Country
Italy

Tale typology
Local traditions

Age Suitability
5

Tale summary
Parterre is a park, called Parco Pertini;, there are a lot of games for children. Many years ago it was a wonderful public garden. After it was transformed in a zoo. Therewere wild boars, chimpanzees, llama, lions and bears. Today there are no animals and the cages are empty. Many years ago there was a very special bear, called Gigiballa, because it was a dancer. Gigiballa was the attraction of the zoo, the parents brought the children to see the dancing bear. The truth was that Gigiballa danced because it had a terrible toothache. After Gigiballa was treated and was moved to the wildlife park Orecchiella where it lived happily with its family. Now in the wildlife park Orecchiella you can find the Gigiballa’s “grandchildren”. This story is known by all Livorno’s citizens, mainly by a song of Bobo Rondelli, a local songwriter.

Educational potential / Learning Outcomes
Know the history of your city to understand the customs and traditions of the past. Understand the changes in the city's places and their evolutions.
Respect for animals and the importance of caring for them and making them live freely in their environment.
Developing and enhancing musical sensitivity.

Full Plot
The Parterre is a park now called "Pertini Park", which you all know well, where
surely you've been because there are so many children's games and a beautiful
a skating rink, a bike rink. Many years ago it was a beautiful garden
public. Then it was slowly transformed into a zoo, that is to say, the one in which
we commonly call it ZOO.
Do you want to know which were the first animals to live in the zoo?
They were the wild boars. He later welcomed chimpanzees, llamas, lions and bears. Today
animals are no longer there and the cages that previously housed them are empty, only in
some areas we can find chickens and ducks.
Among these animals there was one in particular that attracted the attention of all the
Livornesi, the brown bear.
Today I tell you its short story that happened in Livorno, many years ago. There was a
time ...... a bear that was called by all Leghorn Gigiballa.
And why this name? You may wonder.
Why did everyone call it Gigiballa?
Everyone called it that because it seemed that this bear danced, danced
I really do. It was the zoo's attraction. Parents would take their kids to see the zoo.
this animal's "show" and everyone laughed at it.
The truth, however, was that the bear "danced" because it hurt a tooth and not
she danced in reality, but she moved because of the pain.
Then Gigiballa was treated and since the house in the park was not enough
great for him, and also for all other animals, was taken to the nature reserve
of the Orecchiella park, an immense green expanse where he could run free
and live peacefully with his
family of bears. Today if you go to the Orecchiella Park in Garfagnana you will find the
grandchildren of Gigiballa, many beautiful bears that wander around the beautiful park.
The history of Gigi Balla is known by all Leghorn and beyond, especially thanks to
to a song that tells its story written by a singer-songwriter from Livorno
called Bobo Rondelli.

One Lesson Plan
- Classification activities (set of bears, llamas, etc.)
-Creation of the book: LIVE FREEDOM (succession of tables coloured with wax pencils and decorated with collage activities with first the animals in a cage and then in freedom)
Book Viva la libertà
- Creation of the Gigiballa mask (tempering, cropping and collage)
- Dramatisation activities