals and experiences. Already on the first day I managed to make amazing contact with many wonderful young people. The entire Polish team was a family that supported, helped and joked. It’s amazing how many experiences and memories we were able to experience during this week. I really liked the classes that focused on talking, working in groups, exchanging your own observations, as well as getting to know yourself, your culture and traditions. We also had the opportunity to discuss topics related to food and the choices of what we eat on the environment, thanks to which I was able to broaden my point of view to other, new aspects. My favorite memory will be long evening conversations surrounded by nature and beautiful views surrounding the farm. Although I only spent a week in Passignano, it was definitely one of the best days of my life. The memories that I had the opportunity to experience will certainly stay with me for the rest of my life. So I can say with full confidence that I would 100% go there again!

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Written by: Oliwia Siwoń (YoWo volunteer).