{"id":114720,"date":"2017-11-15T12:34:36","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T11:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/?p=114720"},"modified":"2026-06-03T12:48:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T10:48:09","slug":"from-matera-to-murcia-a-week-to-remember-with-the-tommaso-stigliani-high-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/en\/from-matera-to-murcia-a-week-to-remember-with-the-tommaso-stigliani-high-school\/","title":{"rendered":"From Matera to Murcia: a week to remember with the Tommaso Stigliani High School"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>November is not usually the most anticipated month on the calendar, but this year has been different. Because for a week, our institute has been filled with Italian accents, contagious laughter, photos everywhere and a lot of desire to learn and share. We have been lucky enough to host a group of <strong>52 students from the Liceo Tommaso Stigliani<\/strong>, a high school located in <strong>Matera<\/strong>, in the sunny region of <strong>Basilicata<\/strong>, in southern Italy. And what a group!<\/p>\n<p>Accompanied by <strong>four instructors full of energy<\/strong>, these young Italians have lived an intense, exciting and, above all, unforgettable experience. For them, it has been much more than a school trip. For us, much more than a visit. It has been a cultural exchange with all the letters, full of unique moments.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Who are they and why have they come?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The <em>Tommaso Stigliani High School<\/em> is an educational center with a long history in Matera, a city that many know for its famous <em>Sassi<\/em> (the houses carved into the rock) and for having been the setting for films such as <em>The Passion of the Christ<\/em> or <em>007: No Time to Die<\/em>. But they have not come to talk to us about cinema, but to live their own film: a week in Murcia to improve their Spanish, get to know the local culture and immerse themselves in a new way of seeing the world.<\/p>\n<p>For these boys and girls between 16 and 18 years old, Spanish is not just a subject in class. It is a tool to connect with other people, to broaden horizons and to discover different realities. This trip is part of their formation as European citizens, open, curious and eager to take on the world.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>An intense program, but a lot of fun<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>From the first day, the Matera group has not stopped. Their <strong>programme of activities<\/strong> has been varied, complete and adapted to both their interests and their linguistic needs. Do you want to know what they have done?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\ud83d\udcda <\/strong><strong>Spanish classes in the morning<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Each morning began with\u00a0 dynamic and participatory <strong>Spanish class <\/strong>\u00a0sessions. Through games, conversations, hands-on activities, and comprehension exercises, they have improved their vocabulary, pronunciation, and confidence in speaking. No boring grammar: here you learn by communicating, laughing, asking questions and making mistakes without fear.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\ud83c\udf7d\ufe0f<\/strong><strong> Tapas night: the taste of Murcia<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of the most anticipated experiences was, without a doubt, the <strong>tapas night<\/strong>. The students were able to discover first-hand what it means to &#8220;go out for tapas&#8221; in Murcia. Patatas bravas, croquettes, seafood, omelette, salad&#8230; and many more delicacies! It was a perfect opportunity to practice the language, but also to socialize and savor Murcian life.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\ud83c\udfb8<\/strong><strong> Rock concert<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Who said that music doesn&#8217;t teach languages? The group attended a <strong>\u00a0local rock concert<\/strong> where, between songs and a festive atmosphere, they were able to discover another facet of Spanish culture: the passion for live music. Even if they didn&#8217;t understand all the lyrics, they did understand the rhythm, the energy, and the excitement.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\ud83d\udc83<\/strong><strong> Flamenco workshop<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of the funniest moments of the program was the <strong>flamenco class<\/strong>. Yes, at first everyone was a little lost between bars, clapping and footwork&#8230; But at the end of the workshop, everyone ended up dancing! It was a great way to get closer to Andalusian folklore and to better understand the strength of Spanish art. In addition, the videos of the workshop are already history on their social networks.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f <\/strong><strong>Excursions to Cartagena and Granada<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>During the week there was also time to <strong>explore outside of Murcia<\/strong>. In <strong>Cartagena<\/strong>, they discovered its Roman history, its millenary theater and its port full of life. In <strong>Granada<\/strong>, they walked through the streets of the Albaic\u00edn, were amazed by the beauty of the Alhambra and experienced the Andalusian charm in every corner. Two excursions that left their mark on his memories&#8230; and in their photo galleries.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\ud83c\udfdb\ufe0f<\/strong><strong> Visit to the City Council of Murcia<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As a culmination, they were officially received at the <strong>City Hall of Murcia <\/strong>by <strong>Mr. Jes\u00fas Pacheco<\/strong>, Councilor for Tourism, Employment and Culture. A gesture that demonstrates the importance of these exchanges and the city&#8217;s interest in opening up to the world. During the visit, they talked about the history of Murcia, its European ties and the value of learning languages. A formal moment, yes, but also very inspiring!<\/p>\n<h2><strong>And what do the protagonists think?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Italian students have lived this experience with their eyes wide open and their hearts full of curiosity. Some of them already spoke a little Spanish before coming; others barely knew a few sentences. But they have all left with a new vision of the language, the country and themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Many highlight the friendliness of the Murcian people, the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere of the city, the almost permanent sunshine, the good food and the cultural diversity. Others have been delighted with the teachers, the activities or the excursions. And all, without exception, have learned more than just verbs and nouns: they have learned to <strong>adapt, to communicate, to discover and to enjoy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Special thanks<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>We would like to thank <strong>the entire group of the Tommaso Stigliani High School<\/strong>: the students for their enthusiasm and positive attitude, and the four monitors for their professionalism, their closeness and their constant collaboration. Without them, none of this would have been possible.<\/p>\n<p>We also thank the Spanish teachers who have guided the classes, the team organizing activities, the institutions that have supported us and, of course, every corner of Murcia that has made our visitors feel at home.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Shall we repeat next year?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>I hope so! These types of experiences are an open window to the world, a way to learn beyond books, and an opportunity to create friendships that cross borders. Each group that visits us leaves a little piece of their country in our classrooms, and takes a little piece of Murcia in their backpack, in their memories and in their hearts.<\/p>\n<p>So we can only say: <strong>thank you for coming, Matera&#8230; and see you soon<\/strong>.<br \/>\n<strong>Or, as they would say&#8230; Grazie Mille, Ragazzi! Murcia vi aspetta!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Instituto Hispanico de Murcia welcomes a group of students from Matera, Italy. Discover their cultural immersion trip with classes, flamenco, and tapas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":32570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[648],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ihdemu.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}