Acting and glass making videos......

This is our boys having an acting class in the streets of Venice. You are watching the male cats approach the female. The courting process in action!

The Master glass maker creating a work of art. The boys were in awe watching the artist in action. A number of boys purchased a horse to bring home with them.

The End... We made it. Oh what a trip!!

It's Saturday morning March 15th.... I am having espresso withdrawal. I dig in my kitchen cupboard and dig out my old espresso pot. I add my imported Italian espresso coffee and add water. I boil it on the stove and when it's ready I pour three cups. Hot, fragrant and steaming. There is one problem though. Where are the boys? Where are Harriet and Godric? Where is the Ponte Vecchio?

We are all home now. Safe and sound. The trip has surpassed all our expectations. From the departure March 4th to our return March 14th everything was perfect. Everyone had a wonderful time and enjoyed every moment. The economy in Italy is sure to change without our boys buying up all the Gelato and paninni's. Sorry Italy, you will have to manage without us for a while.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in this incredible journey. Our boys where ambassadors of Canada and Crescent School. Our teachers provided love and support to all the students. Rene, our tour guide was an inspiration to everyone. Sal our bus driver brought us to and from every location with expertise. Mike and Karen, our tour operator's designed a trip of a life time.

Grazie, Grazie, Grazie......Ciao Italia!

Day 9...What a trip... Ciao Italia!

Day nine… About one year ago the thought of the last day of our trip was so far away. Now, at 11 PM March 13th in Rome we are all packing for the trip home. I know by the comments you sent to the blog, you have watched us throughout our journey. I can tell you it has been a trip of a life time. The things we saw, experienced, ate and enjoyed can been seen in the pictures and read about on the blog. I am sure we ate Italy out of Gelato, pasta and pizza. We had a special session at our last dinner on how to explain to immigrations the amount in Canadian dollars of gifts we are bringing home to our families.

This trip has exceeded all or expectations. The concerts, the art, the drama, have all been extraordinary. The food, the bus driver, our guide the hotels, everything! Absolutely everything.

Unfortunately all great things must come to an end. As we said at dinner tonight, the trip is over but the memories will last forever.

Thank you for trusting us with your sons. Thank you for allowing us to share this life changing experience with them.

This is my last post while in Italy. We hope you have enjoyed the blog and have experienced a little of what we have.

See you in Toronto at 430 PM Friday March the 14th.

Ciao from Italia…….

Day 8 - So sorry, we are staying...

…the opening of our shutters to welcome the day at our villa was fantastic: no rain just sunshine! The boys enjoyed another breakfast, but this one was extra special as the every famous and most delicious blood oranges were made available to them to enjoy.

Once again, thanks to our guide we had a private boat to take us to the island in Venice that specializes in the ancient art form of glass blowing. Our guide told us that the art form of making of Venetian glass mirrors was kept secret for decades. The penalty was death for divulging any information with regards to this exquisite craft. Of course this lead to lengthy discussions on whether some art forms are considered ‘art’ or ‘craft’.

The boys were entranced as these master craftsmen did a demonstration for them. They are brilliantly skilled as it takes them ten to fifteen years to become a master. Your sons marvelled at the way a form would take shape at such high temperatures. Before their eyes the master ‘pulled’ a glass horse from a ball of glass. A celebration to be sure, his abilities were effortless and they enjoyed every moment!

Today’s mask-making and Commedia dell’Arte workshop was absolutely and unforgettably magnificent! “Tragi comica”, located in the heart of Venice, is filled with the most intricate and masterfully designed masks imaginable. This family of mask-making masters has spent years creating and working with the authentic masks of the original Commedia stock characters. During our three hour workshop, the boys learned about the history of this unique style of theatre which is where the first improvised style of acting/performance originated in Italy in the fourteenth century. We were then treated to a performance by one of the famous local Commedia performers. He had the boys performing the authentic gestures of the traditional Arlecchino character – the bear and the cat! It was fabulous to see the boys performing in the middle of a beautiful sun filled piazza! Then we came to the part of the workshop that we’d all been greatly anticipating… the mask-making!! Each of the boys selected their own unique base mask shell which they then transformed using their imaginations (and a whole lot of paint, braid, glitter, feathers and ribbon) and created the most incredibly wonderful masks. They worked masterfully in the studio; so much so that the owners/coordinators of the workshop took time at the end to tell us that our group was the best one they have ever had the pleasure of working with! No kidding. The boys blew us all away today, as they have everyday of our amazing adventure, with their enthusiasm, interest and keenness to participate with unbelievable gusto… and I’m not referring only to their gelato consumption!!

Day 7 - It got better... A full day in Venice.. What else can I say!

.....the top ten list from the boys on the trip so far!!!

Alaric Man
Visiting the ruins of Pompeii!

Alex Jivov
Pompeii Tour

Jimmy Huang
Venice!!!

David Wright
Pompeii – awesome buildings of ruins!

Josh Lee
Gelato – Banana, Lemon, Melon, Mint, Oreo!!

Graham Rotenberg
All the amazing concerts!

