Over Spring Break, a group of 18 Upper School students in grades 9-12; Rebecca Brown, Upper School art teacher; and Registrar Jennifer Woods, traveled to Italy to expand their knowledge of art history and immerse themselves in a new culture. Students visited Verona, Venice, Ravenna, Florence, San Gimignano, Siena, and Rome to gain a diverse cultural experience. Below Jennifer Woods shares about the trip:
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After two flights totaling 10 hours, a four hour layover in Amsterdam, an hour and a half bus ride to Verona, and pouring, sideways rain in temps just above freezing, I’ll be honest—our trip got off to a rocky start. I’m sure Verona is beautiful, and we did visit the famous Juliet Capulet balcony and the third largest amphitheater in the Roman world, but we were tired and cold and wet, making our first stop difficult to appreciate. I remember trudging along the streets of Verona praying, “Lord, please don’t let the weather be like this all week. Please allow these students to soak in the beauty of this country.”
We woke up the next morning in Venice to answered prayers. We were all well-rested, and the rain held off for the most part, making day two and every day thereafter an incredible experience. After all, if you can’t have fun in Venice, I’m guessing you can’t have fun anywhere. In Venice, students learned about the influence of the Moorish culture on the architecture and art. The city itself functions as its own canvas. From the sherbet-colored palaces lining the aqua Grand Canal, to the intricate architecture and sparkling mosaics adorning all of the major buildings, Venice is like no other place on earth. Many of our students even experienced the beauty of Venice on one of its famous gondola rides. In terms of art, the students learned about Commedia dell’Arte, even going on a scavenger hunt throughout the city streets to identify all of the different masks. They even put on their own skits in a
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city square, using their knowledge of the different characters to drive the plot and performance. Ms. Marsh, our drama teacher, would have been proud! We also toured the Doge’s Palace, which is where the rulers of Venice lived. The palace was grand and ornate, but my favorite part was going down to the dungeon. Oh my word was it dark and confined. Why on earth would anyone risk breaking a law in Venice?!? After our historical tour of Venice, we also toured the Peggy Guggenheim museum on the Grand Canal. Her house alone was impressive, but her collection of modern art complete with Picasso, Pollack, and Kandinsky was even more impressive. On the last night of the trip when the students were asked what their favorite part of was, almost everyone cited exploring Venice as the highlight. I think everyone left a little piece of his or her heart in that special city. Hopefully it won’t sink before they are able to make it back!
After Venice, we stopped in Ravenna en route to Florence. Ravenna gave everyone a chance to experience a typical Italian town away from the touristy crowds. Ravenna is famous for its Byzantine art, specifically its mosaics. The focus of our tour was Basilica of San Vitale. Admittedly, the brick façade was rather unimpressive, especially after Venice where every building is unique and over-the-top. Once inside, however, we were all impressed. How in the world was it possible for these sixth-century artists to create such intricate, realistic pieces of art out of tiny pieces of cut glass inside a towering dome? Honestly, because I am not an artist, the churches and museums started blending together at some point, but the feeling of being overwhelmingly in awe of the skill, beauty, and artistry never did.
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After the day trip in Ravenna we found ourselves in the birthplace of the Renaissance—Florence. On the ride to Firenze (as the Italians call it), the students participated in a Renaissance debate for which they took on the persona of a great figure of the Renaissance and had to defend why their person is the greatest contributor to the time. With that foundation, the students were primed to further their understanding of the importance of the city and its artists. And boy did they further this understanding; we were on the move in Florence! From the Accademia featuring Michelangelo’s The David, to the Uffizi with Bottecelli’s the Birth of Venus, to the Duomo featuring Brunelleschi’s famous dome (some of our students scaled all 463 steps!) and the carved bronze doors of the Baptistery which launched the Renaissance movement, our students are now well-versed in Renaissance art! In terms of cultural experiences, the students bartered in the famous San Lorenzo leather market and even learned how to cook homemade pasta and Italian meatloaf (tagliatelle pomodoro and polpettone if we’re being technical) at a famous culinary school. Florence was busy—maybe our busiest city—but the experience was well worth the over 20,000 steps we tallied—Mrs. Brown wore her FitBit!
