March 21st – Day 8

My favourite part about today was taking the amazing and breathtaking gondola ride.

-Lilou ’20

Aujourd’hui j’ai vraiment appréciée notre visite a la Basilique de Santa-Maria della Salute. Ce bâtiment a été construit il y a 950 ans. Le sol décorée de multiples mosaïques et fait à partir de marbre est époustouflant! Mon retour a la piazza San Marco m’a rappelé des souvenirs de ma premiere visite à Venise.

-Syera ’20

My favourite part of today was taking the TGV, listening to my music and laughing with all of my friends. I really enjoyed buying a charm for my necklace during free time.

-Eva ’20

My favourite part of today was our free time because we had the opportunity to experience Venice, and I discovered many original Italian shops. It was very enjoyable!

-Victoria ’20

The best part of today was strolling around the small streets of Venice. I had the chance to see beautiful architecture and canals. I can’t wait to come back to this amazing city!

-Ella ’20

My favourite part of the day was the gondola ride. It was so beautiful to see the colourful architecture reflect on the crystal blue lagoon. I enjoyed our tour of Saint Mark’s Basilica as well. 

-Sabrina ’20

My favourite part of the day was the gondola ride. It was the first time I’ve done that and I was a bit scared. What made it better was doing it with my friends and laughing together.

-Kendra ’20

My favourite part of the day was the free time. We had the opportunity to explore Venice with our friends. We went to some jewelry stores and explored the Italian culture. My friends and I laughed a lot and had a great time!

-Bella  ’20

I enjoyed the water taxi on the way to our hotel looking at the gondolas and the beautiful buildings. I liked free time where my friends and I walked around and explored. I had a very fun day!

-Emma ’20

My favourite part of today was the gondola ride. I really enjoyed going through the city and seeing the colourful buildings with my friends.

-Alessia ’20

I really enjoyed seeing the city through the different angles; the piazzas, the gondolas, the TGVs and just walking through the little streets and looking at the boutiques! It was a really cute city and I loved it! 

-Claire ’21

My favourite part was walking through the streets and enjoying the view from the gondola! I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to visit and learn about this beautiful city of Venice. 

-Sara ’21

I loved seeing all of the small canals and shops in all of the narrow pathways. The Basilica was beautiful on the inside and out, and I loved the gondola ride. I really enjoyed the city and I hope to visit again soon! 

-Lora ’21

My favourite part was having free time exploring and shopping with my friends in front of the Basilica. I really enjoyed exploring the history and the culture of this city!

-Erin ’21

The gondola was definitely the highlight for me during our time in Venice. It was an extremely unique experience to see the city from underneath the bridges.

-Mia ’21

My favourite part of the day was the gondola ride. I also loved exploring the city of Venice. It was a really pretty city because it was very unique.

-Juliette ’21

Venice was probably my favourite city, and I wish that we had more time there! The small canals and little alleys were really nice and cute. I also loved the gondola ride!

-Marielle ’21

I had a wonderful day! My favourite part was spending time with my students in Venice. I can finally take “gondola ride in Venice” off of my bucket list.

-Mrs. Lewis

Un petit arrêt à Venise en ce beau jeudi. Venise est une ville unique pour sa géographie , ses maisons, ses ponts et que dire de ses rues en labyrinthe!Une beauté unique qui vaut le détour ! À voir et à revoir

-Mme Senécal

Pizza San Marco and the Basilica Of Santa Maria Della Salute.
Syera, Eva, Lilou, Kendra and Sabrina enjoying their Gondola ride.
The Gondola, a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat. For centuries, the gondola was the main transportation system in Venice.
Our gondolier, Alessandro, hard at work!
We ended this perfect trip with penne and a picture. We would like to thank Alberto, our guide, for traveling around Italy with us.

