A Day In Italy.

Contributed by Hafsa Umair

Dear Lexie,

Hi, how’s it going? You remember I told you last week
that I had volunteered for the student exchange
programme which was held in our school?

The place they chose this year was Italy, and I went over
the moon when I heard this. It was music to my ears.

Veince, Italy

Well, today I flew to Italy in the early morning! I was
really excited for this trip as I had never been to Italy
and I was truly looking forward to experiencing the
serene life in Italy. I had my baggage all set since the
night before and would recheck my list of ‘things to
be packed’ to make sure I had not left out anything.
The journey passed in excitement and enthusiasm as I
kept on thinking to myself how pleasurable this would
be! My stay was in Rome, one of the world’s greatest
historical and most beautiful cities of art. I had become
a temporary student of the British School at Rome.
It was a well known school and I for one had always
imagined what it would be like to study there. School
didn’t start till the day after tomorrow so after two
hours of rest I seized a notebook and a pen, and set off
to sight-seeing. I had my private tour guide which the

program itself had offered me and he was one amazing
guide. He took me to all the breathtaking places in
Rome, so I could take snapshots and make notes if I
wished. First I visited the Colosseum and the Arch of
Constantine. They both were simply grand and I was
amazed when I learned the history behind them. I took
out my notebook and began to write.

The Colosseum

“Colosseum: gigantic stadium with one side bitten
off. Arch of Constantine: huge wall with a big arch
(pointless), where did rest of the building go?” I moved
on to a small restaurant and I ate some ‘spaghetti alla
carbonara’ the famous roman dish. I pulled out my
notebook and wrote: “Spaghetti alla carbonara: more
like spaghetti alla tasteless.” While eating, a street
bambino (child) who possessed quite a talent in playing
the violin came and offered to provide us with some
entertainment. I got lost in the music he played. The
melody was beautiful and made everything seem so
romantic. Later on, I went to the Villa Borghese gardens
and the botanical gardens. The fragrance of flowers
filled the air and the wet grass and verdant trees laid
an even greater affect on the gardens. The Vatican

Museums were filled with a number of ornaments and
each and every one of them had a fascinating history
behind them. I did not have enough strength to carry
on my sight-seeing so I paused, until the next day of
course!

Before heading back to my rest house, I stopped at an
antique shop packed with accessories. I had a swift
look over the items and picked out two of my favourite
things; an ancient amuleto (amulet) and an anello
(a ring). The ring had the words ‘Ti Amo’ (I love you)
carved on it. I was welcomed with some refreshments
at the rest house and I was also given free dinner since
I was just a student. After having dinner, I explored the
rest house which seemed more of a medieval castle to
me. It had huge rooms, flower-trailed balconies, and a
garden with few rivulets that flowed into River Tiber.
After every few minutes, I would stop for a while and
just gasp at all of the magnificent sceneries in front of

River Tiber

my very eyes. I spent some time sitting near a fountain
and gazing at the night sky filled with stars. While I did
so, I realized that being here in Italy, was a dream come
true for me. I felt exuberant the whole time I explored

it, without a hitch of boredom. It was an adventure for
me, and it has just begun. For tomorrow is yet another
day for me to go out there and enjoy the time I have in
Italy to its greatest intensity!

Sweet Dreams Lexie!