From Florence, we stopped in San Gimignano and were transported back to medieval times. Seriously, if it weren’t for the few cars we saw, we felt like a knight and a maiden could appear at any moment. The highlight of this town was the best gelato in the world. No exaggeration. Our tour guide, Stefania, took us to the actual gelateria that has claimed multiple world titles for its gelato. I made sure to get three scoops in San Gimignano. Don’t ask me my total number of scoops for the trip—I think I lost count around day three! From there, we continued our Tuscan tour with a lunch stop in Siena, famous for its bareback horse race, Palio di Siena, through the streets and into the square. Siena’s square was stunning and provided the perfect backdrop for our lunch that day.
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Finally, we made it to our final destination, the culmination of the tour—Rome. Cramming Rome into two days was no small feat. It’s a big city obviously rich in history, and Stefania meticulously planned our schedule to allow for us not only to hit the highlights, but also to simply absorb the majesty of the city. On day one we covered ancient Rome. Our local guide took us to the Roman Forum, Colosseum, and the Pantheon, and this is where the students’ prior knowledge of the Roman Empire from Church and Medieval History and European History classes came to life. They loved seeing in person what they have studied for years in class. It made looking at a bunch of ruins and crumbling columns way more interesting! On day two we experienced Catholic Rome, touring the Vatican, including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. This was also our last day in Rome but our first—yes, first—day of sunshine. So, after the intense tour of the Vatican, we ate a leisurely lunch in the Borghese Gardens and capped off our tour of museums with a scavenger hunt in the Borghese Gallery, which features Baroque art. After this gallery, we were done with the formal tours and had the chance to wander around the city, tossing coins into Trevi Fountain and enjoying free time at the Spanish Steps. At dinner that night, it hit us that our trip was over. However, all students, whether traveling internationally for a long time or out of the country for the first time, said they were inspired to keep traveling and exploring new cultures, fulfilling the main goal of the trip to encourage students to step out of their comfort zones and experience the great big world our Creator made. There is life outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and we want our students to experience it.
Traveling with 18 teenagers abroad is a risk. Will they remember their manners? Will they lose their
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passport? How many times will we hear, “I’m hungry,” or, “I’m tired”? But, can I just say that these kids were incredible? We were busy. Every day was packed. We woke up early and stayed up late and ate food we weren’t used to eating. And these kids were troopers. Not every situation was ideal, but our kids pushed through and fully engaged in the experience. My favorite part of the trip was seeing the country through their eager, excited eyes. Our students are the best.
After two flights totaling 10 hours, a four hour layover in Amsterdam, an hour and a half bus ride to Verona, and pouring, sideways rain in temps just above freezing, I’ll be honest—our trip got off to a rocky start. I’m sure Verona is beautiful, and we did visit the famous Juliet Capulet balcony and the third largest amphitheater in the Roman world, but we were tired and cold and wet, making our first stop difficult to appreciate. I remember trudging along the streets of Verona praying, “Lord, please don’t let the weather be like this all week. Please allow these students to soak in the beauty of this country.”
We woke up the next morning in Venice to answered prayers. We were all well-rested, and the rain held off for the most part, making day two and every day thereafter an incredible experience. After all, if you can’t have fun in Venice, I’m guessing you can’t have fun anywhere. In Venice, students learned about the influence of the Moorish culture on the architecture and art. The city itself functions as its own canvas. From the sherbet-colored palaces lining the aqua Grand Canal, to the intricate architecture and sparkling mosaics adorning all of the major buildings, Venice is like no other place on earth. Many of our students even experienced the beauty of Venice on one of its famous gondola rides. In terms of art, the students learned about Commedia dell’Arte, even going on a scavenger hunt throughout the city streets to identify all of the different masks. They even put on their own skits in a
city square, using their knowledge of the different characters to drive the plot and performance. Ms. Marsh, our drama teacher, would have been proud! We also toured the Doge’s Palace, which is where the rulers of Venice lived. The palace was grand and ornate, but my favorite part was going down to the dungeon. Oh my word was it dark and confined. Why on earth would anyone risk breaking a law in Venice?!? After our historical tour of Venice, we also toured the Peggy Guggenheim museum on the Grand Canal. Her house alone was impressive, but her collection of modern art complete with Picasso, Pollack, and Kandinsky was even more impressive. On the last night of the trip when the students were asked what their favorite part of was, almost everyone cited exploring Venice as the highlight. I think everyone left a little piece of his or her heart in that special city. Hopefully it won’t sink before they are able to make it back!
