By Leo McNamara (4C)
From Saturday 10th to Saturday 17th of February, 50 transition year students were fortunate to travel to the ski resort of Pinzolo in Trentino, northern Italy. We enjoyed six days of skiing in the Dolomites with engaging instructors eager to help us. We also experienced a variety of interesting activities such as swimming, a table quiz, ice skating, trips to the town cinema and a tour of the well-known beautiful city of Verona.
When skiing, we were placed in various groups according to our level of experience. This allowed us to develop our skills in line with the Jesuit value of magis, the pursuit of excellence. We spent four hours each day skiing. By the end of the trip, each of the students who had arrived in the scenic Val Rendena with no previous experience had progressed to red slopes which are the second most difficult. Meanwhile those who had already experienced the joy of skiing further honed their skills.
We all found the trip to be thoroughly interesting and lively; there was rarely a dull moment. Each student both considerably enhanced his skiing skills and enriched his knowledge of Italian culture and history. The walking tour of Verona included a visit to the ancient Roman amphitheatre, the Arena. The tour of Verona, widely known as the setting of Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet, was a personal highlight of the trip.
