Monday, February 23, 2009

Day 10 - Ciao Roma!

We all woke up at 7:15 AM, a little later than normal. We had our suitcases packed, and we went down into the lobby for one final delicious breakfast at the Kolbe Hotel in Rome. This beautiful 4-star hotel had a full-fleged breakfast complete with pastries, cappuccino machines, and bread rolls. We all ate our fill, and departed on our bus for Fiumicino Airport, not a long ride. As we departed, our tour guide Nick gave us some final details about Rome. The ride was only 30 minutes, a lot faster than we expected. When we arrived, we said our final goodbyes to Nick, and some unexpected tears pretruded. We watched as our suitcases filled with liquor, wine, and souvenirs passed through security, and we walked for what seemed like forever through the airport. When we finally got onto our hot and stuffy plane, the majority of us were probably anxious to get home. Yet when our flight departed, and we got our final glimpse of Rome, the Eternal City, we all felt a sense of loss and emotion. Those final images of Rome will forever remain in all our hearts. This is a trip we will never forget. We are all glad to have shared it with one another.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Day 9 February 20, 2009


Day 9 February 20, 2009

Today was an early day. Wake up call was at 6am… fun right? Breakfast was at seven and we had to leave at 7:30 to go to the Vatican. The group squeezed into a public bus due to the departure of Daniele the bus driver. During our tour of the Vatican we walked around the whole area and stopped at every spot to learn the interesting history of the Vatican. Sadly it was freezing cold and very windy which made it even worse. We also walked around St. Peter’s square and Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel. Then later on we had lunch at the Campo dei Fiori and walked by the Spanish Steps. We then headed to Piazza Colonna to see the Pantheon and for two hours of shopping. We went to the hotel to refresh and walked to L’insalata Ricca, which is located in Trastevere, a very trendy area of Rome on the other side of the Tiber River for dinner. We walked by the Tiberina island where the hospital Fratelli Fatebene is, walked over the oldest bridge in Rome—the Ponte Tiberino, and came back to the hotel for the night to pack. We loved Rome and we will miss Italy a lot.
See you tomorrow!


Submitted By:
Matt Surace
Robert Geitz
Alex Hurd

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Day 8 February 19, 2009

Day 8 February 19, 2009

This morning we had a 6:30 wake up call and a 7:30 breakfast. After breakfast we left our hotel in Sorrento for a 4 hour bus ride to Rome. We arrived in Rome around 12:30 and dropped our luggage off at the luxurious four star Kolbe Hotel. We then walked into town, and broke into groups for a lunch. After lunch we went on a tour of the Colosseo and then of the Forum. After our tour we returned to the beautiful hotel to freshen up, unpack, and then met in the lobby for a delicious dinner at the hotel. Finally, we bundled up to go on a walk to the Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain to make wishes by tossing a ten cent Euro from our right hand over our left shoulders. On the way back to the hotel, we saw numerous other landmarks, took a lot of pictures, and of course had gelato at the famous San Crispino YUMMY! Lastly, we returned to the hotel to get some rest before our last day in Italy tomorrow.

Submitted By:
Teresa Falbo
Sara LeDuc
Devan Yoder

Wednesday, February 18, 2009


Day 7 February 18, 2009

C’era una volta, as the Italians would say, in a land called Italy… it began to rain, a lot. Morning call on this day was at 6:30 and started in Sorrento. We arrived at breakfast at 7:15 in order to be ready to leave at 8:00 sharp. We drove along the winding road of the Sorrentine peninsula, with a beautiful seaward view towards Pompeii. Upon our arrival the weather took a turn for the worst. The warm sunny day that we were looking forward to, ended up turning into a cold and wet morning. We were greeted at the gate by a man selling umbrellas, what a lifesaver! Our visit to Pompeii was cut short by the rain, but we were still able to learn about the Roman life from over 2000 years ago thanks to our wonderful guide Massimo. There was also an incredibly cute stray pup named Scampers. Our trip to Capri ended up NONEXISTANT as there was inclement weather, *Booooooooooooo!* Instead we decided to enjoy a stroll around the small streets of Sorrento where our hotel was located. For dinner we enjoyed a wonderful meal at La Taverna Dell’800, where we sang Italian songs as Ignasio played his guitar. We also celebrated Donna’s 17th birthday at the restaurant.
Submitted by:

