Day 6--Assisi and Rome

 Today we visited the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi on our way to Rome, which is also known for being one of the greenest parts of Italy. There was little to no industrialization and all the roads were extremely small. We were only there for a bit but it was like stepping a bit into medieval times when you enter the church. Even while walking the streets it felt like a completely different time period.

We left at around 8 am and on our way there saw a 2008 Lotus Elise, the driver was very kind and the car was not stock, with Proxy tires and aftermarket exhaust as well as being a manual it was a refreshing look that is not common in the states. The owner also had on Lotus shoes which were cool. After we finished our stop we were able to head to Assisi and passed the fourth largest lake in all of Italy. It was where Hannibal ambushed the Romans and was able to truly put fear into the Roman empire. Some Roman troops escaped and warned the capital but they felt that Hannibal was too close and he had already defeated two legions so they all believed they were doomed. But instead, Hannibal moved past them with other plans in mind.

Then we arrived in Assisi where there were very few cars and just nature and homes that rather than pushing nature away seemed to accept it and worked around the trees making it seem like a gem in all of the lush green trees on the hillside. As we made our way through the lush we were able to see the first of the 3 walls that surrounded the city. We first went to get food and see the castle at the top of the hill, it was a hot day but we made it to the top, and sadly it is under repair so we could not enter but it was still an amazing view from the outside. You could see for miles at the top of this hill next to the castle.

After we climbed back down to go back to the bottom of the hill we headed toward the church of St. Francis where we were able to see his tomb. One interesting thing about Francis is that he is one of the quickest people to become a Saint. It was a very short two years after his death before he was named a Saint, which is pretty crazy since most of the time it can take years on years to be named a Saint.

Once we finished our tour we went back to the bus and started to head toward Rome. After about 2 hours we made it and it was a very busy city. As we had some free time before dinner we were at the Spanish steps which aren’t even Spanish. We were able to head down one of the most expensive streets in all of Rome. Honestly, I was excited to see a Ferrari store but that soon died when a hoodie cost $500, just goes to show the Ford GT is superior (this alludes to Ford beating Ferrari at lemans). We then met back up to have dinner and tried 3 new pizzas. Personally, the pizza with just salami and cheese was really good. The mushroom pizza was alright me and my pizza connoisseur Weston believed it was not as good as the salami pizza. Tomorrow we will have a lot more time to adventure the city so that will be a lot of fun.

--Ricardo

Day 5--Florence!

 Cheering erupts from below, vespas engines reving, footsteps on the cobblestone floor echo along the walls, all heard from the top of Giottos Campanile. Seeing Florence from above is truly the most beautiful sight to be seen. While the 414 steps up here were brutal, I would do it again. Before the journey to the Campanile we headed to see Michelangelo’s David, which was made clear that it was the real statue and not fake one to be seen in the Piazza della Signora, the square and city’s center point. Seeing the statue was incredible, as the statue seemed simple in pictures it was anything but simple in person. The details on him were insane to see, and I got to check that off my bucket list. Inside the museum were hundreds of beautiful paintings that I could have spent half the day staring at. I had never before seen so much breathtaking art in one place. Later in the afternoon we went to the Florence Cathedral and below it was the crypt where there were the tombs of important figures from Florence, as well as relics, and mosaic along the walls. The crypt was a fascinating place since I don’t think I’ve ever been to anything like it before. We ended the night across the Ponte Vechio bridge to the Piazza della passera, where we have found that most locals live and shows the real idea of life in Florence. Florence has become one of my favorite cities in Italy, all the incredible art, the roads, and the architecture is breath-taking.  

When you think about traveling to a place that is known for its art, you don’t realize how precious it all delay is. Seeing these places with my own eyes had made me become curious on how everything in Italy works. I started to see that every place we saw was made to allow tourists see and remember the monuments. Everything is made to make it safe for tourists, even the churches, so they could take pictures or walk through correctly. This made me wonder how tourism has changed the way country have evolved socially and economically . In the end, it must be a positive action, but I can’t help but wonder what Italy would feel like without the effects of tourism. How well would the art preservation be, would there still be the same museums with these famous works, etc. in the end, the day was incredible, and I got to see Florence in a different point of view, getting to walk the streets again and again feel as though I belong here, the rusting of the restaurants we pass makes me think I can visit every one of them. Two days in Florence was just enough to show me how beautiful it was, but also make me eager to come back one day. 

--Katherine

Day 4--Pisa

 Day 4 Pisa

Today we went on an excursion to see the leaning tower of Pisa! Everyone took a morning snooze on our way there for the hour bus ride. When we arrived it was more than just the leaning tower there was a cathedral and a baptistery. Our main excitement was of course the tower so our tour guide was very helpful in explaining the life that the tower went through. She explained how two different architects worked on its structure to keep it from collapsing. 

On our way back Andrea surprised us with an extra excursion to see the Mediterranean Sea! We were able to dip our feet in the crystal clear water and get our toes all sandy. Also we grabbed a snack of fresh fried calamari ! I am so thankful for Andrea and that out of itinerary excursion we were able to experience !!

Making our way back to Florence the views of the Tuscany countryside was breathtaking. You could see the history within the villas and the agriculture. 

--Michelle

[PS: There was a beautiful photo of Florence at sunset included, but we can't get it to upload properly. We'll try later!]

Day 3 - Florence

 Today we started off early once again (though a little less early than the past two days) to start our trip to Florence. We got on the bus at 8:30 AM and enjoyed a scenic ride through the Italian countryside. We were able to see many of the beautiful mountains and vineyards for which Italy is known. We also experienced the strangeness of going through tunnels under the mountains, some of which were so long that they took several minutes to go through.

 At around 10:15 we stopped at a rest stop, which was far busier and nicer than any of its American equivalents that I have seen. It also had some food and snacks that were strangely familiar yet so different.

