Wednesday, July 20 - Free Day!!

Buongiorno Parents and Friends of Georgia Hardy`s Italy Trip 2011!

Today was both a relaxing break and exciting adventure, which began with a well deserved sleep-in. The students awoke and groggily made their way to the breakfast room at their own convenience. Some people decided to take advantage of the lazy morning and sleep right through the meal! After breakfast the group had free time with no worries of tests, assignments, or projects due to a day free of classes. During the period of leisure before the afternoon`s activities, students took a dip in the sea, played volleyball on the beach or, for some, were still sleeping in! As the late afternoon approached, students lathered on their sunscreen and grabbed their most comfortable walking shoes to prepare for a trip to Ravenna`s exhilarating amusement park, Mirabilandia. The group walked down to the bus stop near their hotel, Hotel King Marte, where they waited for the coach to bring them to the theme park. At the bus` arrival, the students swiped their transit tickets and crammed themselves into the crowded coach. The group arrived at Mirabilandia and discovered, while observing the colourful stands and twisting roller coasters around them, that it was worth the trek from the hotel. Running quickly through the park, the students picked which roller coasters they wanted to ride first and lined up with the friendly locals, also at Mirabilandia. The rest of the afternoon consisted of the students venturing on a variety of roller coasters with sharp turns, gigantic loops and steep drops. With strained vocal cords from all of the screaming and dizzy heads from all of the rapid coasters, the entire group met up at Mirabilandia`s candy shop for a small treat of sweets and sours before making their way back to the bus stop. Back at the hotel, the students split up into groups and made their own ways to one of the many local restaurants for a delightful Italian dinner and , of course, a scoop of delicious gelato for dessert! Many students took a stroll along the beach or sang karaoke on stage in the hotel`s lobby after dinner to make their evenings just as fun and exciting as the events of the day. The night`s activities concluded with curfew and the students of Georgia Hardy`s Italy Trip 2011 tucked themselves in to bed after a long and exhausting action packed day.

Ciao ciao Parents and Friends of Georgia Hardy`s Italy Trip 2011!

By: Lauren Fraser

Tuesday, July 19th - Working away!

To All Georgia Hardy Friends and Family,

Day 17 has come and gone like a flash. Exams and final projects are quickly approaching and there’s still lots more to do. This morning, the classical civilizations class discussed the Persian wars and the unification of Greece and how the Spartans and Athenians learned to work together. After their talk, they split into groups to continue working on their “Courts of Justice” (mock trials) assignment. Since the English class worked diligently yesterday on their essays, today was a relaxing day. They began studying The Agony and the Ecstasy by analyzing Michelangelo’s male influences. After being dismissed, many students took the afternoon chilling at the beach lounging in the sun, catching up on work in the hotel or exploring the city some more. The photography class learned about HDR photos and they were then let free to work on their alphabet assignment to take pictures of items in the city which resembled letters of the alphabet. Finally, the Italian class completed their reading of Volevo I Pantaloni (I want Pants) and began to work on their essays to go along with the book.

The group ate lunch at the hotel today and had a free afternoon. Many went to the town, while others joined the aqua aerobics class in the pool. A group of students found out that the hotel offered free bike rentals which they took advantage of before signing out for dinner. The late curfew tonight gave students a chance to check out the nightlife of our little beach town. Some took the opportunity to have a true Italian picnic on the beach overlooking the Adriatic Sea and others went to some small restaurants in town.

Until next time,

Ciao!

By Jordan Seider

Monday, July 18 - Class time!

Today was a relaxing day for the Hardy Family but there was still work to get done. All the classes received their mid-term mark which reflects the work that they have done for the past two weeks. The history class taught by Mr. D’Addario had a riveting lecture on the democracy of ancient Greece in the park. The history class also received a lesson on love, marriage, and tyranny which took up most of the class. They then had time to work on their courts of justice assignments where they will have a debate on democracy and dictatorship to see which one is a more effective system.

While the history class was chilling out in the park, the English class led by Ms. Stokes was writing their first major essay. They started writing first thing in the morning and they had all day to plan and complete their final draft which would be handed in. The essay was on Julius Caesar which is the first play they are reading and it focused on one of the main characters Brutus. This essay was the conclusion to the unit on Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. When the students completed their essays they were able to go out in the town to shop, get some delicious gelato, or just go to the beach and have a nice swim.

The photography class taught by Ms. Fracassi also had to present their motion pictures that they have been collecting for a week. After their presentation, two students, Melissa and Erin made their own lesson on photo shop skills that they taught to their classmates.

Ms. Cescolini the Italian teacher also had a pretty relaxing day as the class had a grammar test and when that was done they continued to the beach where they would continue working on their novel study.

Today was a pretty busy day overall but when class was done we all went to the beach, relaxed in the hotel, or explored the town and went shopping. When it was time for dinner we all went to the dining room and sat together to enjoy another authentic Italian meal at the hotel. The dinner included a variety of amazing pastas and a delicious dessert. When dinner was done we could go out again but most people either watched movies in their rooms or enjoyed the amazing show at the hotel where they would be able to dance and have a great time.

