What an amazing experience this has been for teachers and students so far. We began our journey on the 16th July at Sydney airport, with many tears coupled with excitement filled the terminal as we said our goodbyes. After a long 23hours in travel we arrived in Milan! We were greeted by a short, energetic Italian man named Pasquale who would be our tour guide on the road to Rome.
First stop... Florence!
The perfect way to start exploring Florence was to visit The Balcony of Italy. With panoramic views of the city and landscape, it was truly breathtaking. We had time to take a few selfies and admire what was a beautiful Tuscan backdrop. With a short walk to the Piazza, we were given a guided audio tour of the Santa Maria Croce church. We were all blown away by the size and architectural design of the outside of the church however this did not prepare us for what was inside. We walked around with the likes of Michaelnagelo and Galileo whilst taking in the fresca surrounding us. This lead us to our next destination after a much needed nights rest.
Second stop... Siena!
We began our journey from Florence to the beautiful enclosed city of Siena, which we discovered was renowned for it's annual horse race in the main piazza. We trualy became locals as we walked through the narrow yet scenic alleyways which housed culture and fine food. We had the opportunity to visit the home of St Catherine, the patron saint of Siena and become familiar with her story. We continued to our third destination on our way to Rome, where we spent the next few days.
Third Stop... Assisi
Today we had the opportunity to spend a full day exploring the beautiful Assisi. Our day began as we celebrated Mass in the Basilica of St Francis. This was a very special experience for the students as they would soon learn the story of St Francis and spend time of reflection in the presence of St Francis' spirit. Saint Clare, was a young individual who was inspired by Saint Francis to live a life of poverty and peace. We visited the church were she was baptised and also where she lays to rest. After lunch we began the climb to a caste from the middle ages, this was the highest point of Assisi and provided us with breathtaking views. Tomorrow we are back on the road to head for Rome!
