NAPLES, Italy – Students and teachers from Don Lorenzo Milani High School and Carlo Miranda High School, located in the Naples districts of Gragnano and Frattamaggiore, respectively, got a taste of NATO life during an April 16 visit to Allied Joint Force Command Naples.
Event organizers said the visit of the approximately 100 students and faculty to JFC Naples is an example of NATO’s efforts to establish positive cultural and social exchanges with the external community and to strengthen the relationship with local and regional institutions.
Students were able to get an overview on the history, capabilities and missions of JFC Naples. Current topics, such as the role of the civilians within NATO and the cyber security, were also touched on.
Italian Army Colonel Maurizio Parri, director of the Joint Operations Center, welcomed the students, and various briefers answered questions of the students during a round table discussion.
"It is very important to understand how democracy and NATO work,” said 17-year-old Don Lorenzo Milani High School student Claudio Longobardi. "We studied it before the visit in the headquarters, and it helps a lot to understand the world…It is so exciting to see 29 nations working together. It is really impressive.”
After the visit to the main headquarters building, the students were offered a glimpse into the recreational and family benefits offered to troops at JFC Naples such as the community center, fitness center and pool.
"I am Neapolitan, and I am very proud for my city to welcome such a headquarters,” said 16-year-old Carlo Miranda High School student Mesia Massoccolo. "I would like to work in such an environment when I finish my studies.”
Story by JFC Naples Public Affairs Office