The group spent three nights in Venice before we were free to go on Spring Break. The weather was perfect for us which enable us to see so much! The first day there we went on a historic walking tour of St. Mark’s district. From there many of us went to the Interpreti Veneziana concert at San Vidal.

The next day we met Paolo to visit St. Mark’s Basilica, the treasury, the Pala d’Oro, and St. Mark’s horses. We then met Peter Lang who took us to the Carlo Scarpa Museum and then to the Guggenheim Museum.

During our free time we wondered around Venice attempting to get lost (which was pretty easy to do!) The streets are small and there are many canals and bridges all throughout the Island. Venice was a wonderful city and we are all happy we got the opportunity to visit.

Siena is the largest intact medieval city in Europe, and was a great place to visit despite the cold weather. There is so much to see in Siena and we only had a day to see it all. Therefore, it was great that we had tour guides to show us around the city. We got to tour most of the main sites: The Campo (the Main Square) where they hold a horse race one a year, Palazzo Pubblico (Town hall), Museo Civico (houses Lorensetti’s “Good and Bad Government” painting), and the Duomo (the Cathedral).

Our day in Orvieto was possibly on of the coldest days we experienced in Italy. That morning we woke up to a chilling wind and snow on the ground!

Upon arrival we rode the funicolare up the hill to town and then went to a scenic spot to view the valley and city walls (which are extremely high). Next we walked through the town streets towards the Cathedral of Orvieto. It was started in 1290 as a Romanesque cathedral and then moved towards Gothic in 1310. The façade consists of scenes from the creation, the life of Chirst, and the last judgement. Inside the cathedral there are many major works, including famous frescos from Capella della Madonna di San Brizio.

After visiting the Cathedral we were free to tour the town on our own. Most of us got lunch and looked into a few shops before getting on the train back to Castiglion Fiorentino.

The group spent three nights in Rome and three very long, fun filled days. We saw so many things- the Pantheon, St. Peter’s, the Trevi Fountain, The Vatican Museum, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Roman Forum, and much, much more! Peter Lang took us on a tour our last full day in Rome and we got to see the Piazza del Popolo, the Bourgesie Gardens, and Renzo Piano’s Concert Halls. Overall, Rome was a great trip with lots of touring, exploring, and learning.

Our field trip to Assisi was great- the weather was wonderful, we saw some amazing sites, and we ate a delicious group lunch! We started the day off touring all three levels of the Basilica of St. Francis. Then we walked to the Piazza del Comune and viewed the Temple of Minerva and Palazzo dei Priori. From there we went to the Basilica of Santa Chiara and then to the Cathedral of St. Rufino. By then we were ready for lunch so the group went to La Rocca Trattoria and had a great meal served to us. We were then free to explore the quaint town of Assisi on our own.

Our for our second field trip to Florence we toured the cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore. The cathedral was begun in 1294 by Arnolfo di Cambio, but it was not until 1420 that Brunelleschi began building the dome. The facade of the church was not completed until 1887 by Emilio de Fabris, which was designed to complement Giotto’s belltower and the Baptistery. After our tour of the cathedral, we walked across the street to the Museum of the Opera del Duomo. There we saw a Michelangelo Pieta along with the baptistry doors and tools that had been used to construct the Duomo.

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The trip to Arezzo was our first experience with taking the trains. We all met at the train station and rode as a group to Arezzo. Once in Arezzo we took a tour of the town and then we were free to explore on our own. Most of us ate lunch and then walked through the streets enjoying the antique fair that sets up the first Saturday of every month. We were on our own to take a train back to Castiglion Fiorentino.

Four days after arriving at Santa Chiara, the group took a field trip to Florence. First, we visited San Miniato al Monte. This centralized church was begun in 1018 and exemplifies the study of proportion and harmonic rhythm, which later influences the Renaissance. Next we toured Santa Croce (Holy Cross Chruch). This gothic church is the burial place for Ghiberti, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Galileo. After lunch we met up with Peter to discuss Piazzas and “fake” architecture (architecture that attempts to look authentic to a certain time period, when really it is not).