Day 1 – Florence

Our first full day started with a visit to the Pitti Palace, which was home to the Medici family for around 300 years. Pupils were able to visit the Modern Art Gallery and the Palace Apartments, and also spend some time in the beautiful Boboli Gardens.

After lunch, we visited the Uffizi Gallery where we saw many masterpieces of Italian art and sculpture. Pupils then had some free time to explore the centre of Florence… and sample some gelato!

We returned to our hotel in Montecatini Terme for dinner, before heading to the Piazza del Popolo to give the first of our concerts. We gathered a large and appreciative audience, including some very keen children – see “cajón boy” at 1m25s in the video below!

Day 2 – Siena

Our second day started with an opportunity to go to the pool in Montecatini. After lunch at the hotel, we headed off to Siena. Mr Miller took a group up the Torre del Mangia, the tower of Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico. After a quick look around the interesting streets and shops, we had dinner in Il Campo – delicious Italian pizza!

Our second concert was in the beautiful village of Casole d’Elsa. The audience were very appreciative of our performance and invited us to return if we ever come back to Italy!

Day 3 – Lucca

After another morning in the pool, we headed for Lucca. We walked to the Duomo di San Martino, where some decided to climb the Cathedral tower, and others headed back towards the many souvenir shops. We then visited the Puccini Birthplace Museum, which holds several original Puccini manuscripts, costumes from the premieres of his operas, and his piano!

We then headed for our final concert in Casciana Terme. We were given an incredibly warm welcome by the locals, who had provided a delicious buffet for us. After another very successful and well-received concert, we were presented with a certificate and a medal of honour from the town.

When we arrived back at the hotel, we celebrated the end of our tour with a small ceilidh in the lobby. We even had some of the other residents joining in with the dancing!