Staggering out of our beds early Sunday morning, we made our way onto the bus headed for the Italian coast. Three hours later, including a stop at the rest area for some spremuta (fresh squeezed orange juice) and croissants, we arrived at the train station. Waiting for the train, we had a quick McDonald's run (only restaurant in sight) where ...
Sunday was a day in my life that I know I will never forget. That day, we did the Cinque Terre hike. Being afraid of heights and not even willing to climb the church towers, I was encouraged by my friends and counselors to challenge myself by joining the group on a beautiful hike overlooking the beach. Never did I think I would be able to go ...
Ciao! After a busy week of waking up at 7:30am, we were given the pleasure of having a lie in on Saturday before piling onto the bus, excited for our excursion to the beautiful, picturesque city of Siena. Once we arrived, we strolled along the old cobbled streets, making our way to the main square, which took our breath away! We were ...
This Sunday was pretty eventful... The day prior, we had journeyed out to Siena for the day to just do some sightseeing and explore the city. It was fun, but you could tell that everyone was longing for the opportunity to venture out to Cinque Terre. A group of five villages outside of Tuscany in the Liguria region overlooking the ...
The second stop on the Western Civilization trip is Rome. Rome is full of history. It is a mixture of every time period all in one huge city. Rome has been a hub for many different civilizations throughout history, the Roman Empire being one of the most prominent civilizations ever established. The Romans created some of the most amazing ...
“Sentatus Populusque Romanus” (SPQR) is everywhere, and I mean everywhere. The literal translation is: “The Senate and People of Rome.” Although a title first introduced during the Roman Republic, it still stays a prominent symbol in the modern city we have explored over the past few days. This shows the rich history behind the city; as ...
The Galleria Borghese is a gorgeous villa set in Rome’s most beautiful park. It houses arguably the most impressive collection of Bernini and Caravaggio in all of Italy. Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne and The Rape of Proserpina, are particularly noteworthy for the immaculate artistry clearly evident in their creation. When we left the ...
After breakfast we made our way to the Capitoline Museums, a group of art and archaeological museums situated on the Capitoline hill, between the Forum and Campus Martius. The museums origins can be traced to 1467, when Pope Sixtus IV donated a number of significant bronze statues to the Romans. Since then, the collection continued to grow over ...
What?!! The news hit me yesterday when my friend told me we only have less than a week left in Florence. How sad is that? It's flown by way too quickly! Monday morning started off with finishing up our still life monotone paintings. Although I felt it wasn't my best work, as it was such a new experience for me using a palette knife, I'm so ...
On our way to Pompeii, we made a quick stop in Naples to see the Naples National Archaeological Museum, one of the oldest museums in Europe and Italy’s most important archaeological museum. The museum is home to an extensive collection of Greek, Roman, and Renaissance artifacts. Among its many notable items is the Farnese Hercules, one of the ...