March 20th – Day 7

Ciao, this morning we woke up in Florence and we had a nice breakfast. We had reservations with a private tour guide named Omar. He showed us all the paintings and sculptures of the Galleria Degli Uffizi museum. He explained how perpective in paintings was pioneered by the artists of Florence. We also learnt about the hidden symbolisms in each painting. For example, in the painting Spring by Sandro Botticelli, the qualities of purity, beauty and innocence are represented by the three women dressed in white.

Spring by Sandro Botticelli

For lunch, we had free time in the San Lorenzo market. We had an hour and a half to shop and choose a place to eat. 

  • Alessia class of 2020
Our tour guide, Omar telling us about Italian art of the renaissance.
The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli

Après notre visite du musée, nous avons eu l’occasion de se promener dans le marché de San Lorenzo et de faire des petits achats, et d’attraper un lunch au passage dans un immeuble avec des boutiques de spécialités italiennes . Nous sommes ensuite allées voir le fameux “duomo” de Florence et en avons observé l’architecture complexe et riche en histoire. Cette visite guidée nous a renseigné non seulement sur l’histoire de Florence mais aussi sur son architecture de l’époque de la Renaissance . Après cela, nous sommes allées manger une Gelato à une des Gelateria les plus vieilles de la ville, établie en 1939. Et finalement, nous sommes allées déguster notre dernière pizza traditionnelle du voyage à un petit restaurant pas trop loin de notre hôtel!


Eating yummy pizza at the Yellow Bar pizzeria

Demain direction Venise en TGV ! Une autre journée chargée devant nous !!

  • Ella class of 2020

March 19th – Day 6

Buona matina!

Nous avons débuté la journée avec notre dernier repas en Toscane. Un fabuleux déjeuner avec une grande variété de choix. 

Ensuite nous avons dû dire au revoir à la Toscane et pris l’autobus jusqu’à San Gimignano. À notre arrivée, nous avons rencontré notre guide Serena qui nous a expliqué les différents aspects de la ville et son importance. 

La ville se situe à une haute altitude, ce qui permet d’avoir une superbe vue sur les environs! Serena nous a expliqué que la ville comportait autrefois 72 tours mais qu’aujourd’hui il n’en reste que 14. Les tours et la muraille autour de la ville sont importantes car la ville avait besoin de protection. Les grandes tours et les bâtiments antiques sont très impressionnants!

Une fois entré dans la ville, nous avons observé de près les tours et les bâtiments qui datent Moyen- Âge. Serena nous a également expliqué qu’elle était à l’époque la place des femmes dans cette société. Les femmes n’avaient aucun droit et donc elles n’avaient accès à la Piazza que nous avons visité. 

Serena nous a beaucoup appris et nous garderons en mémoire tous ces bâtiment très impressionnants.

  • Lilou (Class of ’20)

Our second visit was at the Cathedral Square. Inside there were many paintings representing Jesus Christ and Catholicism. The wildly impressive paintings were created for the citizens who were unable to speak latin, so that they could understand the scriptures in the bible. We then visited another square with a well that would allow the villagers to have access to water, because the gates were always closed.

In the afternoon, we had lunch and we chose from a variety of meals. For dessert, we all indulged at the best gelato place in all of Italy and the world; Gelateria Dondoli!

After lunch, we got on the bus to go to our next stop, Florence. It was a 45 minute drive. When we arrived, it was sunny and the view was beautiful for a walk to the Plaza Michelangelo. On the way, we passed a river and many girls took amazing pictures of the view. The climb to the plaza was steep and difficult, but it was worth it because the view was absolutely breathtaking. We saw the whole city of Florence. We took a lot of photos while catching our breaths after the climb.

We left the plaza and headed to a pizzeria for dinner. We had tomato bruschetta and either a garlic and oil or a pesto pasta. It was so good that most girls asked for seconds.

After our dinner, we came back to the hotel and called it a day. We are all excited for our next adventure!

Ciao!

