CLASS FIELD TRIPS

Soo Im not the biggest fan of traveling in groups – the thought of a guided tour with 50 randos of my closest friends and those little microphone things gives me hives. Im more of a gowhereverthewindblowsyou kind of traveler. I appreciate spontaneity and freedom. And I usually prefer stumbling upon those magical little cultural treasures as opposed to learning about every single brick in the Roman Forum.

Don’t get me wrong, the Roman Forum is incredible. I would just prefer to discover it on my own as opposed to getting my soul crushed by the tourism industry (i.e. a bored lady viciously wielding a brightly colored umbrella above her head to instruct the equally bored masses to blindly follow her from masterpiece to ancient masterpiece, all the while snapping awkward solo shots and asking where they can find a cheeseburger)

However. Because the school group Im here with now is relatively small and maintains a relaxed environment, Ive finally learned to appreciate some benefits to group travel.

And by benefits to group travel, I mean really awesome field trips.

So hop on the Magic School Bus, kiddos – here is a play by play of some of my favorite excursions thus far.

VILLA D’ESTE

This place is astonishingly beautiful, as in it gives that little shack Louis IVX fixed up Versaille a run for its money. Once upon a time, this villa was owned by the stately Este family. And then reality hit and they couldn’t pay property taxes (well um yeah, I couldn’t pay the property tax on a palace either) so they family sold it to the country as a historical site.

I have mixed feelings about this.

For one thing, Im really glad they couldnt afford the property taxes because now I get to visit.

On the other hand, I would have really loved to marry one of the Este sons and live there…

Anyways, I could go on forever about this place, but a pictures worth a 1000 words and they’re much more fun to look at so here you go!

view from the palace

palace walls

outdoor stone staircase

one of the pathways through the gardens; I love the stone spiral in the background

bellissima vista!

cool wall fountain

another cool wall fountain

home sweet home

TIVOLI

part ancient ruins, part flourishing gardens, Tivoli was a magical place. 

field of wildflowers 

I thought this was kind of interesting - this ancient brick wall is pretty much completely intact except for this huge crack running down the middle - I wonder what happened? lightening? earthquake? voldemort?

the tree of life.

just kidding. clearly. 

but doesn't this tree look like it belongs in Lord of the Rings or something?

ancient allèe

love the reflection in this photo - and I especially love the ancient scaffolding in the background. really makes the photograph. 

detailing on the top of a column - hard to believe how old everything is!

GALLERIA BORGHESE

Okay so I’ve always been a staunch supporter of the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. As in, it has always been my favorite museum and I never thought that would change.

well, ladies and gentlemen, I think we may have a tie. or at least a close second.

this museum is AH MAZ ING. I literally could have spent hours there. It has the most unbelievable sculpture collection I have ever encountered. Witnessing Bernini’s masterpieces completely changed my thoughts on sculpture. What I used to think of aa a rather cold medium, I now consider almost vivacious in the hands of Bernini.

Here's one of the sculptures - Apollo and Daphne

the delicacy and powerful emotion of this life-size piece almost make one forget that Bernini carved this out of a rock. As in stone cold marble. Its incredible. Oh and Bernini was 27 when he finished this... 

Somebody find me a big block of marble, i only have 7 years to catch up!

In addition to the life-changing Bernini sculptures, the museum also boasted this little beauty by Raphael.

My first reaction to this piece? I have never wanted a tiny unicorn so badly in my life until this moment, someone find me one STAT. then I wished I wasn’t a muggle for probably the third time that day so that I could have unrestricted access to magical creatures. 

Alright people, this post is getting mighty long – even while I write this, I can feel your attention span wan. Allora, check back tomorrow for a post on my favorite field trip! Here, Im nice, Ill give you a hint.

rocks.

if that doesn’t have you biting your nails, sitting on the edge of your seat, desperately waiting for my next post, I honestly don’t know what will.