Hawthorn School’s trip to Italy was a truly unforgettable experience, and we were all tremendously blessed to be able to come along. The journey began from Toronto Pearson Airport on March 5 at 8:30 pm, when 18 of our Upper School students were privileged to embark upon this exciting excursion. The first connecting flight to France departed at 11:30 pm, and we stopped briefly in the airport of Paris, where we got to savor a few classic French pastries such as macarons.
After a full night of flying, we arrived in Milan in the afternoon of March 6. At the airport, we met with our tour guide Nicoletta and hopped onto our private bus for a very long ride to Florence. We quickly stopped for dinner in Eataly along the way and got to try the delicious Italian cuisine for the first time! After an exhausting 24 hours of travelling, we finally arrived at the hotel in Florence late that night.
The next morning, we spent the day walking around the city and took a guided sightseeing tour of Florence. We learned about the history of Florence and saw many beautiful landmarks, such as the Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, and the Duomo. During our free time, we had lunch at a scrumptious Italian restaurant, and many of us also went to the Galleria degli Uffizi. In the evening, we caught a gorgeous sunset and had a traditional Italian pizza dinner. Our first day was amazing!
On March 8, we went on a scavenger hunt through the Accademia and saw a lot of beautiful Italian artwork. We spent the rest of the day exploring Florence in our free time and visited a few Italian shops. We had a cooking class at the end of the day and ate the food that we prepared for dinner. It was delicious—our chef taught us well!
On March 9, we departed early in the morning from Florence to head to Rome! We stopped for Sunday Mass at the St. Francis of Assisi Basilica along the way and had a chance to explore the city of Assisi for a while. Some of us even went to see the tomb of Santa Chiara. Later, we continued en route to Rome. We visited the Piazza del Popolo at night and walked on the Spanish Steps!
On March 10, we went on a guided tour of Vatican City. We saw the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and went through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica. The beautiful sights and artwork that we saw were truly mesmerizing. Later that day, some of us went on a bike ride on the Appian Way and took an enchanting walk around Rome at night!
On the morning of March 11, we went to visit the Prelate of Opus Dei, where Don Fernando Ocariz shared an inspiring message with the girls. Later, we toured the Colosseum and learned all about Ancient Rome! We ended the day with an authentic trattoria dinner. It was a great day!
On March 12, we left Rome to visit Pompeii! We explored the ruins of the city and learned about the way the Romans lived. We went to the Basilica of Pompeii and even got to see the cast of a real body preserved from the volcanic eruption of 79 AD!
In the evening, we headed to Sorrento and dressed up for dinner in the hotel. We even got a beautiful glimpse of the sea along the way! It was definitely a very fun day, and it was super interesting to discover Pompeii.
On the last day before leaving, we took a ship to Capri and explored the island. The seas were a little bit rough, but we still had a great time!
We took a bus around the island, got to try some of Capri’s famous limoncello products, and some of us went on a chair lift to catch a magnificent view of Anacapri. In the evening, we returned to Rome and stayed the night in a hotel.
On March 14, we said our final reluctant goodbyes to Italy and headed to the airport! We parted with Nicoletta and hopped on another long connecting flight through Paris. We arrived in Toronto at 10 PM local time and went our separate ways. Italy was a truly magical experience that left us with amazing memories which we will always cherish, and we all look forward to reliving it someday!
