The Italy Files - A Trip Unlike Any Other

By Mitchell Fox May 2019

This year marked a special opportunity for Senior Band students at The Woodlands Secondary School, and the result was an experience unlike any other - a trip to Italy. Every other year, The Woodlands organizes a trip to Europe for its Senior Band members. This year, however, the number of students attending the trip exceeded past numbers by a large margin - a total of 75 students from grades 10 through 12. While any trip, especially with dozens of classmates and friends, is an amazing experience for a student, this one surpassed all expectations.

I could tell you every little detail of our incredible trip to Italy with the Senior Concert Band, but I do not think I would be able to sum it all up in anything less than a couple dozen pages. The simple way to put it is: there is nothing that this trip can be compared to. Every moment was worthwhile, and there is not much that can be said that is negative.

This was a trip that brought the Woodlands band together in a way that one can expect, but also in ways that no one saw coming. While people tended to drift towards their close friends and classmates, nothing can bring people together like a good taste of Italy. Sooner or later, students from all grades found themselves creating new connections with people that they would never have associated with if it wasn't for this trip. By the time the trip was over, it was without a doubt that every person had learned a little something new about each of their classmates.

Friendships were only one of the many things that came out of this unbelievable trip. Another of these things was a newfound appreciation for culture, history and the world. The many sites and locations that we visited - such as the Doge’s Palace in Venice, the Ponte Vecchio in Florence and the Colosseum in Rome - each had their own essence to be captured, and no picture could do them justice. The things that we learned - whether about the history, culture or current state of the city/country - were not just facts. Each one of these added something to what we thought and knew about the world around us, and made it all-the-more apparent that there is a lot more to the world than just what happens in Canada on any given day. This also includes that each of the small towns and places that we visited for performances and tours had its own story to be told, such as the fortress walls of Lucca or the modern touch of the FICO Eatalyworld in Bologna. Every single place that we visited on our trip, and every little thing that we did, had an impact on our lives in some way, whether it is noticeable or not.

Without a doubt, the most significant part of the trip was music. Italy, and each of the towns, churches and other sites that we visited, is a haven for music, and the impact that music has can be felt whether you are a musician or not. This was something that becomes obvious not only as our band performed in various wonderful locations, including a church, a concert hall and a stage in a market. The amount of interest from the local audience was astonishing, as tons of people took time out of their day to listen to us play. Beyond this, however, was the brilliance of the culture around music in Italy, as artists and musicians are held at as high a regard as almost any other famous or otherwise celebrated person. This was highlighted by the shows that we attended, the art and commemorations towards artists and musicians in the form of tombs, statues and such, and by the talented street performers, particularly in Florence. Music was, and still is, more than just a source of entertainment in Italy; it is a driving force in the lives and futures of the next generation.

Our experience in Italy certainly cannot be summed up in one short article - or even in four different articles - but the one thing that can be said is that there is so much more to see and learn in Italy than one trip could cover. Nonetheless, I could never ask for anything more than what we experienced. From seeing the Swiss Alps from our plane, to witnessing the incredible beauty and originality of Venice, to the incredible scenery in the Italian countryside, the cultural masterpiece that was Florence, and finally the historic - and life-changing - sights of Rome, it comes without a doubt that no price tag could ever be large to make a trip like this anything less than magical.

When we noticed the Swiss Alps from the window of our small plane from Frankfurt to Milan, we had to get pictures.

The Piazza San Marco in Venice. We toured the Doge's Palace, which is off to the right in this picture.

Walking around Venice after dinner was a highlight of the trip, especially because of these kinds of pictures.

El Duomo in Florence

The scenery during our bus trips was incredible. Unfortunately, I am not very good with a camera so this is the best example I can give.

The small town of Lucca, with its unique walls and ornate churches, was definitely noteworthy.

We visited the famous Ponte Vecchio in Florence at dusk.

Getting a little lost in Florence was nothing to worry about.

The central square in Siena, where one of our performances took place.

The Trevi Fountain in Rome.

I am not sure if you can get a sunrise much better than this.

We learned that the orange dove in the stained glass at the end of the hall has a wingspan of 6 feet. That's right, that little thing is 6 feet wide. Now imagine the size of the entire basilica!

Our final farewell!