Andrew Hubbard Discovers Italy and Italian Culture

Clock tower, Liberty Square, Udine

Historically, Udine was part of the Republic of Venice, and the influence of Venetian architecture is clearly seen today on some of its most beautiful buildings. The style became known as Venetian Gothic, a mixture of styles combining Gothic, Byzantine and Moorish influences. Unique to the Venetian Gothic architectural style is the desire for lightness and grace in structure, more intricate in style than classical architecture. Notice the intricate traceries, similar to those found on the Doge’s Palace.

Udine is the capital of Friuli it is close to Venice and the Region is also known for some of the best Italian wines.

The taste of Italy

Working on a European Project called DEEP, Developing Equality Employability Project, in Bari, Puglia, Southern Italy in 2003 I decided the true learning and communication could only be through learning to speak Italian.
In order to train all participants in the project in access to employability through the use of the internet and relatively new ‘reasonable adjustments’ to policies, practice and procedures under the DDA Disability Discrimination Act, it was necessary to speak Italian to gain the understanding of culture around employment in Puglia.
The Italian language has become my passion since 2003, and my work in disability equality has forged new links with the Society of blind people in both Treviso and Udine Veneto Italy.

Unione Italiana die Ciechi e degli Ipovedenti
(Italian Union of the Blind)
Udine branch
E-mail address
uicud@uiciechi.it

The culture of blind people across Europe and their diverse learning aims and outcomes is becoming a focus for my own learning and personal development.

In the United Kingdom we have made great strides in equality for disabled people, particularly around access to education and employment. Across Europe the equality of disabled people’s experience differs greatly and reinforces my view that ‘disability’ is very much an economic phenomenon. Link to Disability Discrimination Act overview.

I had the idea of a cultural exchange between the two identities of South Wales and the North East Region of Italy known as Friulia.

Moving to Wales to study classics at Swansea University I was aware of the marked differences in the culture of England and Wales and no small part was the bilingual nature of the culture and the people.

I was successful in gaining a Grundtvig grant for visit and exchange and went to shadow a tutor (Silvio Serefini) in Universita Delle LiberEta in Udine October 2010.

In Udine there are also two languages spoken in the community, Friulian and Italian.

During the week of my Grundtvig exchange visit, in October 2010, topics of conversation in English classes were: the identity and landscapes of South Wales; local history; the industrial revolution; music – the male voice choirs of Italy and South Wales;

and the Red Lady of Paviland. Students were eager to hear of the guide dog, Glenda, who behaved badly, jumping from moving buses and shop lifting in supermarkets around South London.

Glenda, the guide dog