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1. A much welcomed margarita in Nice, France.
2. The clearest water I've ever seen at the Ninfa Gardens
3. Flower Market in Nice, France
4. Human alien, multi-exposures
5. The coast of Nice
6. Monte Carlo Casino on a rainy afternoon
7. Bel Air sunnies on the beach
8. The secret garden

Monte Cassino

Monte Cassino was a tall, winding mountain that stretched up through the clouds to reveal the astonishing Abbey of Monte Cassino. 

We left early in the morning to reach Monte Cassino at the perfect moment.  As we were driving along winding roads, we began to peak through clouds of fog.  Wispy hues of blue and lavender were broken up by mountain peaks.  This was truly one of my more favorite experiences so far.  To refer to something as breathtaking usually seems cliche, but this experience literally took my breath away.

 

The Abbey of Monte Cassino was the founding location for the Benedictine Order, where St. Benedict lived and practiced his faith.  The Abbey was destroyed first my an earthquake and again by bombings.  Now it has been completely renovated with a beautiful church. It really was a special place.

 

x.

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Venice; Carnival!

We traveled to Venice celebrate Carnival!  What a colorful and crazy experience from the moment we arrived. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carnival is a celebration held up until the start of Lent.  In Venice, everyone was dressed up in the most creative costumes imaginable.  A lot of them were very in depth versions of their favorite characters, but there were also more traditional costumes with Venetian Masks. 

 

For the weekend, we stayed in the lovely town of Verona and decided to take the train to Venice for a day trip to witness Carnival.  It took us more than one try to board a train because everyone was all going to the same place!  Once we finally made it, we walked the crowded cities, enjoyed delicious Vin Brulè (hot wine) and pizza (not at the same time, though, pizza called for a Peroni).

 

We each purchased festive masks and enjoyed a very fun day in Venice.  It was really nice to be able to experience this town, especially during the huge festival.

First visit to Rome

Castelli Romani

 

 

Our first field trip was traveling around the regions of the Castelli Romani, which translates to the castles of Rome. Ariccia, the town where we are staying is also located and considered in the region.  We visited Castel Gondolfo, Frascati, Grottaferrata, Nemi, Genzano, and Rocca di Papa. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was such an amazing trip because it was literally what we did in the first week of being here.  Each town we visited in the Castelli Romani is easily accessible from our town in Ariccia either by train or a local bus system.  The castles of Rome had a distinct personality and charm.  Some were liked more than others by the students, but over all each place had something that left us all breathless.  It was really a special opportunity to pile into our bus and be driven to each town to each specific point of interest.  The weather was also on our side this day with the sun shining brightly.

 

x.