Italy Study Tour 2019

Lucia Liberatore and I would like to thank the parents of the wonderful young ladies who attended the Italy Study Tour for entrusting us with the care of their daughters during the two weeks of the Study Tour.

Although the schedule was very busy and the everyday demands to be punctual, responsible, enthusiastic, cooperative and diligent with set tasks, the girls came through with flying colours. They also became a very close group and offered help, care and support to one another in many ways, while having a lot of fun and new experiences together.

We were really proud to be their ‘mums’ during the trip and we received many positive comments regarding their mature attitude and willingness to give things a go.

Below are some reflections of the tour by various students.

Marlene Weberruss

Italian Teacher

This year's Italy Study Tour was an amazing experience and we will forever remember the memories we made together as a group.

At the beginning of our trip, we were all a little nervous as we set off for Italy on Sunday 31 March but we were also extremely excited.

We arrived in Rome after a long and exhausting flight to find ourselves surrounded by the Italian language and culture. It was an incredible experience to visit and explore new places every day and we were able to learn more about historical monuments such as the Colosseum, Vatican and Roman Forum. After Rome, we travelled at a speed of 250 km/h on a Frecciarossa Fast Train that took us to our new destination, Florence. Here, we took many photos of places like Il Duomo and the magnificent Statue of David and learnt more about the Italian way of life.

On our way to Pesaro, where we were meeting our Homestay families, we made a stop at the town of Assisi. In Assisi, our group explored the many churches and learnt about the importance of St Francis. Eventually, we made our way to the seaside city of Pesaro, where we were warmly welcomed by our Homestay families. It was enjoyable to stay with our Italian families, attend Italian classes and complete fun activities outside like learning to buy things and using our Italian-language skills.

Our final destination was Venice where we watched Murano Glass being made and enjoyed an iconic Gondola ride. We said “arrivederci” to Italy as we all travelled back to Melbourne on Saturday 13 April, where we were greeted by our families.

Every part of the Study Trip was amazing and particularly the food, culture and learning experiences. It was great having the opportunity to look around the markets and shops and we will always treasure the great friendships we developed with the girls in the 2019 Italian class.

Sarah Molin and Tara Jones

My personal overview of Italy was very positive as I wasn’t sure what to expect before the trip.

Overall, I learnt so much from being immersed in Italian history and culture. I think my abilities in speaking Italian have improved through the Study Tour without my knowledge! I found myself saying phrases in Italian without having to think very hard about it and I was confident about what I was saying.

Not only did I find the trip rewarding in areas of my Italian and History study but I also made friendships in another country and had a fun time with my classmates and teachers.

Rebecca Foster

The Italian language classes gave us a good sense of Italian culture and made us interested in learning new things. My favourite experience was speaking to the Italian students at the Liceo Classico because it provided us an opportunity to communicate in Italian and to practise our skills, while learning about the lifestyles of students our own age in another country.

We found we had similarities and differences in our lives. It was so interesting to learn about their different hobbies, favourite subjects, jobs, families and the differences between the Italian and Australian education systems.

Rhiannon Duffy

The homestay was better than I could ever imagine. My homestay partner, Rhiannon and I were absolutely spoiled by our family. When it came to the end of the homestay, we really didn’t want to leave, because we had been so welcome.

Overall, the trip could not have been any better because of the people we were with. The memories I have made with my friends over this trip are unforgettable!

Sarah McKenna

Overall, the Italy Study Tour was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. To have the level of responsibility and independence I had was something I really enjoyed. Being able to travel and learn so much about each city we visited thanks to Gianni, our tour guide and all of the information he gave us, I was able to really get an understanding of the history of Italy.

The walking tours of each city were also fantastic as it was so good to be let in on some of the secret gems of each city. This was something that wouldn’t have been likely to happen if I were to have been travelling with my parents.

The homestay and schooling experiences were also a highlight. I loved being thrown into Italian life and being part of a genuine Italian family who cared for us and treated us like part of their family. I also enjoyed the opportunity to go to school and talk to people our own age who live completely different lives from us on the other side of the world, what a surreal experience!

Thank you so much to the College for all of the effort and hard work that was put into this trip, believe me, it was well worth it!

Kate Lowe

I really liked our visit to the Conservatorium in Pesaro. It was a really interesting experience and the music they played for us was truly beautiful! I also really enjoyed the Violin making demonstration. It was a unique opportunity to see this.

While the Study Tour was a busy one and we were absolutely tired at the end of each day, I wouldn’t change a second of it. Those two weeks in Italy were some of the best in my life!

Holly Sutherland

Homestay is something I will never forget, and even though our experience wasn’t what we expected, we made the most of the situation. It taught us how to be resilient and keep trying to build a relationship with our family. As we got to know them, it got a little bit better.

Overall this trip gave me so many more skills and taught me to be more confident and independent.

Maria Race

I feel this tour was especially useful in learning the history of Italy. In language classes at school we have to use the time to focus on learning the language, so it was a great opportunity to learn about other aspects of Italy.

I also found the tour to be a great way to become more independent and to get to know the other girls on the trip and we became very close. I am forever grateful for the wonderful support from the teachers. I would definitely recommend this trip to future students of Italian because it provides you with once in a lifetime opportunities such as the Homestay and language classes. Italy is such a beautiful country!

Laura Mitchell

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