Ciao!

By: Jordan Giannace

Sunday, July 17 - Venezia!

Buongiorno Tutti! We began our exciting adventure of the day with a bright and early start. Even though the breakfast buffet doesn’t open until seven-thirty, the hotel staff was nice enough to open it for us at seven so we could be on our way. The bus ride to Venice was a quiet one, as everyone took the opportunity to get a few extra hours of sleep. With our mouths hung open and our eyes tightly shut, Mr. Mastrandrea couldn’t help but take photos of our priceless faces as we slept. After the bus ride, we hopped on to a fairly large wooden boat to take us to the city of Venezia. As we glided along the water, we looked out to see small, historic buildings of every colour, lined with yellow lanterns along the edge of the water. When the boat came to a stop, we made our way to the main piazza, which was hustling and bustling with activity. Street vendors were interspersed all over the square, selling items that ranged from t-shirts and masks to accessories and much more. We were then split into two groups, and our tour of Venice began. Both tour guides showed us all around the city, explaining the history of each structure we passed. As the tour progressed, we gained insight on historical monuments, churches, and many other pieces of architecture. One of the many interesting things we were able to see was a plaque recognizing the first woman to ever receive a doctorate degree. After the tour we were already feeling very comfortable with finding our way around this new city. Luckily for us, we were given five full hours to explore the city of Venice in groups. The streets of Venice were long and narrow, with shallow water running beneath them. The forty bridges of the city each had a magnificent view overlooking the gondolas and the ancient city. After admiring the view, many of us ate lunch either in a restaurant or along the water. There were gelato stands on almost every street, perfect for the hot, sunny day. Many of the students spent their hours shopping, especially for the Venetian masks and stunning Murano glass. Gondola rides were also greatly enjoyed, as we drifted through the narrow canals while our boat drivers serenaded us with song. We slowly began our trip back to the hotel, stopping for dinner at a restaurant nearby. Just as fast as the day had begun, it was coming to an end. After a long, rewarding day, we were all more than happy to go straight to bed. Buona Notte!

Rebecca Solway

Saturday, July 16th - Ravenna!

Greetings from Ravenna!

Today, the Georgia Hardy Italy Group had a chance to explore the wonderful town of Ravenna, as the boat trip to Rimini has been postponed to Wed. July 20^th.

The hotel is nice, and the animation team provides many opportunities to actively enjoy Ravenna, such as water aerobics, tango classes, and late night dances and shows.

We are situated close to the beach, and it is stunning! The sand is very smooth and the water is perfect. Some of us played volleyball in the water and had a blast! The whole atmosphere can sometimes even venture into the realm of an Italian Florida.

Classes are also going well- the Classical Civilizations continues to learn about ancient Greece and is preparing for their last assignment, English students finished reading Julius Caesar and are preparing to write their first essay, Italian students are studying for their test, and the photography class is working on their Motion presentation. With the occasional reminder for students to be on time, everything is going well. Indeed, Ravenna is amazing and we are having a great time!

Ciao!

By: Lindsay Vasilak

July 15th - On our way to Ravenna!

Our Georgia Hardy group awoke bright and early to the sound of the 6:30 am alarms. Our bags were packed downstairs and ready to go at 7:45am before we headed off to the next stop of our journey, Ravenna. Although we were sad to leave the ancient city of Rome, we were all anxious to arrive in the beach town of Ravenna. The group decided to take advantage of the long bus ride, and caught up on some loss sleep, and incomplete homework. Along the way, the bus made a stop in the renaissance town of San Gimignano, in Tuscany, where we were able to spend the afternoon. San Gimignano is a small traditional Italian town, with magnificent scenic views of rich deep green fields and bright sunflowers. There were several restaurants where we were able to enjoy a delicious, authentic meal and absorb the culture of the town. Our group also had the opportunity of purchasing a gelato from one of the most famous gelaterias in the country, with a great variety of flavours to choose from, which were unforgettable. Although we were there for a short period of time, San Gimignano, had much to offer. Along the narrow roads, there were plenty of jewellery shops, souvenir stores and leather boutiques where we were able to spend the remainder of the afternoon. Shortly after, it was time for us to board the bus once again, and continue our road trip to Ravenna. The ride was still a few hours away, but as we approached we all got more and more excited. Our group finally arrived in the beautiful relaxed town of Ravenna around 8:00pm in the evening, unloaded the bus, and headed straight for dinner. Dinner was delicious as we had the opportunity of choosing a two course meal with a complementary vegetable buffet. Dinner was also very eventful as we celebrated the birthday of Deanna. The hotel staff had brought out a cake dressed in their animation costumes, and we all sang her happy birthday. After dinner, room keys were distributed and we all relaxed as we settled down and unpacked. We are all ecstatic to go to the beach tomorrow, and see all of what Ravenna has to offer.

By: Alexandra Tollis