Italian vacation!

ITALY: We all woke up Saturday surprisingly the same way we do many mornings in Upstate New York: Is it cancelled? How much snow fell? Can the bus get around? But for once we had our fingers crossed for nothing more than a dusting. In less than twelve hours a group of students, parents and community members led by Ms. K and Mrs. V were supposed to be halfway over the Atlantic Ocean heading towards the beautiful country of Italy. Luck was in our favor and everything was to go on as planned! So the group of 53 met in Milton to begin the adventure. Unfortunately there was a four hour bus ride to Newark International Airport in between us and the exciting part of the adventure.

For many of the members on the trip, this was their first time flying on an airplane. Anxiety and excitement was rising and spreading between the group as we made our way through customs (with only slight complications) and then waited for what felt like years to board a double level plane.

Seven hours later the flight landed in Frankfurt,Germany. That’s when it really hit me that my dream of going to Europe is coming true. Once we arrived in Milan, we wasted no time starting the tour. For the first two nights of the tour we stayed in a small town just outside Venice called Padova. The two distinct differences I noticed about the towns in Italy and America was that the buildings were not spread out. Instead they were pushed next to each other and built vertically. This created the signature narrow streets. Also pedestrians do not have the right of way. If you are crossing the street and a car comes at you, you must jump, run, dive roll, do whatever you have to do to get out of the way because they will not hesitate to hit you. And I really doubt they would stop even if they did hit you. While exploring Padova we saw the Duomo di San Antonio and were lucky enough to visit and experience a Sunday evening mass and see the friars and nuns worshiping. The hotels in Europe are typically smaller than what we are used to in America. The one in Padova that the group stayed at was no exception to this. We had three to a room with wall to wall beds.

Our day started early the next morning but not before an amazing breakfast. My favorite thing quickly became the Nutella filled croissants and I’m tempted to go back to Italy just for those croissants. After breakfast we loaded the bus to the port of Venice. On the boat ride to the Murano Glass blowing demonstration was where we first encountered “The Bros”. They were a tour group like ours from California that enjoyed yelling, parkour and debating who was the biggest bro. They were our second favorite thing to watch going from city to city. We had a guided tour of the city, a gondola ride through the canals and then some free time to go off on our own and see the sights such as the Doge’s Palace and Bridge of Sighs. The Bridge of Sighs was a magnificent bridge over the grand canal that connected the Palace and the prison that those convicted would be lead over. Stories say that it got its name because the inmates would sigh as they looked at the beautiful city for the last time.

Our time in Venice was special because we were there the day of the Carnival Festival. Carnival is similar to the American Mardi Gras and Halloween. Everyone dresses up in elaborate costumes and masks and just has a great time dancing and celebrating with each other. Before we left for Italy we were informed that it was common for cities to have gypsies and lots of street vendors so we knew what to expect. What I didn’t expect was that all the vendors would be walking around selling selfie sticks. Everywhere.

The next day we took a 3.5 hour bus ride to the city of Florence. The ride was not what I was expecting. One minute we were driving through the immense snow capped mountains of northern Italy and then the next were were in the Tuscany region. After arriving, it was a short walk to the city center where the tour began. Coming into the city the first thing you see is the iconic Duomo di Firenze. Made of solid pink, green and white marble from different parts of Italy, it took 600 years to complete and we all got shivers seeing it for the first time. We learned the history of the Duomo along with other cathedrals in the area and the infamous statue David by Michelangelo. As for food, Florence ranks the best. I fell in love with potato pizza which is literally white pizza with oil and thin sliced potatoes on top. Sounds strange but definitely something you need to try. After a long day of sightseeing we saw the hotel we’d be staying at while in Florence. The rooms were 100 times bigger than the first and we got spoiled. Our room specifically was about as big and grand as the Duomo.

Our second day in Tuscany, we went to the small, quiet town of Siena. We had a guided tour which included the Siena Cathedral and the Piazza del Campo. The Piazza del Campo is the common grounds for everyone in the city. Once a year it is filled with dirt and grass and a huge horse race takes place like it did hundreds of years ago. My favorite memory in the Plaza was when Molly tried to order a slice of pizza for lunch but because of a slight language barrier ended up with a whole, uncut pizza. So what do we do? Of course sit down in the middle of the Plaza and watch as she folds the entire pizza in half and eats it like a sandwich.

On the way back to Florence, we stop at a medieval town called San Gimignano. Hundreds of years ago, the people of the town competed with one another to build the tallest tower over their house so the skyline of the town is amazing. At one point there were over seventy five towers. One of our favorite things to do was climb to the highest part of the city to see the views and take pictures. It became a challenge in a few towns but somehow we always managed to do it.

After two days in Florence we took another three hour drive to the city of Assisi. Assisi is well known for its beautiful architecture and cathedrals. It is also home to many monasteries and convents. Before our guided tour of St. James Basilica a small group of students went to see the fortress. The entire town was built up the the side of a small mountain and the fortress was used as look out for incoming troops or enemies through the valley below. We explored the grounds and the lower levels of the fortress for awhile before realizing that there was a tower attached and we could get even higher. Since we are seniors and don’t tend to use common sense, we climbed across the top of the tunnel to get to the look out instead of walking through it. The hotel we stayed at in Rome was near the heart of the city and definitely had its quirks. The one thing I remember about this hotel was some freshmen jumping balconies and terrifying anyone that left their window or door open.

The next day was the day we got to explore the capital of Italy; Rome. The day started off early with a tour of the Colosseum. Actually we were there so early that there weren’t any other tourists there. The tour continued through the Roman Forum where Julius Caesar spent much time and was ultimately killed. To see the next attraction we had to enter a new country; the Vatican City and got a tour of the Sistine Chapel. After the guide tour we were treated to the best gelato in Italy and we had some free time to walk around on our own. Many people chose to go see the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. It is tradition to throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain and make a wish but unfortunately it was under renovation and surrounded by scaffolding and plexiglass while we were there. But we didn’t let this stop us. We didn’t have time to wait in line and walk over the makeshift bridge they had set up through the middle for people to get a closer look, so we all just stood back and threw our coins as hard as we could towards the drained fountain. Lindsey being the powerhouse she is, threw hers so far it hit someone one on the head who was walking across the bridge. To say they looked confused would be an understatement.

We ended the trip by visiting one the backdrop to one of the most famous tragedies in history; Pompeii. I was surprised to see how big the city is and how much was still intact. The technologies and architecture back then was truly amazing.

The trip back was sorrowful because I think everyone fell in love with the beautiful country we left behind. My advice for anyone who thinks they want to travel, I say do it. Do whatever you have to do to see different places. You will learn so much about the people and cultures just by walking around. It’s also very humbling to see buildings and statues created hundreds even thousands of years ago. It really reminds you how young the United States is compared to the rest of the world. This might have been the best trip of my life and I would do it again in a heartbeat.