 We then got back on the bus and finsihed the drive to Florence, or, as it is called in Italian, Firenze. Upon our arrival we were immediately greeted by the sights of the amazing architecture and ancient structures of the city, which were only more and more impressive the further into the city we got. The below picture is of the Basilica, which was my personal favorite of all the buildings we saw. We were able to have some free time for lunch, and so a group of us girls went to a nearby restaurant where we were able to have some delicious pasta. 

Then, we went on a guided tour where we were shown some of the most impressive sights around Florence. Our tour guide told us many interesting facts about not only the structure of the city, which was founded about 1500 years ago, but also about some of the most important people who had lived and worked there over the years, including Leonardo Da Vinci, the Medici family, and Donatello.

At the end of the tour, we were able to go to a leather shop and learn about how leather is made in Florence. The shop had many gorgeous pieces in all different colors, including some boxes with gold leaf detailing on them. I had no idea that it was possible to make leather boxes!

Then, we had free time again. I pretty much all of this time with Miranda, Nicole, Erin, Kaitlynne, Ricardo, and Weston. The first thing we did when we set out together was to go get gelato. It's no exaggeration that it is much better in Italy. We went to a nearby museum that featured a lot of statues, and in particular was known for their statues made by Donatello. This included his statue of David, which was amazing to see in person, but was also a lot smaller than I was expecting it to be. 

After our free time was over, we all went to a local restauant for dinner. We were able to have ravioli (with homemade noodles!), and what was described to us as the Italian version of meatloaf, but actually looked more similar to meatballs. For dessert, we had tiramisu. It was all so delicious.

After dinner, just as the sun was beginning to set, we took one last walk through Florence to get to our bus and head back to the hotel for the night. The view from the river was incredible. I can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow.

Day 2 in Venice!

Our day today started bright and early. We met for breakfast and headed out for a full day in Venice before 8am! We hopped on a ferry-type boat that took us to the island of Murano - an island that neighbors Venice - to watch a glassblowing demonstration. As Venice grew as a city, the Venetians placed many of the up-and-coming trade factories on the smaller islands to maintain Venice as the cultural center it had become; Murano is an example of one of those islands. Here, we saw a glassblowing "master" create a unique cup and a horse out of glass in just minutes! We learned that it takes 15-20 years of apprenticeship to become a master. I chatted with some group members about how much of a commitment this is. Because of that commitment, it makes sense to us that some of their creations are worth thousands of euros. After the demonstration, we shopped a little, took some pictures, and headed to Venice by boat. 

Back in Venice, we met up with a native Venetian tour guide. He walked us through much of the city, explaining the significance of some architecture, different churches/saints, and even the maintainence of the canals. We learned a lot! I found it especially interesting that the Venetians used the loot they stole during the crusades in some of the facades of palaces in Venice, and we can still identify what isn't native to Venice today. We concluded our tour in St. Mark's square. We divided into groups of five and hopped into gondolas. This was about a half-hour ride on elongated boats through the canals! Very touristy, but a necessary experience. 

After the gondolas, we had a bit of free-time for lunch before entering the Doge's Palace. The "doge" was essentially the duke of Venice, and he had quite the palace. The art on the walls and ceiling was amazing, and it seemed like the rooms never ended! We even ended up in the dungeon, where criminals were clearly held at some point. We noted the full collections of weaponry, and discussed the differences between museums in the US and museums like this one. The US has to take many of their featured exhibits from other countries; the items we saw here were likely just stored in the palace until someone decided to show them! It was cool to imagine the doge, and the other leaders, living and working in this palace. 

After finishing up in the doge's palace, we had additional free time. I hung out with Jess and Nicole for the most part today, crossing paths with other friends here and there. Jess, Nicole, and I decided to go up to the top of the Bell Tower. From that vantage point, we could see the entirety of Venice and the neighboring islands. It was beautiful. Then, we grabbed more gelato, shopped for some postcards, and wrapped up our last day in Venice. 

At the last minute, a small group of us decided to do dinner in downtown Vicenza - the town our hotel is in. We found ourselves in the midst of "la passagiata." This, apparently, is the evening stroll that italians take between 5 and 9pm. There was music and mingling - not a whole lot of dinner options, but it was worth it to experience this part of Italian culture. 

On to Florence tomorrow!

Miranda

Italy Day 1 - Venice

The Trolls have made it to Italy! After a stop in Philadelphia and an eight hour flight to Venice, we made it. We landed in the morning so we had plenty of time to get a head start exploring the city. We took a train to the island of Venice. Then we got to exploring. We walked over bridges and through many alleys. We had time to wander with each other looking for lunch. My group decided to try pizza and gelato. It was all very delicous! We then walked some more to the beautiful Doge Palace and St. Mark's Square. We had some more time to explore on our own around St. Mark's Square. I look forward to going inside and the tours in the Palace tomorrow. Today was the perfect day to get familar with Venice. Tomorrow we have lots of plans with boat rides, glass blowing, a gondola ride, and going inside Doge's Palace. I am excited to go inside to see where the Doge lived and where he worked. This is just the beginning so, check back in tomorrow to see our next exciting adventures.

Shannon Simpson

Welcome!

 Hello! Welcome our blog that will give you some glimpses into our 2022 travels to Italy. For most days of our trip you'll see a blog post from one of the students on the trip. This allows you, our readers, to gain some insights into what we are seeing and doing on our trip. It also allows the students to reflect on their own learning and experiences. You might even pick up on the students reflecting on the interdisciplinary nature of the trip. That is, we're learning about art, history, geography, culture, economics, and so on, all at the same time! Whether you're a family member, friend, or member of the Trinity community, we hope you enjoy our posts.