Assisi

"Make me a channel of your peace...where there is hatred let me bring your love, where there is injury, your pardon Lord and where there is doubt true faith in you. Oh Master grant that I may never seek so much to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand. To be loved as to love with all my soul..." Our day began quite early! Our group couldn't have been more co-operative, punctual and helpful. A responsible handful of boys took on the task to assist with removing luggages and boarding the bus for a prompt departure. Never a complaint was heard but rather an overall spirit of team work was the driving force. We left our hotel with compliments from the management noting that our students were well behaved And we're welcome back! Ricardo smiled and said that our students must come from good families (buona famiglia). They sure do! Simone our bus driver commented as well that our students are top notch! As you can see we are leaving a good impression here in Italy and your children are well received. Ms. Rocca led prayers with the prayer of St. Francis as we travelled our way from Tuscany to Umbria. We had a little fun as she re-baptized us with Italian names having been here for 5 days and enduring record temperatures we certainly earned them! On our way to Assisi we welcomed Alessandra, Matteo, Giancarlo, Andrea, Michele and many more! Teresa seranaded us with the hymn "prayer of St. Francis" and led us to experience two extra highlights of the day, a visit to Lago Trasimeno and Santa Maria Deglie Angeli church ( both so incredibly breath taking in their own ways). We entered Assisi to learn about St. Francis and St. Chiara with Gloria our guide. We had free time and boarded the bus to Siena where we will make this place our home for the next stretch of our program. We had our second trivia game, Michelangelo vs Dante with review questions based on our experiences, guided tours etc. The Michelangelo team won this round! We want to thank Simone our bus driver who brought us here in safety. Grazie! We freshened up and gathered for a welcome reception by the hotel followed by dinner. We took an orientation tour of the Campo and surrounding streets which I am sure we will get to know quite well during our stay. Classes begin tomorrow as the English group will go to school and the Art group will gather in the garden and explore the area as artists would do. Luca and Michael are supervising and we look forward to working with them artistically. Last but not least we would like to end our night saying Buon Compleanno to Maleeka who we baptized and is now our Italian Mia! We hope that you will always cherish your 17th birthday in all your years to come and that you will remember your travel family with your print! Auguri! peace

Highlights!

"Education is a life long journey whose destination expands as you travel." Jim Stovall We can not even begin to summarize the highlights of the day because there were so many to choose from. Andrea, our guide underpinned the lessons we learned from our Visual Arts and English classes by reviewing the contextual references found by touring the Santa Maria Novella Duomo and Accademia where we were taken aback with the site of the "real" Davide. We had a fabulous day in Firenze as students took advantage of their second day to explore the city and sites with greater confidence and familiarity. All the while the conversations among the group demonstrated that they were really making some solid connections to their learning. In abundance and in total immersion is how best to explain this enriching educational experience. This evening we celebrated Roman's 17th birthday with a cake presented to him by Ms. Battista. as an added sentiment our travel family also presented Roman with a print of Firenze as a keepsake with written sentiments on the reverse. We hope that this will become a special reminder of the unforgettable memories we are making together. Teresa has become our most cherished guide ensuring that everything is organized like a Swiss watch, adding those special little extras that we appreciate very much. We have heard the kids say " she is like my nonna!" and although Teresa doesn't look a nonna we have to think that it is the best compliment one could receive. She sang to us today on the bus, "o sole mio" and how could we forget the wonderful detour she allowed us to take yesterday to the incredible vista of Florence called Piazzolo Michelangelo. The best gift she gave us was this evening where she co ordinated a trip to Montecantini Alto! AH! Simply stunning! We took the funicolare to the top of this mountain top where the view was picturesque with an ambiance resembling that of an old Italian movie. There were live musicians, people strolling, children playing and a starry evening sky. Thank you Teresa for all you do! The students are in their rooms getting ready for a good night's rest as tomorrow we have an early wake up call and then traveling to Assisi! Notte!

Firenze!

