Iona Presentation College

Our Tour of Italy

Italy, the fifth most visited country in the world, showed off its rich art, cuisine, history, culture and fashion, when 18 girls and three teachers took part in the 2017 Italian Tour.

Rome offered awe-inspiring attractions like the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Sistine Chapel, and Vatican City, just to name a few. The Colosseum, intimidating and impressive, was a masterpiece. Constructed in 70—80 AD, the Colosseum was an arena where gladiators proved their strength to the Roman populace. It is one of the most visited places in Rome, just as popular as the Trevi Fountain and the holy places.

The Trevi Fountain saw girls throwing coins and making wishes, whereas the Sistine Chapel saw girls awestruck, courtesy of Michelangelo. We saw Pope Francis during a Papal Audience on a beautiful sunny day. Rome offered not only historical aspects, but cultural ones as well.

After three days in Rome, we were bussed to the next town. Famous for its lemons, we arrived in Sorrento, a beautiful seaside village filled with many delicacies, starring lemons (of course) as the main ingredient. The next day, we explored Positano and Amalfi, two stunning towns on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. We also travelled to Pompeii and were shown the ruins by our guide. After Pompeii, we returned to Sorrento for an extraordinary gelato making class.

The next morning, we left for the medieval town of Assisi. After a six-hour coach ride, we embarked on a guided tour throughout Assisi. Built on a hill, we saw the massive expanse of the towns of the region of Umbria from one of Assisi's many outlooks. From Assisi, we had a day excursion to Spoleto, a small ancient town housing a second century Roman amphitheatre and the impressive first century Ponte Sanguinario, 'Bloody Bridge'.

After two nights in Assisi, we travelled to a small farm in Orvieto and had a hands-on pasta making class from the family Nonna. After a wonderful lunch at the family restaurant, we travelled to Florence. For the next few days, we immersed ourselves in the language with Italian lessons from the ABC Language School. We were also able to visit the Accademia Gallery, where some of Michelangelo's best works, like the Statue of David, were showcased. We enjoyed a decadent hot chocolate from a popular shop, Venchi, to warm ourselves up before exploring the city. We later, caught the train to Pisa, and climbed all the way to the top of the Leaning Tower (284 steps). Our feet were aching but it was worth it.

After Florence, we travelled to Parma's cheese factory to see how the real Parmigiano Reggiano was made. Did you know that it takes 550 litres of milk to make one wheel of cheese? We visited Piccolo Oceano for a splendid feast and after, travelled to Milan. Visiting Milan was every girl's dream. In Milan, we met up with Mrs Pitos and her husband. Together, we went on a half-day guided tour and visited the Duomo of Milan as well as Leonardo da Vinci's painting of The Last Supper. We shopped a little in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II, one of the world's oldest shopping centres, where the first Prada shop was opened. The second day in Milan, we caught a train, then a ferry to Bellagio. Called the 'Pearl of the Lake', we explored and shopped for four hours in the town that made Italy's finest silk.

After two nights in Milan, we set off to our final two destinations, Verona and Venice. Verona, home to the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. We visited the House of Capulet and posed with the statue of Juliet, rumoured to give good fortune to those in love.

A city suspended on water, Venice was a place for us to visit attractions such as St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace. We bought a gondola ride and were astounded with the tour of the city. Travelling over water is a completely different experience than travelling on land! On our second day in Venice, we travelled to Murano and Burano, two islands famous for glass-blowing and lace-making respectively. Our last day in Venice before flying back to Perth was filled with last-minute shopping and last-minute gelato-eating.

Saying 'arrivederci' to Italy was hard. Spending three weeks in a country, immersing yourself in its language and culture and eating gelato every day, then having to say goodbye to it is hard. When we caught the water-taxi to the airport, everyone was upset to leave Italy behind. This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a marvellous experience.

Special thanks to Signora LaVerghetta, Signora Alberti, Mr Ciccarelli, and for being with us on this trip and to Mrs Powell, Ms Hammond and Mrs Pitos for making this possible.

Victoria Wong