Kendra (Class of ’20)

A beautiful morning in San Gimignano!
Juliette, Isabella, Alessia and Marielle enjoying lunch
Enjoying lunch!
Visiting San Gimignano!
The medieval town of San Gimignano
The incredible view from Piazza Michelangelo
Victoria, Isabella and Kendra enjoying the sunset!
The Ponte Vecchio bridge at sunset

March 18th – Day 5

Bonjourno! 

We first woke up in our beautiful room in Tuscany and ate a delicious buffet style breakfast. We then got ready for the hike on the mountain nearby our hotel. After getting our lunch, we walked through the field next to the hotel to begin our 6 km hike. It was a steep and sometimes challenging climb, but the view at the very top was definitely worth it! From the lookout point, we could see the ocean, the hills and the countryside.

Après avoir mangé notre lunch, nous avons commencé notre longue descente , notre retour vers l’auberge . Ce fut une randonnée quand même difficile mais quelle expérience d’avoir marché dans cette superbe réserve nationale ! Une fois arrivées à la ferme, nous nous sommes reposées et profiter des quelques heures avant notre prochaine activité : La visite de la ferme. Nous avons fait le tour de l’écurie et avons vu tous les animaux. Ils étaient tous très mignons! Nous avons vu des chevaux et nous leur avons donné des pommes. Nous avons également vu plusieurs vaches, des taureaux et quelques chiens. Cette ferme est immense et tout ce qui est cultivé ou élevé est fait selon la méthode bio. Ensuite, on a mangé un délicieux souper…notre dernier en Toscane et nous sommes par la suite retournées à la chambre. Une très belle journée, une autre journée très remplie! Demain direction : Florence ! avec un arrêt dans un petit village du Moyen -âge.

  • Sara, Juliette et Marielle (class of ’21)

Ciao!

Us at the beginning of the hike!
Our guide, the 2nd Massimo we’ve encountered so far, on the hike!
Quand nous marchions à travers les vignobles!
Us walking in the woods!
An old watch tower used at the time to see enemies.
Rendues au sommet!
Notre belle vue sur la mer quand nous sommes arrivées en haut.
Us visiting the farm at the end of the day.
Feeding the cute horses!
Eva bonding with a horse.
The view from the farm!
We are all so happy to eat dinner!

March 17th – Day 4

Ciao!

Today we woke up early because we were heading to Tuscany. The bus ride was enjoyable. We played music on the speaker and got time to relax. We stopped at a little place on the side of the road where we got snacks. We arrived at around 12:30 at the Tenuta Agricola Farm. It is beautiful here and the rooms are gorgeous, spacious and very typically Italian.

We had a great lunch where we had paninis with fresh mozzarella, tomato and salami. They were delicious and we all wanted more!!!

We played a great game of soccer with Bella and Marielle as captains. It was a very competitive game and Ms.Lewis had to re-explain how to do a throw in.

Durant notre séjour en Toscane, nous avons mangé un excellent repas venant directement de la ferme. Nous avons eu un cours de cuisine où nous avons appris et recréé une des recettes originales des chefs comme des pâtes et du pain.

The food here is amazing. Dinner was extraordinary! It was definitely the best food we have had so far, and it was all made from scratch.

Ciao!

Emma Richard-Polidoro ’20 and Isabella Rutenberg ’20

Marielle is happy to be on the road to Tuscany.
Tenuta Agricola Farm and Estate
Fresh paninis!
Lunch
Soccer- the beautiful game.
Victoria is a pro!
Deliziso!

March 16th – Day 3

Ciao!

We started our day with a nice breakfast, then proceeded to visit the many landmarks we still have to see in Rome. We first went to the Colosseum, then to the Baths of Caracalla, and finally to the Palatine for lunch. In the afternoon, we went to the Roman Forum, the Trajan’s column, and for dinner, we went to the Trastevere district.

We started our day with the Colosseum. Our guide, Titziana mentioned that it was built with limestone and cement. The holes in the structure were part of a system to push the elements together. 

Our group photo in front of the Colosseum!

