We scrambled onto our awaiting motor coach and headed straight for stunning Alberobello, the amazing city of the Trulli huts. Topped with curious teepee-like roofs, these unique dwellings, commonly called Ice Cream Houses, have an interesting history. In the 17th century, the king of Naples demanded a tax be collected on all houses built of concrete. To avoid the taxes, builder Gian Girolomo II used this design on the roofs so the shingles would hold themselves in place without concrete, therefore avoiding the tax.
After a fascinating tour of Alberobello, hungry explorers broke in their Italian tastebuds at an authentic Italian pizzarie. When the orders arrived, our eyes were nearly as big as our plates. Each serving was a full-size pizza and we chose between Meditterenean or salami. Delicious!
Back on the coach, we headed south, toward the heel of the famous boot, to the locally famous Dolco Pascoli cheese-making operation that's been run by the same family for centuries. Nestled in the towering mountains of the Pollino National Park, the location is home to towering mountains and lush green landscape. Students had a blast helping to churn different cheeses, latel it into baskets for draining, and learn about the entire cheese-making process. When our work was done, we sat down for a traditional Italian feast--fresh pasta! The culinary encore? You guessed it. Cheese made fresh at Dolco Pascoli!
Tomorrow, we're going river rafting, followed by a two-day adventure camping at the base of Mt. Etna where we'll go mountain biking, hiking, and exploring. So if you don't see a post in the next day or two, you'll know why. But don't let the blog go cold. Keep it alive by posting your comments. See you on the blog!
Thae pasta looks great, I'm glad to see all the smiles on all of your faces. I heard the Lao river was great. Have a geat time in Italy, miss you all.
ReplyDeleteThis is the article that was in the Transcript last week.
ReplyDeleteManalapan students visiting Greece, Italy
Three teachers and nine students from Manalapan High School are currently enjoying the trip of a lifetime: Greece and Italy. Friends and family members at home may follow the trip at the Internet website discoverystudentsadventures.com /destinations/blogs.
Teachers Lisa Rizzo-Troxell, Jacqueline Wojtasczek and Travis Newman are accompanying students Cara Boxer, Danielle Carr, Lyndsey Cleary, Anita Hicks, Anna Pederson, Nicole Prainito, Alexa Scotto, Alyssa Thompson and Toni Vaccarello on the adventure.
Rizzo-Troxell said the group was scheduled to arrive in Athens, Greece, on July 5 and will return home on July 19 from Rome, Italy.
“On our adventure we will be visiting Athens for two days, learning traditional Greek dances, reviewing and enhancing our knowledge of Greek mythology and how it has influenced Greek language and culture,” Rizzo-Troxell said.
“Then we will visit Olympia and discover the Corinth canal, explore Olympia, where the first Olympic Games took place, and visit the ancient ruins of the temple of Zeus. On the last two days in Greece we will visit Kyparissia Bay and work with a marine biologist from the Archelon Sea Turtle Protection Society to help with the conservation program for sea turtles.
“On Day 6 we will be taking an overnight ferry to Italy. We will be visiting Sicily and whitewater rafting and mountain biking along Mount Etna, one of Italy’s few remaining active volcanoes. We will also be making potterywith local people, visiting lava fields and identifying geological features of the volcano.
“After three days on the volcano we will take an overnight ferry to Pompeii and investigate the mystery and take a glimpse into everyday life of the Romans. Then we will visit the Vatican and view the pieces of Michelangelo’s Pieta and Sistine Chapel.
“Finally, we will spend our last day discovering everything around Rome in a teambased challenge. Two teams will compete until they cross the finish line after completing tasks at locations around the city,” Rizzo- Troxell said.
The trip is coordinated through the DiscoveryNetwork; the Manalapan students and teachers will be accompanied by a writer and videographer from Discovery.
Last year the Discovery Network piloted a Student Adventures program, selecting Heather Sullivan, a science teacher at ManalapanHigh School, and six students to go on a trip to China. The costs were paid for by Discovery. When the students came back from China they raved about the time they had, according to Rizzo-Troxell.
“Samantha Christ, an honors biology student of mine two years ago and a friend of the students who went to China, inquired about a trip to Greece through Discovery since she is Greek and always wanted to visit Greece.
“At the time of her inquiry, unbeknownst to me, she recommended me to be the lead adviser for the Greece-Italy trip. Since she wanted to surprise me, she asked for my email as a reference for a job, but the next day I received an email from Discovery,” Rizzo- Troxell said, explaining that she was eventually selected to be the lead adviser on the trip.
WoW that looks good, wish we were there. We miss you
ReplyDeleteMom and Dad
The Trulli huts are simply amazing!!This really is the "Discovery Adventure" of a lifetime. Don't need to tell you to have fun!! Just wish I was with you!
ReplyDeleteI'm in awe! It is all so amazing. The Trulli homes are everything we read about before you left. The meal at the long table reminds me of Sundays at Momma's house when I was a kid. Big Italian meal around 1:00 in the afternoon with everyone around the table sharing food and laughs. Wish I were there too. Alyssa, you look so happy!! Enjoy every minute of every day. Keith, as always for this trip, you're doing a great job keeping us up to date and letting us experience some of the magic with our girls. Thank you!! BTW, heard rafting was a blast, can't wait to see video!
ReplyDeleteWow - what an amazing article - and such a great time they are having as well! Keep it coming!
ReplyDeleteAlyssa, it looks so amazing! I'm so happy you're having the time of your life. How's the pizza???
ReplyDeletemiss you
dad