Italy Study and Homestay Tour

Settembre in Italia

For 11 students and 3 staff members (Mr Dedes, Mr Laganga and myself) were lucky enough to spend our September school holidays and Week 1 of Term 4 in Italy.

For most of the students this was their first international experience and the first time they would spend time away from their family and friends. This was our first Study tour since 2018 so we were curious to see the changes since our last visit. For some of us getting no sleep in over 21 hours was a big challenge and we were all excited to arrive in Reggio Calabria and explore this city and have our first experience of traditional pizza Italian style on our first night. Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs as there was so much left over! But our challenge started here of making sure we sampled food and beverages we had not tried before.

Gelato was on the agenda just about everyday and we also attended a gelati making class in Sorrento and learnt about how to spot a good gelato!

Whist in Italy we visited many museums and learnt about the history of this amazing country. Some of our tours were the best history lessons we has taken part in and often these took place under the heat of the Italian sun. The weather was perfect with the temperature averaging 26 to 30 degrees every day. We got to experience rain only once during the trip and this was in Pompeii where we also got to see how the drainage system works. This will definitely never be forgotten!

Homestay in Rome is traditionally a part of the Study Tour which students are nervous about as this is where they spent 6 nights with a student and their family from our sister school at Il Liceo Azzarita. New connections were made during this time and new friendships formed. Students attended school and were able to explore the differences between Italian and Australian school systems. We attended excursions run by our homestay students introducing us to the many landmarks in Rome – the eternal city.

In Rome we visited the Colosseum, Trevi fountain, St Peters Basilica attended the Papal audience where we got to see Pope Francis, visited the Sistene Chapel to see the works of Michelangelo and also visited Tivoli and Villa D’Este with 100 fountains.

Florence was the opportunity to go up the Bell Tower and get the most beautiful view of Florence and then of course there was the Leaning Tower of Pisa. What an experience that was as was the experience of taking the famous photos of students holding it up.

We celebrated two students’ birthdays whilst on the Italy trip – Emma Skrivanek was treated an extra special birthday in Molochio – a small village in Calabria and Maddison Truong celebrated her birthday in Rome with her homestay family.

Arriving in Venice in a train was an amazing experience as it is a city surrounded by water. We got to visit Murano -famous for its glass blowing.

A new addition to this years study tour was visiting Lake Como which was home to the Versace familys holiday home and that of George Clooney.  Bellagio was a quaint town that students explored and got to experience the Italian way of life.

A big GRAZIE to the following families for allowing us to have this experience which I’m sure will be something students will remember for many years to come and a bigger thank-you to the students for being amazing during this trip and adapting to new challenges that they encountered every day whilst in Italy.

Emma and Tomas Skrivanek, Laura Santoro, Natasha and Charlotte Lanham, Josh Hughes, Benjamin Khullar, Milla Conte, Hana Nasef, Madison Truong and Oliver Andriopoulos.

Danni Deluca

Italian Teacher

2023 Italy Study Tour

Every trip is so different! Our three weeks together gave us time to get to know one another better but also was a time of self reflecting – being out of our comfort zones, getting up early every morning and having a new experience just about every day! Congratulations to the 11 students and their families on allowing them to have this – an experience of a lifetime whilst at Taylors Lakes Secondary College. In some cases things they had heard of and learnt in school were right in front of their eyes! And of course we learnt so much more…  We looked in awe at the architecture, the buildings and of course the food, food, food!!! Many local tours were organised and we got to learn about new places and things.

Our day visit to the town of Molochio in Reggio Calabria started with a visit to the local council and meeting with the mayor. The discussions were centered around the importance of exchange programs, the italian culture and how learning a language can support students in future.  After lunch organised by the locals, we spent the afternoon exploring different parts of the town and meeting up with many of the families we had spent time with in the morning.  As the mayor of the town said in their welcoming speech “ Molochio is not famous like other places in Italy but I hope you are able to take away something that will remain close to your heart forever”. We celebrated two birthdays whilst we were in Italy for Emma and Madison.  Hopefully these will be birthdays they remember with beautiful memories of their day spent in Italy.

Homestay is always a time when students start to feel a little nervous about the families they are going to stay with – there are so many unknowns but then they are the hardest ones to say good bye to! The students from this group that participated in the homestay program will also be planning to come out to us in 2024; they were the ones who were feeling more relaxed and comfortable about this part of the trip! So the advice I’m giving is for any student thinking of participating in our next Italy trip in 2025 be involved in the 2024 Italy Homestay program so you can meet the Italian students before you actually go…it will make it a lot easier for you!

Needless to say we climbed many staircases that led us to lots of new adventures… we climbed the leaning tower of Pisa and also the tower in Messina and Florence. Our new addition this year was the trip to Tivoli as well as Lake Como - Bellegio. We got to see the famous castle and gardens in Tivoli as well the beautiful scenery that Lake Como and Bellegio produced, right next to the Switzerland border.

Yes the 2023 Italy was jam packed with different activities and I am confident that the parents were happy to see their children come home safely and tell them stories about their many experiences.

Once again, a huge thank you to the families of the students who supported this trip, to the students for making it such a memorable one and to staff members Danni Deluca and Joe Laganga for their assistance and support. 

Start thinking about the 2025 Italy trip! It is a great opportunity for students and families alike!

Danny Dedes

Principal