Siena and San Gimignano

by Jacqueline S.

After the CCI posse left the majestic city of Florence we traveled with great anticipation to San Gimignano. After a short bus ride we arrived at this medieval city. San Gimignano, like many Italian cities, has breathtaking vistas, monuments, and other sights to see.

 

The drive seemed everlasting due to the curvy roads, but it did make trekking through the city more enjoyable because we really wanted to get off the bus.

 

We ambushed every souvenir shop to find the perfect gift for our loved ones back in Canada. After shopping, CCI students enjoyed a delicious Italian lunch at one of the many local cafes and, of course, later devoured generous helpings of what is reputed as Europe's best gelato. 

 

Sadly, we were only able to marvel at and appreciate San Gimignano’s elegant attractions for just two short hours. For my part, and with unanimous agreement from all my friends, we wished there had been an opportunity to stay in San Gimignano longer.

 

This beautiful city not only provides an elegant background for pictures and portraits, it is also a place steeped in history where unforgettable memories are created.

 

After our brief but meaningful two hours in San Gimignano we boarded the bus to leave this exquisite city and departed for Siena.

When we arrived in Siena we split off into several groups. Each one of us was immediately astounded by the beauty of the city and was anxious to fully explore this angelic place.

 

Siena is rich with history, life, and beauty. There were so many stories and so much history to be discovered even during the brief two and a half hours that we were there.

 

The church of St. Catherine was one of the first landmarks we visited. The Holy Relic of the Sacred Head of Saint Catherine of Siena has been conserved in the Basilica since 1383. Numerous official and historical documents have established its veracity. The relic is actually the real head of Saint Catherine of Siena.

 

The main Piazza Del Campo is one of the most famous if not the most famous piazzas in all of Italy. It is renowned worldwide for its beauty and architectural integrity. The twice-a-year horse race, the “Palio di Siena”, is held around the perimeter of the Piazza. The races have been held annually on July 2nd and August 16th since the fourteenth century.

 

Ultimately, every student from CCI was both heartbroken and delighted as each of us were both sad to leave this fascinating city but very much ready to go home.

Awesome Florence Trip

by Nicole R.

After getting off the 6 hour bus ride, you can imagine the looks on the faces of the students as they scurried off. More asleep than awake, just wanting to check into the hotel to get a shower and get the day started. After dumping the luggage off in the rooms and piling up in the lobby, we found our groups and sauntered out the door. There was a quick tour of the general location in which we were placed, starting off with the bridges.

We then made our way to the Piazza Della Signoria, and found the Fountain of Neptune, which was later used as our meeting spot for the rest of our time in Florence.

We toured the Accademia and saw Michelangelo's David.

On Friday we started the day off with breakfast, which was served at the hotel, followed by the Uffizi Tour. This was a tour of art work by artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo. We were sent on a scavenger hunt, finding the answers to the questions provided in the pamphlet given out at breakfast.

After a few more hours of free time, we went off to our museum of choice. The Museum of Natural History was very interesting. It was also very intimate because there were no other people present, just the students from our school. The museum was showing all sorts of organisms, from plants, to insects, to animals, to humans.

We then walked up the 466 stairs of the Duomo to see the beautiful view of Florence.

After checking out of the hotel, we piled onto the bus looking just as tired as we did getting on Thursday morning. It was off the Sienna from there were we saw Piazza Del Campo and the Duomo. After which, we got back onto the bus and headed home. 

Sports!!!

by Jessica I.

School work, afternoon trips to the beach, coffee breaks at Pic’s… The lives of the students at CCI are quite full. There’s always time for sports though!

Every second weekday a group of about 20 of us walk down to a local gym to play volleyball, basketball, or soccer.

No matter what the talent level, we always manage to have a good time.

Volleyball has been the most played game so far and some pretty intense match ups have gone down.

It could be everyone picking on Mr. Stephens for the moves “they don’t teach you in school” or everyone in awe of Liam’s spiking or the very popular cursing the low roof in the gym we play. All these little things make our afternoons playing sports enjoyable.

Residence Life

by Mary B.

When I first thought of coming to CCI the residence life was one of the things I was most excited about. My experiences in the girls’ residence at CCI have far exceeded my expectations. 

We were all forced to become friends immediately and we quickly became more like family. You can’t walk down the hall without stopping into someone’s room and talking about some ridiculous thing. If you are ever bored it is only a short walk until you find someone to hang out with.

We have now mastered the shower schedule and if you listen closely you might be lucky enough to hear one of our vocal talents.

Every night after study all the girls gather in the common room for pizza and to talk. There is always some sort of shenanigans happening... impromptu dance offs, forts being made or dipping just about anything in Nutella!

