Three subject areas combined for an incredible tour of Italy and France during the April School Holidays. Years 10 – 12 French language students along with Visual Arts and Food Technology, embarked on a cultural and culinary educational experience.
Flying into Rome we toured The Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and more, enjoying gelato and pasta a plenty. Next onto beautiful Florence for charcoal drawing class, Pitti Palace, The Academia to view Michelangelo’s David, pizza making and the San Lorenzo markets. We headed to Parma to visit and taste prosciutto from a renowned family business. Then to Milan to take in the sights of the Duomo di Milano and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, with lots of food and shopping along the way.
After five wonderful days in Italy, we made our way to France, landing in Paris. Straight to the Eiffel Tower where we climbed to the top! The art students were in their element at the Musée d'Orsay viewing the works of famous impressionist artists. We took a drawing class in Montmartre beginning on the steps of the Sacré-Cœur and meandering through the beautiful Parisian neighbourhoods to inspire our artistic talents.
We took an excursion to Giverny in Normandy to visit the home of artist Claude Monet and walk through his delightful gardens. The Louvre was a standout experience to view so many famous artworks including the Mona Lisa. Students loved the opportunity to spend the day at Euro Disneyland, enjoying the rides and specialty foods.
We headed south to the Palace of Versailles and its magnificent gardens, then onto the Loire Valley to tour castles, vineyards, goat cheese farm and mushroom caves. This area was like stepping into a fairy tale and we enjoyed the slower pace outside of the city. Down to Bordeaux for more cooking and cultural experiences.
The fast TGV train delivered us back to Paris in under 3 hours and the food tech students loved the opportunity to learn from a demonstration by a 2 star Michelin chef at the prestigious Cordon Bleu. We stood under the Arc de Triomphe, strolled the Champs-Élysées, dined at many French cafes and restaurants, enjoying all the sights and sounds of lovely Paris before our 24 hour journey home to Sydney.
Thank you to the 34 students who participated in this trip and made it an enjoyable experience for all involved. In the next edition of The Way, you will hear from some of the attending students and their perspective on this trip and the things they learned from travelling to Italy and France.
Ms Michelle Raft
French Teacher
