Comenius Projekt 2002-05 „Europäische Regionen“ Projekte I projects 21 Italy - San Giorgio a Cremano Contribution to Comenius Project „European Regions“ The students from Liceo Scientifico „Tierre e Marie Curie“ in San Giorgio a Cremano have presented themselves and the region they come from focusing three main points: - the features of their hometown - the presence of the volcano Vesuvius - Roman traces and inheritance in the surroundings San Giorgio a Cremano is a small town 7 km far from Naples, the main city in Southern Italy. It's in a lovely location between the sea and Vesuvius. It's a commercial town and an artistic centre for the presence of pottery workshops and historical buil- dings. In the eighteenth century it was the favourite resi- dence for nobles and wealthy people who turned it into a holiday resort. King Charles III of Borbone invited famous archi- tects , painters and sculptors to build magnificent villas with outstanding courtyards decorated with fountains, pagan gods and saints a combination of edonism and religion to feel protected by the fury of the volcano. The styles of the villas are baroque, rococo and neoclassical. The peculiarity of these summer resi- dences doesn't lie in the rich decorations and geo- metrical order but in the naturalistic inspiration. Over the years the town fell into decline for the cor- ruption of the time and the neglect of men. Luckily for ten ye a rs the local authorities have been investing a lot of money and energies in restoring the decaying villas and an important link between a glorious past and a future based on the hopes and expectations of the whole community..