In the context of the Responsibility programme of Attica Group and more specifically, the ‘Greek Communities of Italy - A voyage to culture with SUPERFAST FERRIES’ initiative, SUPERFAST FERRIES successfully completed its actions for the third consecutive year, promoting Greek language and culture in Reggio, Calabria, in southern Italy, where Greece has been constantly present for three millennia.
During these three years, the initiative enabled pupils in Greek communities and schools everywhere in Italy, to collaborate with Greek authors and illustrators by participating in experiential art workshops, enriched local libraries, offered books to young and old alike. In partnership with the CENTRE FOR THE GREEK LANGUAGE “ELLINOMATHEIA” and professor Vasiliki Vourda, the programme supported Greek language learning for Italian adults in the Greek-speaking villages of Calabria, while participants were also introduced to Greek customs, learned traditional Greek dances, watched significant Greek movies and tasted Greek cuisine.
Despite the difficulties experienced this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, SUPERFAST FERRIES continued to support the said initiative consistently and respectfully, following all precaution measures implemented by the Italian State with most of the classes for the fourteen students of the ‘Nostro-Repaci’ Classical and Linguistic High School in the city of Villa San Giovanni, in the Municipality of Reggio, Calabria, held remotely.
Among the aims of the action was to promote the teaching of modern Greek language and resulted in the students’ receiving A1 Greek Language certification from the Centre for the Greek Language, in a geographical area with a constant Greek presence that goes back three millennia.
We express our thanks to the principal of the ‘Istituto d'Istruzione Superiore Nostro-Repaci’ Italian high school, Maristella Spezzano, for her invaluable collaboration and assistance.
Finally, at the request of the Greek Community of Stretto in Sicily, SUPERFAST FERRIES reissued the bilingual (Greek-Italian) book ‘An Homage to Solomos’, by professors D. Macris, D. Bombara, A. G. Noto and G. Spathis (Korontzis Publications), the first edition of which was also published with the support of SUPERFAST FERRIES and was a great success in both Italy and Greece.
The programme was overseen and coordinated by SUPERFAST FERRIES associate Mary Kritikou.
SUPERFAST FERRIES wishes success to the students and to the Greek Communities in Italy that are striving to keep Greece close to them so that they can ‘pass it on’ to their children and grandchildren and to all friends of Greece and of the Greek culture.
Attica Group is engaged in passenger shipping through SUPERFAST FERRIES, BLUE STAR FERRIES, HELLENIC SEAWAYS and AFRICA MOROCCO LINK operating 32 vessels providing modern, high-quality transportation services in Greece and abroad. Attica’s vessels serve 60 unique destinations in 4 countries, connecting 71 ports transporting over 7 million passengers, 1 million passenger vehicles and 400,000 trucks every year.
Kallithea, 10 December 2020