Graham Orr
Water taxi in Venice

Spencer Rose
The Vatican in Rome

Christopher Evershed
Private Peggy Guggenheim museum tour in Venice!

Chris Pitfield
Boats in Venice – I love boats!

Andrew Leung
Bus rides

Adam Winterton
Coloseum in Rome – finally seeing it!

Aidan Solala
I Fratellini restaurant – the greatest “hole in the wall” ever!

Alex Nordin
Gelato – 20 scoops to date and counting!

Blair Warren
Bartering in the market in Florence

Mathieu Wong
Uffizi Gallery in Florence

Gavin Leung
All the pasta and pizza – tasty & great

Eddie Song
All the interesting cars – Farrari, Smart Cars

Alex Courteau
Seeing Michealangeo’s David in Florence

Michael Milazzo
The Florence performance – because it was our best one

Daryl Yu
Horse drawn carriage ride in Florence

Patrick Hui
Pigeons in St. Marc’s Square – one landed on my head

Harry Glancy
Climbing the Duomo in Florence

Devin Watson
Trevi Fountain in Rome

Nicholas Freund
Free time in Florence and Venice

Matt McDonnell-Farano
All the delicious food!

Tristan Chiruvolu
Gelato – 25 scoops already with my favourite being Straccetella

Emile Maubach
Free time – because I get to explore and have fun with my friends

Ben Metrick
The amazing pizza in the restaurant we went to for lunch in Vatican City

Andrew Whyte-Lewis
St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Rome

Day 6 Venice - Oh my gosh!!!

…we have left the back drop of Firenze in all its glory where your sons mastered the art of bargaining for leather, accessories, and the joy of bartering for umbrellas! You can be so proud of your sons using the Italian that they know, connecting with those people that are new to them, and you can be sure that they have become superb managers of their financial empires.

…our art, music, and drama stars have travelled by bus through the stunning country side of mountains, fog, and snow! We found amusement in seeing a hedge hog, a most beloved dog being walked in a stroller, and country villas that would take your breathe away.

…at each bus break your sons are filling ‘both legs’ with more pasta, pizza, and chocolate. The smiles are wide and the laughter his hearty. It is so wonderful to see them organize themselves and make the most of their experiences here in Italy.

…the arrival to Venice is magical: the country roads are narrow with pin turns. We get the chance to take in the country side which is a unique experience: fruit trees and burst of sun rays that light up the villas. One villa after another along the road side are characteristic to this region and we are so fortunate to have the opportunity to stay in one. The name of our hotel is ‘Hotel Park’.

…the bus takes us through a most narrow wrought iron gate, and we are greeted with a formal garden and statues: a heavenly arrival. The terrazzo floor has an incredible shield inlay which is light up by the Venetian glass chandeliers.

…how fantastic is it to be in a city where you have the option to take a boat to the airport! This is the kind of beauty that enraptures the heart and soul: no cars in the heart of the city, and to cross the ‘road’ one has to take a boat! Fortunately, the boys had the experience of taking our coach to the water taxis, and from their travelling to the Rialto Bridge in three water taxis with their instruments!

…the church that awaited our arrival was near the Rialto Bridge: how fantastic is that! To be thirteen years of age, and performing in a building that was built in the 14th century, with a ‘Titian’ as their backdrop is too fantastic! The name of the church was called Chiesa di S. Giovanni Elemosinario. The concert was wonderful as was the crowd; many visitors came in to take in your boys in action.

…be well, and we shall be in touch tomorrow!

Half way...5 more days. How can it get any better..

Today we walked from 830 Am to 830 PM. We saw almost everything you could see in Florence in a day. The boys even had a bit of free time to shop.

Lunch for some was a pizza, for some pasta and for others...you guessed it, gelato.

The weather has been wet again so the later part of the day was a bit chilly.

The Ponte Vechio was one destination and the Uffizi gallery another. The statue of David was still standing and the boys were amazed by his size. Today's dinner was a fantastic primo pasta and chicken for the secondi. (the second course) Everyone is eating everything...

Tomorrow we travel to the great city of Venice and prepare for our final concert. I hope we don't drop anything in the water..We have to take the instruments to the concert site by boat..Cross your fingers.

I have had some difficulty uploading pictures today so please check the Photo bucket link.

Ciao from Florence!!

Florence...WOW! It's amazing!

Firenze….What a beautiful city. We arrived Saturday at 1PM. A quick drop off of instruments and luggage at the hotel and we were off to lunch. Our first visit in Florence was the Duomo. 465 steps the top. As you can see by the pictures it’s amazing up there.. We continued on with the day walking around the Piazza San Giovanni and Piazza del Duomo.. Around 5 PM we returned to the hotel for dinner. The boys prepared for the third concert and we walked to the church. All the big instruments went in taxi’s. Oh ya.. I forgot to tell you.. The bus can’t drive in the city centres.. So we have been walking everywhere and carrying the instruments to the concert sites. The concert was fantastic and I am not sure how the next one is going to be any better. The boy’s played their hearts out.

Thanks for the comments and well wishes.

It’s late now and time for bed.. 7AM comes early and the days are long.. Talk to you soon….