Anthony DiCostanzo
Michael Iacono
Tyler DiMarco

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Day - 5 Florence-San Gimignano-Siena




Day 5 February 16, 2009

Today we received our wake up call at 6:15am and were ready for breakfast at 7:15am.
At 8:00am, we were on our way to a fun filled day looking at historic land figures such as the 16th century statue of Neptune, Perseus holding Medusa's detached Head, Palazzo Vecchio located in Florence. In addition, the statue named the rape of the Sabine women. After spending the morning elucidating ourselves on the wonderful artistry of these structures we headed out for our lunch at the beautiful medieval town of San Gimignano in which only 17 towers out of exist today! Wow huh? J We visited the Agriturismo-Fattoria Poggio Alloro where we enjoyed typical Tuscan dishes of which products were produced right there in their farm. Mmmm..delizioso.
Following our scrumptious meal our great bus driver Daniele took us to the hilltop city of Siena where we looked at Church called the Duomo built in the 13th century.

Submitted by:
Claudia Mendoza
Nicole Gannon
Diana Newman
J yeyyyyy

Day 6 - Assisi/Sorrento


Wake-up call this morning was at 6:00 AM, early for all of us. The day that lay ahead was long and exausting, but was well worth it. We left our hotel in Florence, Hotel de la Pace, and took an hour bus ride to Assisi. What is Assisi you ask? Assisi is home to the famous Basilica of St. Francis, a famous preacher. His remains are buried under an altar in the famous Romanesque-style church. There are actually three different churches. The first one, under the ground, houses St. Francis' remains in an altar. This church is actually a tomb. The walls are covered with beautiful fresco paintings by Giotto depicting St. Francis and other biblical images. The second church is on entry level, and also houses beautiful frescos. The third church is meant to show visitors that there can be a beautiful afterlife in heaven. It is higher and even more spectacular than the other two churches. After receiving a tour by a Franciscan Monk, we departed on our bus for what would be a long 5-hour bus ride to Sorrento. En route we saw the shadowy figure of Mount Vesuvius in the distance, where it has stood dormant for many centuries after burying Pompeii; however, we will be visiting Pompeii tomorrow. After a long exhausting bus ride, we made it to the Hotel Villa Maria in Sorrento, after driving through Naples. It has been a long day, but the views we saw on our bus were well worth it.

Day 4- Florence


Day 4- Florence

Day four started out with a drive from Venice to Florence. Once we got off the bus our first destination was the Accademia where we had the opportunity to witness the beauty of the original sculpture of Micheleangelo's David. Our first impressions once we looked up and saw the statue was pure amazement, more beautiful than we had ever seen in pictures or could have imagined. Although the weather was chilly, we continued our day walking around Florence and traveled to Santa Croce and got a first hand lesson on Misuri leather and gold in The Gold Market. We got to model different types of leather coats and learned the difference between authentic and imitation gold and leather. We got to shop and interact with the local Florentines. For dinner we took a cooking class which allowed us to create our own Italian meal consisting of pasta, home made sauce, meatloaf, and Marti Gras Orange cake. Overall the experience was truely unique and was a once in a lifetime chance.

Day 3- Venice


Sorry everyone for the delay, our hotel didn't have wireless internet so now that we do, we are trying to keep up. Day three started off with a candy from Mrs. Todeschini for Valentine's Day. We spent the day in Venice so we could visit the Piaza San Marco, it was absolutely stunning. The center was very crowded because of the preparations for Carnevale, which we all took part in by buying our very own Venician masks. Also, we each got to experience a gondola ride which lasted about 45 minutes and took us all throughout Venice. After freshening up, we got back on the boat into town and continued onto dinner where we were fed the usual three course meal while we sat and listed to live romantic Italian music for Valentine's Day. To end the night everyone devoured their own flavor of gelato and hurried off to bed to renergize for the morning ahead, departing to Florence.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Hey Guys are you able to post pictures???
Anthony,

Do me a favor, bring back a cup of a chocolate/hazlenut gelito combo.
Hmmmmmm tell you what make it a large.

