I have never been on a plane before. I wasn’t nervous or scared; I was very excited. I held Grace’s hand during takeoff and watched as we rose higher and higher of the New York. The sun was setting as we flew north and the bright lights of the cities below lit our path beautifully. If you’ve never seen Boston from 20,000ft at night then you’ve never seen Boston.
That sunrise was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. The Alps peaked over the clouds and the sun struck them in a way that cannot be described by words alone.
After an eight hour flight we arrived in Milan airport. It was morning in Italy and I didn’t sleep a wink the entire plane ride. We breezed through customs and met up with our tour guide Adrian. We then proceeded to the castle town of Sirmione where I experienced Espresso and Gelato for the first time. I was in awe when I first saw the beautiful clear lake. It was a small town with a few cafes, shops, and gelatoriums. The scenery was so beautiful. I managed to see the group members from the first flight and got my first picture with Nickolas and Kyle. We were ready for this trip to begin.
We returned to the hotel for the day. We had about three hours of free time so we didn’t bother to go to bed. Nick was visibly sick when we arrived, but our presence had a healing effect on him. We conversed with the other students then ate our first dinner of pork and potatoes.
The next morning it was off to Venice for a guided tour of the city and our performance at St. Mark’s. I have seen Venice in movies and TV shows, but I had never experienced it firsthand. It was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen, but also the smelliest. I thought New York City reeked, but Venice was a new type of torture. The beauty of St. Mark’s was nothing like I have ever seen before. I’m not a religious man, but I was overcome with emotion when we entered the basilica. We went to Risorante All’Angelo for our second dinner of Pork and Potatoes. The desert was a Flan-like caramel custard that was positively amazing.
The next day we headed for Verona. The city was beautiful and we had an excellent tour. We saw a functioning arena and were able to walk around inside of it. I was in awe by the acoustics of the structure. It was amazing how clear the sound bounced from the stage to the stands. I wish I was able to perform there. Verona is the setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet; we were able to see Juliet’s balcony and even get our pictures taken by her statue. The tradition is to rub her right breast in order to find your true love. I got my picture taken rubbing her.
We stayed in Montecatini that night. It was a lovely hotel in a small town not far from Pisa.
The next day we traveled to see the famous leaning tower. I was impressed not by the tower, but by the dome and cathedral located in the same area. If the tower had not been built with its weak foundation, I’m sure the dome and cathedral would be more famous. There were dozens of tourists lined up to get their picture taken holding the tower up. I, of course, got my picture with the tower. Kyle decided to be different and got a picture of himself hadoukening the tower.
We then left Pisa and spent the rest of the day in Puccini’s birthplace of Lucca. It was the type of town you’d read about in a romance novel. I small Italian village surrounded by a ruined wall, with the Alps visible in the distance. It was exactly what I wanted to take in on this trip. I spent the day with Nickolas, Kyle, and Daniel. We walked around the walls and went through the residential area of the village, away from the other tourists. We had a concert that night in the building next to our hotel. It went well.
Florence was also a beautiful city. Most weren’t there to see the city; they went to go to the open air market. We had a guided tour of the basilica streets. It was a small area to cover, but it was all so gorgeous. Nickolas went off to shop with the girls, and Daniel, Kyle, and I went to see more of the city. It was gorgeous; the Vasari Corridor was incredible. As we waited for the group a Mime was performing in the square next to us. I managed to capture some snapshots of him. We performed in Chesa Santa Maria dei Ricci that night; it is a church run by a mad priest, Don Roberto. He told me that his dog married and lives in Pennsylvania.
We left for Rome the next day. We had a long bus ride full of mad libs; I have never been a fan of mad libs until this trip. We arrived in Rome about an hour late and were rushed through the Vatican Museum so we could get to the Sistine Chapel before it closed. I have seen pictures and heard stories of the Sistine Chapel before, but experiencing it first hand is a new feeling of awe. Visibly it is nothing exciting, but the story behind it is amazing.
We proceeded to see St. Peter’s Cathedral and were taken through all the tombs of the Popes. We were told of the architecture and history but I cannot write what I felt walking through that cathedral. That is something one must experience firsthand.
Easter Sunday we performed in St. Paul’s church in Rome. It was the first American style church built in Italy and contained a mosaic containing Abe Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. It was something that will stick in my mind forever.
We had a guided tour of ancient Rome that day. We say the Coliseum, the ruins, Trevi fountain, and the Pantheon. Rome was a great way to end this trip. The city was crawling with history and extravagance. That night we took one last drive around the city and got pictures in front of the Vatican and Coliseum. We went to bed that night with our trios and laid awake talking about how amazing the trip had been.
The next day Nick was on the first group to leave; he said his goodbyes and left. Kyle and I slept in a little then went to breakfast. We left for the airport around 10am Italy time, 4am PA time. We departed around 2pm and landed in Newark around 5:10pm. It was a smooth flight and a lot happened. We reflected on our trip, balled our eyes out watching Marley and Me, and made a pact to return to Italy together.
I’ve decided to add Italy to my backpacking trip. There was so much I wanted to see but couldn’t and so much I want to see again.
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