Our journey started in the evening of 6th April in Calenzano near Florence. After a bit of organisational chaos we finally arrived at the venue. Our home for the next 10 days was a picturesque church San Gavino located in the middle of nature, 5km from the closest village. The total of 40 participants was composed of Slovaks, Lithuanians, Greeks, Dutch and Italians. 

Activities of the project were focused on promoting sustainability, civic participation, cultural awareness and promotion of opportunities for youth provided by the EU. Activities were prepared by participants for other participants. For some days one country would be in charge of the program for the whole day. As the project happened during Easter, we talked a lot about our national traditions and Greeks also organised an egg painting workshop.

The evenings were dedicated to cultural nights where everyone would try to bring us to their home country in original ways. We went on a flight to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, while tasting their traditional snacks and learning about Lithuanian history and experiencing some turbulence or other disturbances. The Greeks quizzed other nations’ knowledge of their country and taught us traditional dances. The Dutch explained myths about their culture  and taught us a lot of games. And Italians, needless to say unsuccessfully, tried to persuade us to not come to Italy again.

During the project we visited Florence and nearby village Barberino di Mugello and also went on a few hikes to the surrounding mountains. Our free time was spent with getting to know each other and our cultures, but also by playing volleyball or just chilling on the blankets on a meadow in beautiful sunny weather. We ate more pasta than ever before and tasted Italian lasagne and ice cream.

On the last night of the project, Greek Easter was celebrated by lighting candles with Holy light, as in Orthodox religion Easter is celebrated one week later than ours. There was a bonfire all night as everyone was saying their goodbyes. We brought home a lot of unforgettable memories, new friends, but also knowledge about other European cultures.