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful we must carry it with us or we find it not" Ralph Waldo Emerson What an experience to be immersed within the premier artistic capital of the Renaissance. We were enchanted by the walk through the cobblestones streets, past the Duomo, Baptistry and Piazza Della Signoria where students immediately recognized works of art that they studied. We had the most amazing tour of the Uffizi gallery by two very knowledgeable guides, Andrea and Annamaria. We then proceeded to Santa Croce to see the tombs of Galileo, Michelangelo, Machievelli and the cenotaph of Dante. We explored Firenze in some record heat but we all enjoyed our time under the Tuscan sun! Students had free time to explore, shop, indulge in more gelato and local treats. We returned to freshen up, gathered to have a delicious dinner together and enjoyed some piazza life. at one point some us gathered to chat, laugh, dance, share some treats and learn more about each other. What is so wonderful about these students is that they have embraced eachother with a sense of family regard for one another. It is an endearing bond that is seen in the way they laugh, support, share and respect one another. Tomorrow we will brave day 2 in Firenze with temperatures which are said to be about 40 degrees (Dante is welcoming us Canadians with his inferno!) ha! But we can not wait to return so we can see Michelangelo's David in the Accademia and the Santa Maria Novella Duomo!

God's Classroom

" We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the by paths and untrodden depth of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey." John Hope Franklin Our morning started with this quote as we made our way to Ravenna. Upon leaving our hotel the management complimented our students for their respectful and considerate behaviour. We were quite proud to know that these young ambassadors of YCDSB are already making a positive impact. During our drive we had a trivia competition on the bus quizzing the students on the various pieces of information learned about Venice, Italy and if they could say certain words in Italian. We arrived in Ravenna for a guided tour of the Basilica di San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (one of the structures that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the tomb of Dante Alighieri. It was a perfect day that fused our subject areas of study quite perfectly with the art of the mosaics and the the literature study of Dante for the English students. We arrived in Montecatini, had a great dinner, met with our subject teachers then explored the centre of town. Tomorrow we will experience Day 1 out of the 2 days in Firenze (the birthplace of the Renaissance and of course Dante among other writers). This will truly be an enriching experience we can not wait to share with you! A domani

La Serenissima

We began our day with a prayer dedicated to the patron saint of travellers, St. Christopher. Coming from such a long way from home we can hardly believe we are finally here! "Carry me safely to my destined place, like you carried Christ in your close embrace." VENEZIA was today's destination and like the bridge of sighs Venezia was breathtaking. We visited a glass blowing studio and had a most amazing tour by a local resident Loredana who took us to see some nooks and points of interest that we would have not otherwise seen. We learned about the historical and cultural references of San Marco's Square, the Rialto bridge etc. We had free time to explore! Some students experienced a gondola ride while others visited the basilica and so much more! An extremely hot day but we took it all in with an unrushed sense of adventure. The students have been incredibly awesome learning to be travel savvy and now shining with that Italian glow that only Italy can give. They are so polite and are also picking up on the Italian language immersing themselves as much as possible. Parents we are so proud of your children! They are having a great time and we are blessed to be with them! We are getting ready for dinner and then another evening of piazza time! Tomorrow Is a travel day. We are off to Ravenna to see the mosaics and then will arrive in Montecatini. We indulged in Venice like Truman Capote once stated, "Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolates in one go!"

Pronto Venezia

We had a wonderful start to our first day in Italy! We explored ( found an amazing art store!) enjoyed some gelato and had some piazza time shopping, listening to outdoor musicians and being able to properly adjust ourselves to a new place/time/language. We are enthusiastic to take on Venice tomorrow as we have an experienced tour guide leading our group. We will explore some hidden historical/art treasures and for those who wish to experience a gondola ride may do so with a group. We are thankful for our leader Teresa who has been an incredible anchor and Simone our bus driver! This evening we gathered as a family to pray together ( in Italian) Grace Before Meals with an intention offered to our parents thanking them for this unforgettable experience. At this time students have all had room checks and are so tired that we are sure they are going to have a sound sleep under this gorgeous Italian sky. Buona Notte!

Volare! Oh! Oh!

Travelers! "Lets fly away up to the clouds..."Volare! Please check ahead of time with Air Transat/Pearson Int'l to determine if the flight is on time as scheduled. Lets meet at 7:30 p.m., Terminal 3, by the Air Transat check in. You will be given a tag for your luggage and once you are in your group of 4/5 you may proceed to check in. We will be there to greet and guide you through the process. Be mindful of your passport, belongings, check in/carry on luggage and be sure it meets the regulations specified by Air Transat. If you wish to double check please refer to the following website for Air Transat. http://www.airtransat.ca/en-CA/Travel-information/Baggage/Weight-and-size-what-you-can-bring Parents may track our flight to know that we arrived safely in case your child is unable to contact you immediately after landing. This will be sure to give you peace of mind that all is well. Please refer to the following link called Flight Aware. http://flightaware.com Arriverderci!