It was a sleepy yet excited group who crowded around the US Air ticket counter in Memphis on the morning of March 11. Today was the day that many Westminster seniors had awaited from the time they were in kindergarten. Today, they would go to Italy.
From Memphis to Philadelphia, to Rome, to Orvieto, to Florence, to Ostia Antica, and back to Rome, the Class of 2015 traversed over cobblestones and city pavement; maneuvered the streets, alleys, and non-sidewalks of Florence; clambered up hills and stairs; tested almost every gelato stand between Tuscany and Lazio to find The Best Gelato; scouted ancient ruins; soaked in art and architecture; laid eyes on places and things that they had only read about; and so much more.
Enjoy this small sampling of photos of our journey.
Waiting for the plane in Memphis.
We’re here!
Day 1: Smiling through the bitter chill of the walled city, Orvieto.
Day 1: Our sunset view from the top of Brunelleschi’s Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore.
Day 2: The winning scavenger hunt group channeling their inner Medici.
Day 2: Philip Throckmorton and Pender Wells educate our group on Giotto’s Campanile.
Day 2: Reading the mosaic ceiling in the Battistero di San Giovanni.
Day 3: Lizzie Young gives a presentation on Raphael’s Madonna Of the Goldfinch at the Galleria degli Uffizi.
Day 3: Our guide, Karen, leads Westminster seniors through the amazing Museo Galileo.
Day 3: Spencer Harris and Quinn Peebles giving their presentation on the tomb of Galileo Galilei at the Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence.
Day 4: An impromptu choral performance in the Capella Pazzi.
Day 7: The Tomb Of the Unknown Soldier at Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II.
Day 7: Exploring the temple and funeral pyre of Julius Caesar in the Roman Forum.
Day 7: The Roman Colosseum
Day 7: The Pantheon
Day 8: The Catacombs
Day 8: Admiring Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne at the Galleria Borghese, Rome.
Day 8: The amphitheater at the ancient city of Ostia Antica.
Day 8: Another lovely performance at San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane, Rome.
Day 8: Andrew Laurence and Sean Sullivan giving their presentation on Bramante’s Tempietto in Trastevere.
Day8: Enjoying the best pizza in Italy at Dar Poeta in Trastevere.
Day 9: Waiting on line at Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano.
Day 9: Bernini’s Baldacchino di San Pietro.
Day 9: Raphael’s School of Athens in the Stanza della Segnatura in the Museo Vaticani.
Day 9: The courtyard at the Museo Vaticani.
Day 9: The wall around Vatican City.
Day 9: Sampling the world’s best coffee at Tazza D’Oro, Rome
Tags: classical education, florence, high school trips, Rome