Last weekend, the Summer Arts Program students had a free weekend to explore Italy… groups travelled all over Italy, from Venezia to the Cinque Terre to Rome.
Here Leah and Jerry share some insider tips from their first time traveling in Italia!

Pictured from left: Katie Markey, Leah Van Doren, Sydney McDonald, Shannon Dempsey, Vanessa Filazzola, Jordy Elbieh, Gabe Halstead
Photo by Sydney McDonald

Where did you travel to this weekend, and what was the highlight?

I traveled to Rome this weekend with 12 other people from the program. We took a train friday night and then I took the express train back on sunday night.

Photo by Sydney McDonald

We arrived to Rome at midnight and when we got there we got a text from the owner of our Air Bnb apartment saying she thought we were coming the night before, and as a result was no longer in Rome. Basically, we had no place to stay. People were freaking out but surprisingly, I was able to stay very calm. We ended up right near St. Peter’s Basilica, prepared to sleep on one of the pillars if need be. Eventually, someone arranged that we stay at the Sheraton, which like striking gold because we had air conditioning and wifi.

The next day we visited the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Pantheon, and the Catacombs of Rome. My favorite part of the trip was on Sunday we had lunch outside the Pantheon and, since we did a lot the day before, we had time to chill out and people-watch in the piazza. Everyone was so interesting, from beggars and children playing to tourists snapping photos and even a musician playing Enrique Iglesias. The scene was so diverse and interesting, and I realized my favorite part of being in Italy is just experiencing the people and their culture.

What advice/tips/secret knowledge would you like to pass on to future students who may want to visit this place?

Always travel with someone who has data on their phone or make sure you have data yourself in case you get lost and need to contact someone. Also, make friends! We met a lot of cool people in Rome, simply by just introducing ourselves.

-Leah Van Doren (Commedia, Mask Making)

Pictured from left: Reyna Orelup, Carl Napolitano, Jerry Thomeczek
Photo by Lexi Adams

Where did you travel to this weekend, and what was the highlight?

Photo by Lexi Adams

This weekend I traveled to Siena, in the Province of Siena, in Tuscany, Italy. The highlight of the trip, apart from the double dose of gelato, was definitely the manuscript room that is within the Siena Cathedral. The room is completely covered with Renaissance paintings and the manuscripts are really old pieces of parchment with sheet music. The other highlight was the view from the porch at the city hall which has since been turned into a museum. Although you have to climb a long set of stairs to reach the porch, it is certainly worth the effort, as you can see into the Ortia River valley, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and breathtaking.

What advice/tips/secret knowledge would you like to pass on to future students who may want to visit this place?

Siena once decided that they would build the world’s largest cathedral before the Plague put the kabosh on that plan. However, you can see the remnants of the walls they started, and what is now the nave would have been the transept. Also, take the bus to Siena, not the train, and make sure you don’t miss the bus!

-Jerry Thomeczek (Art History, Mask Making)