4 ELEMENTS

Project logo
Improve the foreign language learning and intercultural competences of adults through e-learning

The project

FOUR ELEMENTS is an initiative called to raise awareness and appreciation of the importance of culture and heritage as well as to train educators working with adult learners who want to improve their skills and competences necessary in today’s EU labour market.

The project will take advantage of the potential of the common European cultural values associated to the 4 elements earth, water, air and fire) to empower adults to improve their digital, foreign language and intercultural competences.

The partnership expects to develop and deliver innovative teaching materials presented in a culturally accessible E-book consisting of European legends and stories – giving visibility to the underlying common EU values and principles, especially adapted to learners with special needs.

To achieved such objectives, partners will develop:

An interactive map: a collection of legends and stories related to earth, water, air and fire, in different EU countries.

Digital Books with national legends and stories related to the four elements.

Methodological recommendations for adult educators.

To find more information, access the Four Elements platform here.

Digital books

The nations of Europe all have rich cultures of myth and folklore which give the different regions their particular individual flavour. Here we have grouped traditional stories from Belgium, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Spain according to the four elements: earth, air, wind and fire.

They are specially adapted to adult learners and can be used to develop language or ICT skills among your students while enhancing intercultural understanding.

Alongside the stories, this digital book contains interactive exercises and is in Easy Read format. All the material in it can be downloaded and printed. Teachers and trainers will find tips and suggestions for how to use it on the Recommendations section of this site.

European partnership

Four Elements is an Erasmus+ KA204 project designed to highlight the importance of culture and heritage at European Union level. It aims to train educators working with adult learners to enable them to acquire the skills and competences, including linguistic and digital skills and competences, required in the European labour market.

The project is coordinated by : CVO EduKempen (Belgium). The partnership also includes DomSpain Consulting (Spain), The Central Library of Võru County (Estonia), Les Apprimeurs (France), Istituto dei Sordi di Torino (Italy), Slovenian Third Age University (Slovenia), MyArtist (Greece).

Erasmus+ project

Erasmus logo The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Barolo's Castle of Volta

LEGEND

Main element: Water

Language of the original: Italian

Date of origin: The castle was built in the 11th century and the events were set in the 14th century, so the legend could have been originated during the following centuries.

To find more information about the legend, access the Four Elements platform here.

Barolo is a pretty village in the Monferrato area: it is a territory rich in beautiful hills where wine has been produced for centuries. Nowadays this area is famous because of tourism focused on wine tasting. The traditional cuisine is good, too, composed mainly of local produce such as nuts, corn flour, cheese, chestnuts, honey, fresh pasta, veal, truffles…

At the beginning of the fourteenth century, a castle rose on Piedmont’s hills, among the grapevines and nut trees of Barolo. It was the castle of La Volta, belonging to the marquises of Falletti, who were just ending a war against Matteo Visconti. The inhabitants of those lands were exhausted and, to reward them for the energy they had spent on bringing the victory, it was decided to organize a party inside the castle. The guests were too many for the tiny space, so some tables were set in the courtyard. It was a warm day in July, so the weather permitted this solution.

The party began and continued happily. The wine from the lands around the castle helped the guests to create a joyful atmosphere.

The celebration continued until the evening when, suddenly, black clouds covered the sky and the summer humidity was interrupted by lightning and thunder. A violent storm struck Barolo and the castle. Running for shelter was useless: the knights and ladies were all washed thoroughly from head to toe!

The guests piled into the dining room on the ground floor, but there were so many that the dinner also had to be served in the main room on the first floor. The soaked guests that had not fitted into the dining room were accommodated in that upper room which had a creaking wooden floor.

Men took off their soaked jackets, while women remained dressed. The storm didn’t spoil the guests’ mood and food continued to be prepared in the kitchen. Musicians who started playing again and the heat of the fireplace made the party more cheerful and carefree. The heat in the upper room led men to take off their wet trousers so they were dressed only in their underwear. The music and the dancing continued more frantically, the laughter increased and became uncontrollable.

During the dances the women’s skirts were continually stepped upon, until one was torn off entirely, leaving the lady in just her underwear. A knight came over to her and jokingly poured some wine between her breasts: everyone laughed and the other ladies wanted to have the same thing done to them. Some got undressed, others loosened their hair, others sat apart with the knights…

Tempted by so much laughter and by the excitement the guests in the ground-floor dining room joined the party. The number of people increased. Their bodies touched each other during the dances; they frequently fell on top of each other and found themselves half-naked. By now all of the guests were upstairs, drunk and engaged in a wild orgy.