Hope your having a wonderful time, enjoy the food and stay far far away from Mickey D's.


Love Gino and Elisa

PS how is the wine??

Hi, Anthony, Michael, and Tyler

Hi Everybody!

We tried calling the hotel at 1:30 am our time, 7:30 am your time, but you had already left your room to go to breakfast. Hope it was yummy. I tried twenty minutes later and there wasn't any answer! Try the nochiola (hazelnut) gelato and the pizza. Please take plenty of pictures. Miss you!

Love, Elisa and Gino
+

Friday, February 13, 2009

Day 2 :London-Venice

We arrived at Heathrow Airport in London at 9:30 a.m. We survived a grueling night on the plane with running babies everywhere. The crew there was very accomidating and we got VIP treatment to our connection flight because we were running terribly late. We got rushed through security and had to run in order to get on the plane while the other passengers looked at us like we were evil because who knows how long they were waiting for us. When we arrived at Marco Polo airport at 1:30 p.m. and from there we were escorted by our tour director Nick Greenfeild. We then took a 20 minute boat ride along the langoon to our hotel across the way. We took the Venezia Moltoscaofo. From there we freshened up and went to get a quick bite to eat. And that gelato sure was good ! Soon after we took a tour of Piazza San Marco. It was beautiful and we enjoyed the opportunity. Well we will keep you posted and it was a fabulous day :].
From the British airways web site, it appears you just landed in Venice 7:23 am NY Time!...have a great trip!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Day 1 : Depature Day

Here we are outside of Norwalk High School on Day 1 saying our goodbyes.
We departed from Norwalk High School at 3:30 and did not arrive at JFK Airport until 5 o'clock. Upon arriving we checked in our bags before making our way through the security check point. After rejoining with the rest of our trip-mates we once again split for dinner at the wonderful of options of McDonalds and McDonalds. Our original flight time of 8:30 has been delayed to 9:15 which gives us more time to enjoy our McDonalds. It is now 8 o'clock and the anticipation and anxiety of our flight is now setting in. Within this last hour we hope to slowly settle down and sleep our ways straight through the flight to our first destination; Venice. Check back tomorrow evening for the update from our flight and day in Venice.

Ciao!
Have a GREAT TRIP!

Our Hotels

VENICE:
Hotel Rivera
Venice-Lido
Italy 30126
Telephone: (39)041 52 60 031
Fax: (39)041 52 65 979
www.riveravenezia.it

FLORENCE:
Hotel De La Pace
Via Lamarmora 28
Florence
Italy
Tel: 39.055.577343
Fax: 39 055.577576

SORRENTO:
Hotel Villa Maria
Via Capo, 8
Sorrento
Italy
Tel: +39 081 878 19 66
Fax: +39 081 807 11 27

ROME:
Hotel Kolbe
Via di San Teodoro, 44
Rome
Italy
Tel: (39) 06 -69924250
Fax: (39) 06-6794975
www.kolbehotelrome.com

Our Flight

SERVICE DATE FROM TO DEPART ARRIVE


BRITISH AIRWAYS 12FEB NEW YORK NY LONDON 830P 830A
BA 114 THURSDAY JOHN F KENNEDY HEATHROW 13FEB
G ECONOMY TERMINAL 7 TERMINAL 5
NON SMOKING MEAL NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 7:00 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: BOEING 747-400

BRITISH AIRWAYS 13FEB LONDON VENICE 950A 1255P
BA 578 FRIDAY HEATHROW MARCO POLO
G ECONOMY TERMINAL 5
NON SMOKING SNACK NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 2:05 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-100/200

BRITISH AIRWAYS 21FEB ROME LONDON 1215P 200P
BA 549 SATURDAY FIUMICINO HEATHROW
G ECONOMY TERMINAL C TERMINAL 5
NON SMOKING SNACK NON STOP
RESERVATION CONFIRMED 2:45 DURATION
AIRCRAFT: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A321

Our Itinerary

DAY 1-2 FLY TO EUROPE. Fly to Europe. Begin your Italian adventure by taking a walk through colorful Venice.

