Venice

The weather has been terrific for our stay in Italy and the weather on our last day for our visit to Venice no different. San Marco's Piazza, The Rialto Bridge, Murano Island, A Gondola ride through Venice's ancient canals, a visit to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum and of course shopping (most of it wishful thinking) provided a perfect ending for our trip to Italy. We can now reflect back on how fortunate we have been to share such many and varied experiences in such a wonderful country that has such a rich and fascinating culture. We can also reflect with great fondness on the hospitality and generosity of our sister school in Vasto. The visit to Vasto was truly a wonderful experience one that we could not have had without the wonderful good will of our sister school community. Well done to the students who have all risen to the challenge of an ambitious itinerary that required much travel.

The Cinque Terre walk today was everything we expected and more. We manged to complete two out of the five sections, Vernazza to Corniglia and Manarola to Riomaggiore. We had intended to do Corniglia to Manarola but it was closed. Spectacular weather and of course even more spectacular views. Thanks Kerry for your pre trip information. It he;ped a lot. On to Milan tomorrow and last port of call, Venice before heading back to Perth.

Pisa

We arrived in Pisa yesterday from Florence and stayed in a hotel close by to the Cathedral and to the tower. Many a photo was taken. Our stay in Pisa was enjoyable but short. We have now arrived in La Spezia where we will spend the next couple of days. La Spezia is a delightful port side town and of course close to the Cinque Terre which we will tackle tomorrow.

Firenze

Today our last day in Firenze, Thanks to our sister school we have been able to enjoy free admission and no waiting in lines to visit the incredible Ufize Gallery and the Galleria Academia where David lives. These are astonishing places to visit and to do so without the hassle of waiting in excessively long lines has been a blessing. Firenze itself is one huge museum with ancient architecture and decorative art and sculptures at every turn. Today we visited the Duomo and some intrepid students went to the top of the bell tower, no lift, 468 steps up. We also enjoyed the panoramic views from the Michelangelo Piazza. Tomorrow we move on to Pisa for a short one night stay and then on to La Spezia where we will walk the beautiful Cinque Terra.

Happy Birthday Stav.

Firenze

Caught the train from Siena to Firenze this morning having enjoyed the marvels of the town of Siena. We now have had a small taste of what is to come via an afternoon walk to the PonteVechio. Happy birthday to Stav.