St. Mark's Episcopal School Study Abroad

We love it when our families travel together! St. Mark’s family of faculty, siblings, the parents who do SO much for us on our trips, and we always find a new family member in a wonderful tour director. ❤️💙

Did we eat our way through Rome and Florence? Of course! Pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and so much gelato! 🍨

We had to work for our dinner last night! After a full day of Vatican sights and free time for the last time in Rome, we had a cooking class! That’s right parents, your children are now experts at making fresh pasta noodles and tiramisu. We definitely think they should cook for you soon! 🍝

What a special time to visit the Vatican City! Jubilee is a pilgrimage that happens every 25 years. Jubilee is a time to forgive each other and start fresh, with a reminder to be kind to one another! ❤️ We had a wonderful tour, learning about Michelangelo’s contributions as well as his inspiration from ancient figures from Roman mythology. We even found a cute St. Mark’s lion!

Yesterday, we had a watercolor painting class in the park. It was a beautiful morning, even a harpist playing nearby! Our instructors told us, “This is not just any place; this is a place with so much history. Every pebble, every tree… Try to get in touch with all the history that’s been here, all the artists that have been here to do just what you’re trying to do right now. Try to get in touch with this place that you have a chance and a lifetime to visit… try to see who moved here through the centuries. It is important that you are here right now.!”

This morning, we had free time in Florence, some choosing a museum, some a bit of souvenir shopping, and a few of us checked out a perfume store that has been in Florence since 1221! We said arrivederci to Firenze (Florence) and drove back to Rome, where we had some much deserved down time and a birthday surprise at our hotel!

Friday afternoon was spent at The Accademia Galley, where we saw many famous works of art by Renaissance artists, including Michelangelo’s David, and a few slightly more modern pieces 😉. We also found a piece of street art on a road sign we’d been told about on our morning tour while walking to our fresco art class.

What a fun few days it’s been! Thursday, we spent several hours in beautiful Assisi, with some free time for lunch and shopping followed by a tour of the Basilica of St. Francis (sorry - no photos allowed inside!) before continuing on to Florence. On Friday morning, we had a walking tour of central Florence, learning especially about the long and important history of art there. We also saw the rebuilt home of Dante (the father of the Italian language) and the magnificent Duomo.

Our first two days in Rome are in the books! After landing yesterday morning, we enjoyed a walking tour of some major sights in the city with our tour director. Today, we had a fun gladiator experience where students had hands on lessons and a great workout! 😅 After lunch, we had an amazing tour of the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. We can’t wait to see what beautiful sights, history, art, and gelato flavors the next week will hold.

Our travelers are on their way to Italy!