Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Yesterday was absolutely incredible. We started the day by going to school with our Italian friends and we got a very nice tour. Immediately following, we walked to the headquarters of the government in Correggio where we received an interesting presentation on the current decisions being made. The tour of Correggio was amazing because we were able to see the two churches as well as the theatre where many famous Italian singers and actors have performed. We returned to school, where I sat in a biology class with Matilde. It was very confusing, but very fun for all of the Americans because their method of teaching is so different. We left class early and went to the Ferrari factory where we saw where the cars were made. We got to ride around in a real Ferrari! This was one of my most favorite experiences so far.After this once in a lifetime experience, we went to Modena, Italy to shop and to see two more beautiful churches. We returned home and I was told that I should go shower because there were some friends coming over for dinner. When I walked down the stairs, my friends, old and new, jumped out and yelled “Happy Birthday!” The kindness that was shown to me was unlike anything I have ever received. I have only met my host parents a few days ago, yet they throw me a surprise party and make me feel as though I am part of their family. I continue to be amazed by the extravagance of Italy and by the beauty of its people.
-Joanne Timberlake

Today we were able to see many beautiful things in Florence, Italy. We woke up and rode a bus for a few hours from Correggio to Florence, which gave us the opportunity to talk to all of the Italians some more. We arrived in Florence around eleven and began our journey through the beautiful city. We were able to see the beautiful and very elaborate Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. We were allowed some time to admire the Ponte Vecchio bridge as we ate the lunches our Italian families packed us. We then went to the Accademia Gallery to look at Michael Angelo’s most famous marble statue, The David, as well as many of his other statues he has created. After seeing The David we met our tour guide that would lead us through the Uffizi Gallery museum. We saw many wonderful pieces of art from artists including da Vinci, Raffaello, Michelangelo and Botticelli. My two favorite paintings that happened to be by Botticelli were The Birth of Venus as well as the Primavera. I also really liked the Potraits of the Duke and the Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca. After touring the Uffizi, Kerrigan and I drank Cappuccinos outside of a very cute bakery before we loaded the bus to head back home.

-Margaret Timberlake 

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