We arrived at 8:30 am to the huge view of the Colosseum. We spent some time taking photos of the group, and learnt more about the history of the colosseum. 

Both grades are getting to know each other!

We then entered the colosseum, another amazing experience began. It was drizzling outside, however it didn’t dampen the mood of seeing inside the colosseum. 

Entering the middle of the colosseum!

We also learnt that the colosseum is an amphitheatre that was used for gladiator fights against lions, tigers, and other gladiators. It holds 75 thousand spectators and they used 35 thousand slaves in the competitions.

It was one of the best educational and cultural sites we have been to so far. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot!

  • Lora McDonald Palmer ’21

After visiting the Colosseum, we walked to baths of Caracalla. On the way there, we passed by a school celebrating their sports day. They had a large band that played for the opening ceremonies.

Sports Day for the elementary schools in Rome!

The Caracalla is a place where the ancient romans exercise and bathe. We learnt how the baths and pools where created, and the history of it’s construction.

The outside view of the baths
Ancient romans walk 5km a day to exercise and maintain their fitness level. They would take a walk through the garden to access the baths.
Visiting the inside of the baths lead by our guide Tiziana.
Tiziana telling us the history of Caracalla.

After visiting the Caracalla, we climbed the Palatine Hill to have a picnic. 

Picnic time!
  • Erin Li ’21

Après le dîner, nous avons grimpé la colline de Palatine, tout en passant devant de nombreux bâtiments et monuments anciens, pour arriver à une vue magnifique faisant face au forum romain (le centre de la ville ancien de Rome). Nous avons descendu les escaliers pour faire le tour de l’endroit lorsque notre guide Titziana nous a parlé de la fonctionnalité du forum, ainsi que de quelques histoires. Après la belle promenade, l’aventure continue en direction de la colonne Trajan et les monuments environnants. C’est durant ce temps que notre guide magnifique, Titziana, nous a quitté. Merci pour le temps que vous nous a donné, nous avons vraiment apprecié tous les informations que vous avez partagé avec les voyageuses du Study! Ensuite, notre groupe s’est dirigé vers une expérience de magasinage dans le centre-ville, avec de jolis magasins et l’architecture remarquable. Pour le souper, nous nous sommes rendues dans le beau petit quartier de Travestere, où nous avons mangé des pâtes et du poulet dans un petit restaurant charmant. À la fin d’une longue journée, nous avons eu un gelato, avant de retourner à l’hôtel en autobus. 

View from the top of the Palatine Hill
One of the landmarks next to Trajan’s Column
We had a great time with Tatziana our guide in Rome.
A lovely bridge leading to the Trastevere district.
Dinner time!
An evening view of the Basilica of Santa Maria, which is one of the oldest churches in Rome.
  • Mia Su ’21

March 15th – Day 2

Buonasera!

Aujourd’hui, nous avons commencé notre journée avec un déjeuner typiquement italien. Ce fut très intéressant de faire la comparaison avec un petit déjeuner italien et ce que nous mangeons normalement chaque matin à la maison. Puis, nous avons commencé notre première grande aventure:  direction la cité du Vatican. Avant de débuter notre visite dans la Basilique St-Pierre, nous avons rencontré pour la première fois notre guide, Tizianna. Une guide qui nous a raconté plein de faits, de détails intéressants et nous sommes très excitées de la revoir demain! Nous avons visité la place Saint Pierre qui a été mon expérience favorite mais ce que j’ai aimé le plus de notre expédition est l’armée de la cité de Vatican. Les soldats étaient habillés en drôle d’uniforme qui date des années 1500. L’intérieur de la Basilique de Saint Pierre est remplie de sculptures et de drôles d’histoires.  Tizianna nous a raconté entre autre l’histoire qui a fait longtemps scandale, celle qui dit qu’une statue au fond de la Basilique, aurait été faite par un nul autre qu’un protestant dans ce lieu catholique !! Elle nous a dit que cette histoire était la rumeur dont tous parlaient dans la cité de Rome il y a bien longtemps. Plus tard, nous sommes allées visiter le sous- sol de la Basilique de Saint-Pierre où nous avons vues les tombes de plusieurs papes. Finalement, pour le lunch, nous sommes allées à une pizzeria locale et nous avons apprécié des pizzas et des salades délicieuses.

