Extra Credit is video series that examines topics related to history in the Thunder Bay District and exploring that history.
This special episode takes us on a long voyage, across the ocean to Italy. For many years I have been leading student excursions to Europe, and after a long break due to Covid, we were able to complete our latest tour which took us around the central and northern part of Italy. Touching history allows us to experience events and historical places in a whole new light and perspective.
Hey kids! It’s been over a month since we left for our trip to Italy, so I thought I’d take some time to reflect back on our adventure. First off, it’s hard to believe that it’s been that long. Where has all the time gone? Well I guess one answer is that we were gallivanting around the Motherland for part of that. Hold on, Motherland? Ya, I was born in Canada, but my mom and dad were “off the boat” if you will from Italy. So, it is kinda the Motherland. Anyway, I digress.
I’m usually I’m a lot quicker to write this reflection, but I’ve had a hectic few weeks since we’ve returned. Oh ya, and I got an extra special welcome back present…Covid. It laid me up for a bit, and unfortunately I’m still not back to 100% yet. You win some and you lose some, right?
In any case, it is good to be back, but I certainly do miss being in Italy. It was a great break from the routine and being able to travel was fantastic. I really missed doing these tours and giving the students the opportunity to experience the history and culture of another place in the world. They are still talking about the amazing time they had and how life changing it was.
I have had several people ask me what was my favourite part of the trip and/or what was my favourite place to visit. That is such a difficult question. Most of the time I fumble through a response and struggle to find an answer. There were so many great places and moments. Rome was great to see again, though very busy. I was really struck by the Vatican, especially St. Peter’s Basilica, as I honestly do not remember it being so magnificent; the design and architecture is truly unbelievable.
Most of the students agreed with me that they enjoyed the areas outside of Rome more than Rome itself. I think it was all the craziness. I know for myself I was really impressed with places like San Marino. I knew that it was an independent country, but I did not know that most of it was situated on the top of a mountain with some pretty impressive engineering. Places like Rimini, Bologna and Florence had some really impressive history to them which I did appreciate. I guess the best of part of the trip was (and always is), enjoying the reaction of the students, which I already mentioned. I do these trips for them, maybe a little for me too, but mostly for them and seeing them have an amazing time leaves the greatest mark.
So we have our next trip lined up already and it has just been approved by the board. The plan is to return to Northern Europe in 2025, embarking on a (very similar) tour we did back in 2014. Called “Canada’s Battlefields,” it will take us to Amsterdam, the Scheldt area of Belgium, Ypres, Vimy Ridge, Normandy and Paris. It will have a very different feel that this past trip to Italy, focussing a lot more in Canada’s involvement in the First and Second World War. Although I have to been to some of these places numerous times, there is always something new to see or learn in the process. Hopefully it will be as great as this past trip.
On a more local note, one of the things I am very thankful for is that fact that we have now pushed our way into spring, but since there’s still a bit of snow on the ground, you wouldn’t totally know it. March was below normal in terms of temperature and it has left us a bit behind of where we should be. However, some pretty spectacular temperatures in the last few days (like +20C at times) have melted a lot of snow (as you can see in the photos below taken 5 days apart). It is supposed to drop to below normal for the next few days, but hopefully that won’t impede things too much.
April, 2023.April, 2023.
With the arrival of spring I am looking forward to the return of hiking season. It been a long haul since I was last out in October, so it will be nice to get out on to the railway again. Because I have been over the entire line, my focus is now redoing certain areas, especially ones that were done in the summer as spring and fall are more conducive to these types of explorations (the leaves tend to hide things quite well). My agenda isn’t super action packed, but there are enough hikes to fill the month of May for now.
Anyway, I better move along. I’m not sure when I’ll be back with more musings, but hopefully it won’t be too long. Until then…
Ciao, sono tornato ragazzi! Oggi è un’altra mattinata soleggiata ma molto fredda (today is another sunny but very chilly morning). Even though we have a later start today, I still woke up early to run down to the beach to snap a photo of the sunrise. In the process, I locked myself out of the hotel and froze my butt off…double whammy! It was worth it though, and thank Jesus the door was open when I got back! While it was a crispy 4C at the crack of dawn, it’s supposed to be 15 by this afternoon, which hopefully will be enough to keep us sufficiently toasty for our wanderings.
We left the hotel at 9:00 today for the brief bus ride into Rimini. Once we parked, we were met by our guide, Marianna, who would take us on a short tour of the old city, which dates back to Roman times. It’s Saturday today, so it was market day, with throngs of locals and tourists (like us) plying the streets. We saw many of the interesting sites, including the Tempio Malatestiano (Malatestiano Temple), which is a 13th century church that was reconstructed in the 15th century as a mausoleum for Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta (Malatesta in Italian means bad head).
Once we bid farewell to Marianna, we had two hours to wander around the city centre and explore the shops and markets. I know the kids really enjoyed this part, both for the food and shopping. One cafe we stopped at shockingly had Prosecco on tap, and the winery that produces it is in Conegilano, which is about 30 minutes from my parents town in the province of Treviso. One of our groups suggested a pizza shop that was so good, we even went back and had more after the first round.
After reboarding the bus, we made our way 30 minutes to the west to San Marino, which is it’s own small country surrounded by Italy. I knew a bit about it, but I had no idea most of it was on a mountain, so we had another slightly white-knuckle trip up, with Salvatore once again expertly easing the bus along the winding roads. Kent gave us a quick history lesson and then we were turned loose for another two hours to explore this unique country.
What an amazing place! I wish we had more than that limited amount of time. The part of the country that is on the mountain is one giant castle with many smaller castles inside it as you work your way up. There are countless shops selling everything from designer purses, to clothing to air soft guns. The views though, the views are unbelievable! There are so many vantage points, and you begin to understand the strategic importance of this place. Our elevation here in Rimini is a seal level, while the top of San Marino rises to more than 720 metres or 2300 feet. I must say, as someone who is not good with heights, there were spots that gave me anxiety even approaching the edge. I took a ton of photos and video.
Dinner was back at the hotel, where we enjoyed another appetizer course, followed by pasta and roast pork with potatoes. Tomorrow we leave Rimini behind for Florence via Bologna. I have not been to either place, so I am very excited to see these beautiful cities. Hopefully the weather cooperates as we are supposed to get some rain later in the evening. We don’t have a super early morning, but we do have to pack everyone and everything on the bus, so I better get rolling. Until then…
Rimini sunrise, March 2023.Tempio Malatestiano, March 2023.Rimini, March 2023.Rimini, March 2023.San Marino, March 2023.San Marino, March 2023.San Marino, March 2023.San Marino, March 2023.San Marino, March 2023.San Marino, March 2023.
Poverty, Agony, Distress & Want! 