The weight of so many people was too much for the wooden floor which suddenly collapsed! That was the beginning of an enormous disaster: hundreds of bodies were crushed in the rubble, while the shards of wood showering into the fireplace caught light and started an enormous fire. In a few minutes the entire castle had burst into flames. Guests trying to escape stepped on the others, but every attempt to get out was useless. Was this the Hand of God? Or had Satan taken possession of their souls?

Castello della Volta di Barolo

LEGGENDA

Elemento: Acqua

Lingua originale: Italiano

Data di origine: The castle was built in the 11th century and the events were set in the 14th century, so the legend could have been originated during the following centuries.

Per avere ulteriori informazioni sulla leggenda, accedi alla piattaforma 4elements da qui.

All’inizio del XIV secolo, c’era un castello che sorgeva sulle colline del Piemonte, tra le viti e gli alberi di nocciole. Era il Castello della Volta dei marchesi Falletti i quali avevano da poco finito una guerra contro Matteo Visconti. Gli abitanti di quelle terre erano stremati e per ricompensarli delle energie che avevano portato alla vittoria, si decise di organizzare una festa all’interno del castello. Gli invitati erano moltissimi e, dato che non tutti ci sarebbero stati nel salone, vennero preparate delle tavolate nel cortile all’esterno. Era una calda e afosa giornata di luglio, quindi il tempo permetteva questa soluzione.

La festa iniziò e proseguì con ebrezza e in allegria, il vino prodotto in quelle terre permetteva agli invitati di creare un clima ancora più gioioso.

I festeggiamenti continuarono fino a sera, quando, all’improvviso, dei nuvoloni neri coprirono il cielo e il caldo umido delle giornate estive fu interrotto da lampi e tuoni e un violento temporale si versò su Barolo e sul castello. La corsa al riparo delle dame e dei cavalieri fu inutile: si bagnarono tutti dalla testa ai piedi!

Gli ospiti si trovarono ammucchiati nella sala da pranzo al pianterreno, ma essendo troppo piccola per far stare tutti, venne preparata dai servitori anche la sala al primo piano. Gli invitati inzuppati che non avevano trovato posto nell’altra stanza, furono accolti in questa sala con il pavimento di legno che scricchiolava ad ogni passo.

Gli uomini si tolsero le giacche fradice, mentre le donne per pudore rimasero vestite. Il temporale non aveva però portato via il buon umore. Altro vino e cibo continuava a uscire dalle cucine, i musicanti ripresero a suonare e il calore del camino rese la festa più allegra e spensierata di prima. Proprio quel calore fece spogliare ancora gli uomini che si liberarono dei pantaloni bagnati e rimasero in sottoveste. La musica e i balli proseguirono più frenetici, le risate aumentarono e il divertimento irrefrenabile.

Durante i balli i vestiti delle dame venivano continuamente calpestati, finché uno si impigliò e si strappò del tutto lasciando la dama in sottoveste. Un cavaliere le si avvicinò e per scherzo le versò del vino tra i seni: tutti risero e anche le altre dame vollero fare lo stesso. Alcune si spogliarono, altre si sciolsero i capelli, altre si appartarono con i cavalieri...

Richiamati da tante risate e dall’eccitazione si unirono alla festa anche gli ospiti del pian terreno e la massa di gente aumentò. I corpi strusciavano durante i balli, cadendo spesso gli uni sugli altri e trovandosi seminudi. Ormai tutti gli invitati erano al piano superiore, ubriachi e impegnati in quell’orgia sfrenata.

Il peso di tutte quelle persone divenne troppo per il povero pavimento in legno che improvvisamente crollò! Quello fu l’inizio di un enorme disastro: centinaia di corpi ammassati tra le macerie, mentre le schegge di legno schizzate nel camino presero fuoco e provocarono un enorme incendio. In pochi minuti tutto il castello prese fuoco. Chi provò a fuggire calpestava gli altri, ma i tentativi furono inutili: nessun superstite fu trovato, come se qualcuno avesse voluto punirli. La mano divina? O Satana per impossessarsi delle loro anime?

Ivaldi N. (2016), Castelli maledetti Piemonte e valle d’Aosta, Editore Il Punto PiemonteinBancarella, Torino.