– Syera ’20

Salve!

Following our tour of the Vatican, we explored Piazza Navona. We enjoyed pizza and salad outdoors as well as visited Saint-Agnese church. This church was built in the seventeenth century and both its architecture and decor were inspired by the Baroque art movement. Facing it was the Fiumi Fountain which surrounded a copy of an Egyptian obelisk. 

We then visited Rome’s most significant temple, the Pantheon. We learned mostly about its construction and the artists who contributed to its breathtaking design. In fact, one of its primary artists, Raphael Sanzio da Urbino, is buried in the temple. As our tour came to an end, we decided it was time for some gelato! 

Our next activity involved exploring Campo Marzio. Firstly, Titziana showed us where one of Rome’s most controversial artists lived, Caravaggio, and told us his very interesting life story. Last but not least, we visited the Spanish steps and joined our friend Massimo again, for another splendid dinner in Rome. 

– Sabrina ’20

Alla prossima!

Waking up early was worth it!
The Vatican from a street away.
The splendid morning view of the Vatican.
The inside of the Vatican.
One of the many views from the Saint-Angelo bridge.
Mia and Erin carried away by the fantastic view!
A local artist uses sand to create dog sculptures.
The grade 9s making their way to the next stop.
Today, the girls are having salads with their homemade pizza.
A famous fountain that can be found in piazza Navona.
The Pantheon.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for…GELATO!
The portrait of Caravaggio. Caravaggio is a world renown Italian painter activity in Rome, Naples, Malta and Sicily from the early 1590s to 1610.
The awesome colourful bikes we saw all around town.
Spanish Steps!

March 14th – Day 1

Buongiorno! 

Today was our very first day in Rome! We arrived around 10 am at the Fiumicino airport and quickly picked up our luggage. Some of us went to a little cafe located inside the airport to get our first taste of the delicious Italian corneto, or as we call them croissants! During our bus ride to our hotel, we learnt different Italian phrases and words! We all know how to say; “Per primi vorrei una pizza per favore”. (For my first course I would like a pizza please!)

Lunch was at Antica Taverna Alba and our chef, Massimo, was great company. We had the opportunity to watch him prepare the dough before it went into the oven. He was certainly great at prepping the dough! Later on during our day, we took a tour around the city and visited the Basilica S. Maria and the Basilica of Sonata Maria Maggiore. The sculptures and murals were breathtaking and we learned that many were designed by the famous artist Michelangelo! 

– Eva ’20

Ciao!

On a mangé un repas délicieux sur une petite terrasse proche de l’hôtel. On a mangé de très bonnes pâtes et du poulet parmesan. We then went to the the Trevi Fountain, where we continued the tradition of throwing a coin into the fountain hoping it would grant our wish! Tous les fonds de cette fontaine sont envoyés à la foundation Trevi. Some of us enjoyed a gelato while others were busy taking pictures before heading back to the hotel.

– Sara ’21 

On our way to the hotel!
Erin and Mia enjoying their time in Italy.
Kendra, Syera, Eva and Lilou excited for the adventures to come.
Emma, Ella, Alessia, Isabella and Victoria are excited as well!
Posing in front of our first restaurant for lunch.
Chef Massimo preparing the dough for our pizzas.
Enjoying hand made pizzas.
Eating very delicious pizzas.
The beautiful architecture found in one of the basilicas we visited today.
The amazing ceiling art!
The Basilica of Sonata Maria Maggiore.
Lilou and Kendra observing the beautiful architecture.
The Basilica S. Maria.
The Trevi Fountain.
Ella, Eva and Emma visiting the Trevi Fountain.