Millfield – An Italian Adventure in Venice

06 Jun 2017

A group of 16 pupils from years 10 & 11 went to Venice for three days as part of an Italian Language visit. The pupils got the unique opportunity to stay in an old monastery set alongside of one of the city’s canals, where they settled before enjoying a meal in a local restaurant of pasta, steak and tiramisu. After dinner a guided tour gave the pupils a look at the city’s beautiful architecture by night.

The following morning the pupils truly had to dive in, hailing a gondola to visit The Rialto Market, where they had to use their Italian to buy some fruit for lunch. This was followed by a visit to the Doge’s Palace, where pupils took in the vast, detailed paintings by Venetian artists on the ceilings and walls and to the Basilica.

After visiting the Peggy Guggenheim collection the next day, one of the most exciting parts of the trip was the chance to take part in an acting workshop taught by a professional actor, Vanni Carpenedo. This proved especially challenging, as the lesson was taught entirely in Italian.

The pupils learned all about the principal characters of the Commedia dell’arte and the history of Venetian theatre. They also had the opportunity to try on the masks and come up with their own characters. The visit gave our students of Italian the chance to be immersed in the history and culture of Venice and Italy.