Day trip to Siena!

Today was our full day excursion to Siena! We started our day in Siena with a visit to the Basilica of San Domencio where there are relics of Saint Catherine, a patron saint of Italy including her head and finger. We then walked to Piazza del Campo where students were given free time to explore the streets of Siena and grab some lunch. We then visited the Cathedral of Siena. The floor of the cathedral is decorated with marble mosaic artworks. After the Cathedral students had the opportunity to climb up the unfinished portion of the original transept to see the city's best aerial view possible.

Uffizi, Duomo, Cookings Groups

We started off our first full day in Rome with a visit to the Uffizi Gallery. Completed in 1581, the Uffizi Gallery is one of the most popular tourist sites in Florence. Adjacent to the Medici Palace, the museum is home numerous collections of paintings and statues including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Caravaggio, Raphael and many other celebrated artists. After an afternoon of free time, we walked to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, the cathedral of Florence. The cathedral (Duomo) is the world’s third largest church. We walked up 463 steps to the top of the Duomo for the best aerial view of Florence. For dinner, we tested our skills in the kitchen, as tonight was our first night of cooking groups! Each group picked a students apartment and started preparing all the ingredients. Tonight’s recipe was Insalata Verde (green salad) and Gnocchi alla Sorrentina (gnocchi with tomato sauce). Yum! 

Goodbye Rome, hello Florence!

We departed Rome early today and headed to Florence. Our hotel is just a few blocks from the San Lorenzo markets and the celebrated Piazza del Duomo, the heart of the historic city center. Our hotel is different than those in Athens and Rome as we are in spacious loft apartments with kitchens in each room. We quickly unpacked and headed to the Accademia, the museum that is home to Michelango’s David. On our way home, we took an orientation walk through the streets of Florence and stopped at the grocery store so that students could buy food to make breakfast and lunch for the week. Everyone's pre-college budgeting skills were put to the test as they navigated the Italian super market using their apartment grocery stipends to buy fresh cheeses, fruits, veggies, pasta and the like for their daily family-style meals. For dinner, we enjoyed a catered meal from a local restaurant which included a delicious pesto lasagna (which has become a group favorite), caprese salad and crispy oven-baked potatoes. Later that night staff surprised the students (and their retention of Florentine history and Italian culture!) with a photo scavenger hunt competition which included items from the Medici Crest to cartwheels in front of the Duomo to chocolate gelato covered faces!

Last Day in Rome and Suzi’s Bday

Happy Birthday Suzi! Today not only did we celebrate our last day in Rome, but also it was Suzi’s 17^th birthday. We started our last day in Rome with a trip to Vatican City to visit the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Cathedral. We entered the Vatican Museum and made our way to what many consider to be Vatican City's main attraction, the Sistine Chapel. It took Micheangelo four years to create his masterpiece and completed it in 1512. On our way through the museum we passed numerous important and historical artifacts including the famous School of Athens painting painted by Italian Renaissance artist Raphael.  After the Vatican, students had the afternoon to explore Rome one last time. Later that evening in honor of our last day in Rome and Suzi’s birthday we ended the night with a group pizza party at the staff’s favorite restaurant in Rome. For dessert we had a surprise cake for the birthday girl and everybody got to try a selection of tasty Roman pastries including savory ricotta cheesecake and pistachio sweet bread.

Free Day Rome!

Today was our free day in Rome! Students had the opportunity to participate in many optional cultural activities including a church walk, a visit to the Jewish Quarter which boasts the largest synagogue in all of Italy and an outing to the Da Vinci Museum where the students had the chance to examine models of Leonardo Da Vinci’s machines. For dinner, staff had planned surprise visit to SMOM, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta famous for its keyhole view of St. Peter's. While at SMOM, we enjoyed a picnic at an adjacent park that provided an amazing aerial view of the city.

Borghese Gallery, Bone Church, Trevi Fountain and Women’s World Cup Final

The Borghese Gallery contains paintings, sculptures and mosaic floors pieces from the 15^th to 18^th century. The two-story gallery includes numerous statues by Lorenzo Bernine including the dynamic Apollo and Daphne and also Bernine’s David. For lunch we walked to the Spanish steps were we sat and had a picnic of pizza and salad. After lunch and some free time we made our way to the crypt of Santa Maria della Concezione (The Bone Church), a famous church in Rome. A very sacred site and probably the most fascinating we had seen yet. The crypt is decorated with the bones of thousands of holy men. On our way back to Campo de Fiori, we made a stop at the Trevi fountain and students were able to throw coins into the fountain to ensure their return to Rome one day. For dinner, our Program Director was able to find a restaurant with a TV and an owner who was willing to let our group watch the women’s world cup final USA versus Japan.