So there has been so much to tell you about the last 4 days that I don't think I could do it justice. I could probably title this blog "Italy" as the last 4 days have seen us head from Nice in Southern France to Rome via Florence. Day 7 basically consisted of a day on the Coach travelling to Florence with one major detour, Pisa, the home of the leaning tower. This was a rather large shock, mainly as a result of the surrounding ghetto. It was quite odd to see such a beautiful square of history including the Leaning tower and attached baptistry and cathedral located right in the middle of the darkest part of a ghetto comparable to Elizabeth. After a week of the high life it was a shock to the system to see what was basically slums where it can only be expected that unemployment and crime levels would have been high. This soured the experience for some but for me it was just more of a shock until you got through the beggars and the squares surrounding wall to the trip Pisa square.
FLORENCE
Heading into Florence we were treated to a walk through the historic town to an all you can eat lasagne and an early-ish night before our next day exploring Florence. We woke to a beautiful day, a traditional leather production demonstration before a walking tour through the historical sights of Florence, most importantly the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio. It brought back many memories from Year 10 History and it was amazing to see such a building which if I was to say dominated the Florence skyline it would be an understatement. Luckily enough we were able to climb the second biggest dome in christendom (behind the St Peter's Basilica) and look out over the seemingly never ending spread of terracotta roofs. We also quickly visited the palace of the Medici family who are basically the founding family of the banking and monetary systems. This was also the sight of a 1.5kg Florentine steak for lunch (shared between 3) and a Tuscan feast (5 course meal) in a castle above Florence. This only served as the precursor to my first clubbing experience at space and it was certainly an incredibly enjoyable night to remember.
ROME
Arriving in Rome was something I will never forget. It was a serious of WOW's as we took a coach trip through Rome past the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Altar to the People (also commonly known as the wedding cake) and the Roman Forum. This was before a walking tour through the Colosseum to the Trevi Fountain, consuming Europe's best voted Gelati (amazing!!) and to the Pantheon. Today was spent revisiting the places the we skimmed over on our walking tour as well as the Catacombs (morbid) and a 3 hour tour through the smallest country in the world, Vatican City. After going to a Catholic School for 6 years of my life it was hard not to be excited about this tour and it didn't disappoint. We scoured the Vatican museums, took shneaky shnaps of the Sistine Chapel roof before heading into St Peter's Basilica. It was amazing to see such incredible art and architecture for what is assumed to be a sacred space. Around every corner was a different famous sculpture or painting by Michelangelo or Boticelli. A paragraph on it just doesn't do justice.
Tomorrow we're off to Venice via the home of the Ferrari where some of us will be driving Ferrari's around a custom made highway track. Should be an interesting experience. Until then, watch this space!
Dillon
Heading into Florence we were treated to a walk through the historic town to an all you can eat lasagne and an early-ish night before our next day exploring Florence. We woke to a beautiful day, a traditional leather production demonstration before a walking tour through the historical sights of Florence, most importantly the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio. It brought back many memories from Year 10 History and it was amazing to see such a building which if I was to say dominated the Florence skyline it would be an understatement. Luckily enough we were able to climb the second biggest dome in christendom (behind the St Peter's Basilica) and look out over the seemingly never ending spread of terracotta roofs. We also quickly visited the palace of the Medici family who are basically the founding family of the banking and monetary systems. This was also the sight of a 1.5kg Florentine steak for lunch (shared between 3) and a Tuscan feast (5 course meal) in a castle above Florence. This only served as the precursor to my first clubbing experience at space and it was certainly an incredibly enjoyable night to remember.
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