This morning we awoke bright and early to the sound of our 6:15 am wake up calls and made our way to the lobby anxious to commence our excursion to Vatican City! We made our way through the cobblestone streets of Rome to the Metro station where we hurried to board the train heading for the Vatican. Upon arrival we were greeted by our tour guides and separated into two groups before beginning our tour. The first stop on the excursion was to the Vatican Museum. Here we were guided through a series of lush gardens and historical buildings containing intricate marble statues of saints and ancient artifacts. We continued through several large showrooms, equipped with numerous expansive tapestries, while viewing the unbelievably advanced anatomical artwork of Michelangelo and Raphael Santi . From here we proceeded to the Sistine Chapel and admired the spectacular figures which graced the ceilings of the chapel and analyzed the intricate display of artwork. The final stop on our tour was of the famous St. Peters Basilica. Our tour guide led us around the church where we saw a variety of bronze and marble statues along with various elaborate religious paintings. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of our tour of the Basilica was viewing the display of corpses and tombs of past popes. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring St. Peters square before returning to the hotel for our afternoon classes. It was truly a wonderful way to experience the true essence of the Vatican City.
Despite being exhausted from our tour of the Vatican our teachers still managed to captivate our attention with interesting and informative lessons. In Ms Stokes English class we continued to explore and analyze the Shakespearean play, Julius Caesar. We began our translation of the play into modern English in preparation for our production at the end of the month. The photography students made their presentations to the class about their favourite photographers. Mr D'Addario’s ancient civilization students continued their study of ancient Greek mythology, while the Italian students focused on their new Italian grammar.
After a delicious meal of penne arribiata (“angry pasta!”) at a local Italian restaurant , we made our way to the Piazza Navona and Pantheon where we enjoyed the numerous street performers and shops. Our awesome teachers treated us to some amazing gelato which we devoured while exploring the lively piazzas and streets of Rome. Despite the beauty and extravagance of Rome it was difficult to over look the misfortunate men and women whom reside on the streets. Adam, Melissa and Steven took it upon themselves to spread the joy of the city to those less fortunate and purchased some food for a homeless man near the piazza. After our fantastic day in Rome we are all looking forward to the events in store for our last day in this magnificent city.
By: Stephania Zambrano
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