Living in residence has taught us all to accept each other’s quirks and learn to love them. I have already made many friendships that I know will last even when we no longer live just a few steps away from each other. 

A Trip Up the Mountain

by Veronica G.

The trip to the Bocca di Valle waterfall on Saturday was both a tiring and satisfying experience.

We were all happy that it was not extremely hot that day, as it had been most of that week. The hour hike up to the waterfall not only supplied us with beautiful views of Italy’s natural wildlife, but also a killer workout that I’m sure we were all feeling the next day.

As we finally neared our goal, almost everyone was exhausted. When the waterfall came into view though, we were filled with a sense of accomplishment that we had made it and were amazed by the size and beauty of the falls.

The water was toe-numbingly cold, especially for those who dared to wade right beneath the falls. Still, it was refreshing and really helped to rejuvenate everyone for the walk back, which happily took half the time it took to get up.

Overall, the hike was a very worthwhile experience that helped us to connect with Italy’s natural beauty.

Learning English with Canadian Friends

by 

Pierfrancesco D.,

Pasquale D.,

Gianluca D.,

and Antonio D.

This is our second summer learning English in Lanciano.

At the beginning of the first year we didn’t know anybody but after ten days we were all friends.

We couldn’t speak English very well so it would take quite a few minutes to understand and to be understood.

This experience has helped us grow up and to be more independent in the things we do every day. It’s very beautiful to be here.

Us Italians love this place and we think that we will be back next summer to learn more English and to meet more Canadians!!! And one day we might visit them in Canada.

Beach Days

by Rachel A.

With the temperature rising each day, it seems the only way to cool down is to go to the beach. Every other day, CCI students have the opportunity to board the bus at 4:00 in the afternoon and take the half hour bus ride to a beach.

Although the minute we step on the bus we start sweating, we know it will be worth it when we arrive at the salt-water ocean to cool down. The beach is a great place to cool off, make new friends, play some sports, catch up on reading or just get that perfect summer tan!  

Even though some days we come back with a sunburn, it doesn’t stop us from returning. Nothing holds us back from tasting the salt water on our lips and feeling the hot sun on our backs. 

There is never a boring moment on the beach. Each beach day there is something new to enjoy. Whether it is covering someone with sand, making sand couches, or playing football against the staff, everyone appears to be enjoying themselves. 

A new experience for most of us was visiting a rock beach. The rocks were hot and painful on our feet, but they made a comfortable place to lie down. Covering people with rocks was the new activity. Surprisingly, some people preferred the rock beach rather than the sand beach.

Although there are several beaches back in Canada, no beach will ever compare to the fun we have with each other, every other day, on the Italian beaches!

Experiencing Art

by Nick D.

When the English class is working painfully on an essay, we are outside sketching the breathtaking scenery. When the History class is doing a long arduous test, we are softly stroking paint to create a portrait. And when some students are cramming for their test the next day, we are peacefully lost in the world of Renaissance masters like Michelangelo and Da Vinci. That's the best way to describe the experience of  taking art in CCI.

On the first day of class, I knew that I was going to have an exceptional time with my two other classmates Rianne and Lisa, and of course with our inspiring, talented teacher Mr. Stephens.

So far we have dove into the mediums of charcoal sketching,  watercolour painting, and acrylic painting with fantastic results! Some of our projects have included drawing a crumpled up piece of paper using charcoal, creating a photomontage using old National Geographics, and painting an image in 6 different styles. For this assignment, the images we each chose to reproduce were quite varied. We had Lisa's Lovely Lips, Rianne's Rambling Robot, and my Precious Penguins.

As I write this, we are currently working on painting a person, using a colour scale composed of black, white, and only 2 primary colours in between. Despite some criticisms of our own work, I believe that they will end up looking unbelievably awesome!

But art class isn't all fun and games, we have our hardships. Such as the exhausting nine flights of stairs we must trek up every morning, and after lunch! And then there's the room itself, which according to Mr. Stephens (as determined by a thermometer I'm sure) is the hottest room in the school.

The creation of the artwork itself is probably the biggest challenge. Although it is enjoyable and relaxing, it also requires immense concentration and patience. But there's always time to chill out to the occasional 80's classic, or to chat with some admirers from other classes. Unfortunately we are also very tough critics of our own work. If I had a nickel for every time I've  heard one of us say “it looks horrible” when the artwork really looks great, I would probably get air conditioning for the art room!

All in all, art class at CCI has been an inspirational experience so far, and is an environment for artistic success. We will soon begin work on our final project, and it it saddens me to think that this class will come to an end.