Latin, art and sign language students from Parkland High School traveled to Italy for an 11-day tour June 22 to July 2.

The customized tour began in Venice, where students journeyed by boat to Murano, an island world famous for its glass.

After viewing a glass blowing demonstration and gift shop, it was back to San Marco for a tour of the Doge’s Palace and the basilica.

A gondola ride with musicians capped off a beautiful day in La Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia, as Venice is known.

From Venice, the group traveled to Florence, stopping along the way at the medieval town of Lucca and then at Pisa, famous for its leaning bell tower.

A visit to Michelangelo’s David, the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria and the Mercato Nuovo (a shopping spot since the 11th century) in Florence preceded an afternoon visit to the countryside, where they completed an olive oil tasting.

From Florence, they visited Assisi, home to Saint Francis, whose original name was John, but was so named because he had a French mother.

A Ferrari convention was in town and tourists, as well as the local police force, were out in great numbers to see the cars.

Of note, red Ferraris can be purchased only by previous Ferrari owners.

After a long day on their private bus, they arrived at Sorrento, from which they took a day’s excursion to the magical isle of Capri.

This region is well known for its fabulous lemons and for its fashion. Some of the girls had sandals custom made to their specifications while they waited.

The group concluded the day with a boat ride around the island before heading back to Sorrento.

On the way to Rome, the students toured ancient Pompeii, buried in 79 AD by Mt. Vesuvius.

Study of Italy’s ancient past continued with a tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

Students walked the famous piazzas of Rome, saw the Pantheon, toured the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, as well as St. Peter’s Basilica.

The farewell dinner included music by opera singers.

By the conclusion of the trip, many of the students had already decided that they wanted to return to Italy, whether for a semester abroad or for a future vacation.

Group chaperones, Mary Redline (Latin), Linda La Due (art), and Joan Vannatta (sign language) and her husband, were really pleased at how well the students conducted themselves.