Where in the World Am I Going?

During recess today, a couple of first-graders asked me about my trip "out of town". I told them that I was actually taking a trip to a different country and that blew their minds. It reminded me that I need to list the places I'm actually visiting, so my followers can think about what they'd like to ask me while I'm away.

The first day of my trip will be spent entirely on a plane. Besides a short stop in Pennsylvania, I'll be sitting down for hours and HOURS before I finally land in Venice, Italy. What do you think I'll be doing with my time? Reading, of course! I picked a book called Stravaganza: City of Masks by Mary Hoffman. It's about a boy who travels back in time to 16th century Italy. I hope it mentions some of the places I'll be visiting and teaches me a little something about those places. 

I'll spend two days in Venice, a city built on an archipelago, or a group of islands. It is the largest urban car-free area in the world. So, I'm sorry sixth grade, but I probably won't see any Ferraris on this part of my trip, just a lot of boats. I might  get to ride a gondola, a romantic way to get around Venice's many canals (there's a picture of gondolas on the book cover). 

Next, I'll be going to Florence. Here, I imagine I'll be learning a lot about architecture. Apparently, it's very beautiful and old. In the United States, we don't get to see buildings as old as most in Italy. I'll be walking in and around buildings over 700 years old! 

We'll spend a day in Assisi, a place famous for St. Francis. I'll be visiting The Basilica di San Francesco, or the church of Saint Francis, where I'll be looking at beautiful frescos, or paintings in the walls and ceilings, by famous Italian artists. 

I'm most excited about visiting Rome. Here, I'll be visiting the Roman Colosseum, where gladiators fought bloody battles to the death and many wild animals, like tigers and lions, cruelly met their end all for the sake of entertaining tyrannical leaders and up to 55,000 spectators. The fact that humans were able to build something so massive over 2,000 years ago just amazes me. 

I'm also thrilled about the opportunity to see Pompeii, the site of a horrific volcano eruption nearly 2,000 years ago. You can still see the bodies of the people that died trying to escape the disaster. They're immortalized in plaster casts made during an excavation of the site. 

Lastly, I'll be visiting Capri. If the weather is nice, we'll take a boat through the Blue Grotto, a sea cave that glows bright blue in the moonlight. 

All of these places sound wonderful, but I'm most anxious about the foods I'll be trying. I love to eat! Trying new foods has always been one of my passions, and I'm very lucky to be visiting a place famous for food and drink. Pizza in Italy is supposed to be life-changing, as are the many variations of pasta. Our tour guide told us that after we have authentic Italian coffee, we'll spend the rest of our lives trying to get it again. Oh boy, how I adore coffee! 

  

That's all for now! I can't wait to read and respond to your questions and comments. As the Italians say, Ciao!