Andiamo! Let’s Go to Italy!

On June 18th, 2018, thirty- four students and adults from Fredericktown made their way to Italy. Going on this trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity and they experienced how life is different in another country. Being in the United States, sometimes we don’t realize the little things that make other people happy. We are so tuned into our daily lives and how they should stay according to plan, we don’t have a second to step back, look at our country, or town, and realize how amazing it actually is. The students got to travel to many places, tried lots of different foods, and learned a lot about Italy’s culture.

The plane ride there was very long; some even got sick. However, after a nearly 12 hour long flight they landed in Milan, the second most populous city in Italy. After Milan, they visited Verona. In Verona they got to see Juliet’s tower which has tiny love notes all over the courtyard walls. The next day this group took a water taxi to Venice, which is known for their bridges. Sadly, this beautiful city is sinking about 1-2 millimeters per year. While in Venice they got to do a walking tour of the city canals, visit The Palace and St. Marks Cathedral. The group also traveled to San Gimignano which is home to the World’s Best Ice Cream!

Every student we talked to had at least one thing in common: they all loved the food! “The food was very different there. They have a small breakfast and dinner, lunch is their main meal.”-Cora Spain. When you think of Italian food the first thing that comes to mind is probably pasta and bread, however, these students favorited the pizza and ice cream over that!

The kids had a lot to say about how different Italy was from America. Cora Spain said that people were different over there, nicer and less judgmental. She said when they see someone that is different or weird they don’t treat them differently, they treat them like a normal person. Alyssa Pierson noticed that they take more pride in their old buildings and that they are well taken care of. However, their driving habits tend to be on the crazy side according to Alyssa. A.J. Orman said that in Italy you could see more culture everywhere, especially the houses.

These students loved their trip across the world. They enjoyed the many places they went, foods they tried, and learning the difference between Italy’s culture and ours. Even though the plane ride was rough, many of them would love to do it again. Every person returned with many great memories and stories from their trip.