DAY 3 VENICE. Discover the real beauty of this unique city as a local guide brings you to St. Mark's, the Grand Canal, the Doge's Palace with its Gothic facades of white Italian stone and pink Verona marble, and the Bridge of Sighs.

DAY 4 TUSCANY. Journey to charming Florence. Consider your role carefully in the Great Renaissance DebateGreat Renaissance Debate. Greet six renaissance giants including Giotto, Galileo, and Isabella d'Este, and debate who made the greatest impact on civilization.. Roll up your sleeves and create delicacies tonight in Cucina Fiorentina.Cucina Fiorentina.Cook up a three-course traditional meal with a local chef using fresh local produce. Get a taste of Tuscan life and zesty flavors! Mangia!

DAY 5 FLORENCE. Join a local guide for a tour of the Duomo, Ghiberti's Baptistery doors, and the Church of Santa Croce. A visit is included to the Accademia to view Michelangelo's David. You may lean toward an optional afternoon visit to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower.

SIENA. Visit the city famous for its Palio, Piazza del Campo, the Torre del Mangia, and Piazza del Duomo.

SAN GIMIGNANO. A small Medieval town famous for its 14 fortified Medieval towers.

DAY 6 SORRENTO. Enjoy the breathtaking vineyards and rolling countryside as you journey south to the Mediterranean resort town of Sorrento. Pause en route for a visit to charming Orvieto.

DAY 7 POMPEII-CAPRI. A guided tour reveals Pompeii, a mysterious city left remarkably preserved after being buried by a catastrophic volcanic eruption in 79 A.D. Cross the Bay of Naples to the island of Capri, summer home of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Tonight, enjoy an Italian evening in Sorrento, complete with Italian cuisine and musical entertainment.

DAY 8 ROME. Drive to Rome, the capital of Italy. This afternoon, join a local guide on a walking tour of ancient Rome. Listen for the roar of the ancient crowds at the Colosseum, then visit the Roman Forum. Later, train as one of Caesar's Gladiators! Discover the ancient secrets of the Roman gladiator games and master the basics of hand-to-hand combat at gladiator school.

DAY 9 VATICAN-ROME. This morning, visit the Vatican and discover the artistic legacy of Catholicism. Marvel at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel before moving up the broad steps of the world's largest Christian church, St. Peter's Basilica. Enjoy a walking tour of Baroque Rome this afternoon.

DAY 10 RETURN JOURNEY TO THE UNITED STATES

Our Trip is Finally Here!

Finally, after nine months of planning, numerous phone calls, evening meetings with our student travelers and their parents, our trip is here! We are leaving for Italy at 8:30 this evening from JFK via British Airways. We are all very excited and can't wait to see la Bell'Italia. Be sure to follow our itinerary through the beautiful cities of Italy by logging on to our blog http://www.italy09.blospot.com/. I hope you continue to check in daily and follow our blog and day to day activities (please leave comments). We’re very excited and it’s all going to fly by, but hopefully filled with an immense amount of fun, long lasting friendships, excitement, new learning experiences, and fantastic memories.
I would like to thank all the parents who helped make this trip possible. Their financial support and time spent at our long meetings were important and appreciated in making this a reality and the success that it became. I also would like to thank the Norwalk City Schools Board Members, Dr. Salvatore Corda, Mr. Lenny Mecca , Ms. Gwen Young, NHS Helping Hand, the faculty and staff at Norwalk High School for their support, excitement, and recognizing the true value of enhancing student experiences, global awareness and international perspective afforded to them when traveling abroad.
Grazie mille.
Prof.ssa Stella LoPreiato