Recently 21 Year 10 art students travelled to Venice, Italy. It was an early start, but the excitement of flying to a beautiful and cultural city kept excitement high. We arrived to wonderful weather and the iconic streets of historic Venice around 5pm. Our first evening consisted of enjoying the sunset by the Grand Canal, taking lots of primary photos and eating a whole pizza!

After breakfast in the hotel, the group walked towards the iconic St Mark’s square. Here we witnessed the extraordinary Piazza, with St Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace and the Bell Tower.  We spent the morning looking around the Doge’s Palace, where we saw Classical and Renaissance art and architecture from the greats, explored the political courtrooms and extravagant lifestyle of the elite and then crossed over to the prisons, which saw a dramatic contrast in style and architecture. Afterwards, we climbed to the top of the Bell Tower, which gave us an outstanding panoramic view of the city. After enjoying an authentic Italian lunch, we headed down to one of the most famous bridges in Italy – the Rialto. Here students were able to explore the traditional markets, enjoy the scenery and purchase souvenirs. Our day wasn’t over yet, as our final activity was the Venice Museum of Natural History. The collection was spectacular, ranging from fossils to an entire whale skeleton, which enabled lots of useful images and inspiration for students’ coursework.

On Friday, we walked to catch our own private boat transfer to the island of Murano. The weather was beautiful and here we were given a glass blowing demonstration which showed the great skill and patience of the glass masters. Afterwards we were given the opportunity to explore the workshop and gift shop where they sold the world famous Murano glass. This was a fantastic opportunity which all students and staff will remember. After lunch, we explored the Galleria ‘dell Accademica which hosts a vast range of pre 19th century art. In complete contrast, we later explored the Peggy Guggenheim museum with a fantastic collection of contemporary artists including Picasso and Jackson Pollock.

On the last day, students walked the beautiful streets for the last time and explored the markets and iconic landmarks once again. The whole trip was a truly lovely educational and productive experience which will leave students and staff with memories which will last forever.