Giardini di Boboli in Florence on I April 2009

This year the Year 10 Italian Exchange trip left on Friday, 27th March. We reached Montepulciano on Friday evening and with some trepidation the girls met their exchange partners and went home with them. The next day we met at the “San Bellarmino” School and headed up hill with our guide to visit the old Medieval town, and, in particular, the Duomo, the theatre and workshops of local copper and timber artisans. We all got a feel for the place helped by the warm sunshine. 

On Sunday the girls spent the day with their host family and got ample opportunity to practise their Italian, some went on day trips, others enjoyed a typical Italian family day.
On Monday we visited Siena and San Gimignano with the Italian exchange partners. The girls particularly enjoyed the visit to the Basilica and the Old and New Testament frescoes and learned about perspective.
On Tuesday our destination was the perfect Renaissance town, Pienza followed by a swim in the warm thermal baths of Bagno Vignoni.
On Wednesday, we enjoyed a historical tour of the Medici’s Florence from the Cathedral to Palazzo Vecchio, a spot of shopping on Ponte Vecchio, then the Boboli gardens for a brief rest and onto the Basilica of Santa Croce.
On the last day we changed era and learned about the mysterious Etruscan civilization in the Museum of Chiusi and had a brief tour of two of the surviving tombs.
Finally, on Friday, we made our way back to London, the girls laden with generous gifts from their host families and hopefully happy memories.

Giulia Marchini, Italian Department