This would have been our first partnerships with schools from other European countries. Our school organised an exchange project with a school from Mezzolombardo, in the Italian region of Trentino two years ago. The project’s respective weeks in Italy and Austria would have been the actual goal in themselves: one week with 11 students and two teachers from the HAK Lienz going to Italy in March 2020 and 11 students and three teachers from Italy going to Lienz for one week in May 2020. The main purpose of the partnership was to introduce Italian and Austrian students to each other’s country’s local traditions not only from a cultural point of view but also to let them experience the daily routine, with a special focus on human and environmental sustainability. Teachers from both schools would have got a chance to become acquainted with sometimes very different school organisation methods, pedagogical approaches and urban structures. The language exchange between teachers and students from two different partner countries should have fostered cross-cultural curiosity. Collaboration should have further been enhanced through various projects linked to the Erasmus+ School Exchange Partnership and the ensuing contact generated. Other schools from the region as well as the public would have had the opportunity to learn more about our project. Schools could have advertised and promoted their international activities using different means of communication. The teachers involved in the partnership program could have improved their organisational abilities and management skills. Moreover, they would have had the rare opportunity to get to know their students outside the usual school environment. We started a close cooperation between our school and the ISIS Mattiussi-Pertini, not only to gain new educational and pedagogical insights but also to promote the cultural exchange of ideas. We would have liked to gain a better understanding of both schools' organisation, as well as the regions' rich cultural and economic offer, and how students are involved. We would really have appreciated a long-time partnership, the geographical proximity of the two schools would certainly have helped.Unfortunately, shortly before the beginning of the pandemic, the only activity which was possible was the kick-off day in Lienz, where students and teachers met each other and spent one day together exchanging ideas and expectations. All further activities were blocked by the evolving of the pandemic.