After Venice, we stopped in Ravenna en route to Florence. Ravenna gave everyone a chance to experience a typical Italian town away from the touristy crowds. Ravenna is famous for its Byzantine art, specifically its mosaics. The focus of our tour was Basilica of San Vitale. Admittedly, the brick façade was rather unimpressive, especially after Venice where every building is unique and over-the-top. Once inside, however, we were all impressed. How in the world was it possible for these sixth-century artists to create such intricate, realistic pieces of art out of tiny pieces of cut glass inside a towering dome? Honestly, because I am not an artist, the churches and museums started blending together at some point, but the feeling of being overwhelmingly in awe of the skill, beauty, and artistry never did.
After the day trip in Ravenna we found ourselves in the birthplace of the Renaissance—Florence. On the ride to Firenze (as the Italians call it), the students participated in a Renaissance debate for which they took on the persona of a great figure of the Renaissance and had to defend why their person is the greatest contributor to the time. With that foundation, the students were primed to further their understanding of the importance of the city and its artists. And boy did they further this understanding; we were on the move in Florence! From the Accademia featuring Michelangelo’s The David, to the Uffizi with Bottecelli’s the Birth of Venus, to the Duomo featuring Brunelleschi’s famous dome (some of our students scaled all 463 steps!) and the carved bronze doors of the Baptistery which launched the Renaissance movement, our students are now well-versed in Renaissance art! In terms of cultural experiences, the students bartered in the famous San Lorenzo leather market and even learned how to cook homemade pasta and Italian meatloaf (tagliatelle pomodoro and polpettone if we’re being technical) at a famous culinary school. Florence was busy—maybe our busiest city—but the experience was well worth the over 20,000 steps we tallied—Mrs. Brown wore her FitBit!
From Florence, we stopped in San Gimignano and were transported back to medieval times. Seriously, if it weren’t for the few cars we saw, we felt like a knight and a maiden could appear at any moment. The highlight of this town was the best gelato in the world. No exaggeration. Our tour guide, Stefania, took us to the actual gelateria that has claimed multiple world titles for its gelato. I made sure to get three scoops in San Gimignano. Don’t ask me my total number of scoops for the trip—I think I lost count around day three! From there, we continued our Tuscan tour with a lunch stop in Siena, famous for its bareback horse race, Palio di Siena, through the streets and into the square. Siena’s square was stunning and provided the perfect backdrop for our lunch that day.
Finally, we made it to our final destination, the culmination of the tour—Rome. Cramming Rome into two days was no small feat. It’s a big city obviously rich in history, and Stefania meticulously planned our schedule to allow for us not only to hit the highlights, but also to simply absorb the majesty of the city. On day one we covered ancient Rome. Our local guide took us to the Roman Forum, Colosseum, and the Pantheon, and this is where the students’ prior knowledge of the Roman Empire from Church and Medieval History and European History classes came to life. They loved seeing in person what they have studied for years in class. It made looking at a bunch of ruins and crumbling columns way more interesting! On day two we experienced Catholic Rome, touring the Vatican, including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. This was also our last day in Rome but our first—yes, first—day of sunshine. So, after the intense tour of the Vatican, we ate a leisurely lunch in the Borghese Gardens and capped off our tour of museums with a scavenger hunt in the Borghese Gallery, which features Baroque art. After this gallery, we were done with the formal tours and had the chance to wander around the city, tossing coins into Trevi Fountain and enjoying free time at the Spanish Steps. At dinner that night, it hit us that our trip was over. However, all students, whether traveling internationally for a long time or out of the country for the first time, said they were inspired to keep traveling and exploring new cultures, fulfilling the main goal of the trip to encourage students to step out of their comfort zones and experience the great big world our Creator made. There is life outside of Atlanta, Georgia, and we want our students to experience it.
Traveling with 18 teenagers abroad is a risk. Will they remember their manners? Will they lose their
passport? How many times will we hear, “I’m hungry,” or, “I’m tired”? But, can I just say that these kids were incredible? We were busy. Every day was packed. We woke up early and stayed up late and ate food we weren’t used to eating. And these kids were troopers. Not every situation was ideal, but our kids pushed through and fully engaged in the experience. My favorite part of the trip was seeing the country through their eager, excited eyes. Our students are the best.