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We tried the fishes and mussels from the Mare Piccolo. Really delicious. Good environment and good company.

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60% of the city is underground. In this cave house we could see how people used to live more than 50 years ago.

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In this area, there are human settlements since 10000 years ago.

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We could see several shell fossils in Matera walls. Sedimentary rocks, are the one used in the city for all buildings, most of it sandstone, but some limestone too.

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We visited the city of Matera, World Heritage since 1993. It was declared due to their cave houses and the system to capture water.

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View of the old city of Taranto from the boat

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We spent a very interesting morning.

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Mare piccolo and mare grande have several sweet water springs on their sediments. They are from a subterranean river under this part of the region. This particular thing, makes the water in mare piccolo different.

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Mare piccolo is a great farm for mussels. They grow on ropes floating with these floating. Mussels in mare piccolo are sweeter and smaller than others in Italy. We tasted them in the dinner.

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Ready for a boat trip to get to know the mare piccolo better. A very kind family are the ones to carry out the boat. We have a nice girl explaining us about the fauna and negative impacts in mare piccolo.

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The fishermen were landing the prawns and fish is just when we arrived. It’s amazing seeing at them, and smell the sea and fishes.

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In the imagen we can see the Japanese algae that has destroy part of the mare piccolo ecosystem and algae. Fortunately, in ten years are disappearing, as this algae of from colder water.

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Algae are great producers of the ocean. In this laboratory they study them, and has produce a book with recipes that use algae in them (spritz, ice creams, yogurt or omelette). The main problem of endemic algae in mare piccolo, are foraneus species.

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We could see some fossils printed in calcareous stones. These are worm footprints.

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This acuático plant is endemic from the Mediterranean Sea. In the imagen we can see, the form they acquire when they decompose. It’s said that the posidonia in the Mediterranean Sea, is the biggest living organism in the world.
It’s really important to preserve this plant as it is the house of multiple species, it cleans the sea from microplastics, and it’s a great producer of food and oxygen.

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To take plancton from the water or sediments, they use two methods, either plastic bottles or special nets. But to see some of these organisms, they have to take plenty of samples. Even though, it is easy not to see anyone.

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Most of the time, most species of plancton, stay in a torpid state which we can see in the image. This state allow the plancton to survive in hard conditions. The torpid state is much heavier than the active one, so these living beings, fall down onto the bottom of the sea sediments. Due to the soft currents in mare piccolo, some of these species, may stay in torpid conditions even 100 years.

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Phytoplankton and zooplankton are essential to our seas and oceans as they are the base of marine food chains. Phytoplankton are producers, of food and oxygen through photosynthesis. Zooplankton are the first consumers. In the image we can see some species of both of them that were collected in mare piccolo of Taranto.

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Some of the algae that live in mare piccolo are these samples of red and green algae. In the algae laboratories they analyze active principles, vitamins, antioxidants good for humans.

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They have the newest machines to analyze different chemical compounds in water, algae and fish. Niquel, cadmium, mercury, PCBs, dioxines…etc. With a last generation chromatograph, they can determine the amount in the samples.
The Origen of most of these contaminantes, they referred to come from the industries around the city, steel manufacture, ship yards, refinery, and more.

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Today we visit this public institute in which 22 scientific develop and investigate on algae, plancton, and pollution in the surroundings seas of Taranto.
Teacher Maria Pia, from the Liveo G. Battagline, comes with us.

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We had luck today…it’s sunny.

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Burrata salad and chips...again after a few month. My favourite meal here in Taranto.

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Everything has an end and the Aquamaris project has it too. This is the last meeting, a staff training in Taranto, our Italian partner has organised a really interesting program for the week. We, for sure, will learn a lot and have some fun together...and who knows....talk about future projects together.

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Tara to citizens don’t like this fountain…it was built in 1992. But the story the architect wanted to tell is so nice.
It is situated in the entrance to the old Taranto city, just in front of the only bridge to acces the city. If you see the fountain from the top, it has a locker shape. The artist wanted to welcome every visitor with the key of the city. Isn’t it nice?

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In 1940, the city of Taranto were hardly attacked and a lot of sailors were killed. In their honor, this monument was built in the promenade of the city.

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Now is the seat of the judges. A historical monument just in front of the Cathedral.

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Made in marble, lapislázuli….and other beautiful stones. Inside it has a mosaic with Alejandro Magno on it. Narrow streets surrounds it, and create a historic atmosphere around it.

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One of the churches in Taranto. Made in sedimentary rocks. In front of the Mare Grande. Beautiful place.

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Tara to is known as the city of the two seas. Mare piccolo is one of them. We could see the longest over water bridge in Italy crossing it. They have plenty of mussels farm in it. Because of natural water springs on the bottom of the sea, the taste of the ese mussels are sweeter to others.
The Mare Grande has more salty water and dolphins.
Different ecosystems, next to the same city.

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Fiorela was our guide. The mother of an ancient student of Ines… Fiorela explained us a lot things about Taranto and the two seas. I enjoyed the trip a lot.

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In our first dinner we decided to go to Armida, a place we already know from October mobility. Only Latvia and Spain were there. The Portuguese team arrived late at night.

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What an amazing way to know the city better! On a tuk tuk! A very original way to handle the city centre, and more in a rainy day.

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The school provided us with a typical Italian lunch consisting on pizza and focaccia.

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Some students of the Liceo presented several projects in which they have working. One of it was creating travel guides in wikitravel about cities surrounding Taranto.
I personally enjoyed the one related to skiing and physics, in it, the students referred to realised that physics and real life are close together.
And the other project was creating a library next to the school I a cooperative way.
The students were able to explain to us some other activities they do in that school and their day a day classes.

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Along the school visit, they explained how they provide students with computers. The have four trolleys of 32 laptops each. Like we have in our school too. The way they maintain them is a bit different, as they have four special technicians for this matter, and they also take care of all the electronics and digital screens in the school. They also have a room only for this.

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Some students show us how they work with special kits that the Education Government provided the school.
They can assemble different robots, or make 3 D captures of real objects.

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We starting our visit knowing some teachers of the school and finding others we already know and some students from the Erasmus project.
It is amazing coming back to a place you already know and meet the people again.
Students I met, where really happy to see us in their school.