The 1969 Christmas Mass is a historical event for the citizens of Taranto. It was celebrated by Pope Paul VI at Italsider, the steel mill which was constructed in the early 1960s and which still today is the largest in Europe. A neighborhood grew up around the factory and got its name from the Pope; it satisfies the needs of the working class which established itself there. The “Luigi Pirandello” middle school is located in this neighborhood and, besides the many difficulties facing public education, it is also forced to deal with the problem of dropouts.