Special holidays for Sir Adrian Dingli JL girls

Carnival this year will be remembered by a group of students from Sir Adrian Dingli Girls' Junior Lyceum, Pembroke, for a long time to come.

Accompanied by two teachers, Ms J. Burlò and Ms M. Caruana, and by assistant head Mr M. Vella, a group of 24 students spent their Carnival holidays on Lake Garda, in northern Italy, which also served as an educational trip.

The group flew to Verona on February 25 and their first stop was Padua, where they were shown round by Mr Vella, who also acted as a tour escort. The girls visited St Anthony's Basilica and the town's medieval city centre.

The girls later travelled to Verona where, among other places of interest, they visited the Arena, the house of Juliet, Castel Vecchio, Piazza dei Signori and Piazza delle Erbe and took several photos of the Adige river. They stayed in a comfortable hotel not distant from Lake Garda.

The girls also spent some time in the Dolomites where they admired the magical scenery of this rugged mountainous region. Many could not believe they were actually seeing snow as they drove through fairytale mountain villages like Ortisei, stopping at Passo Sella, one of the many Dolomite passes where many sensed they were simply on top of the world at an altitude of 2,000 metres.

The group also visited Canazei, a top ski resort. Here the group boarded two cable cars to ascend to the Belvedere, known as the terrace of the Dolomites, from where they were awed by the view of the Marmolada, the giant of the Dolomite chain.

Up in the mountains the Maltese students mingled with skiers, walked on the snow or simply indulged in snow fights... an unforgettable experience.

The afternoon was spent at Moena, another top ski resort. Tired, at times soaking wet, the group arrived at the hotel happy to have had a tangible experience of snow!

Equally unforgettable was their visit to Venice later on in the tour. They were taken round and visited St Mark's Basilica, Ponte dei Sospiri, the Rialto Bridge, and followed an unusual itinerary of baroque churches, canals, bridges, typical Venetian squares and palaces in the area of the Accademia.

Back on St Mark's square, the girls admired the costly and exuberant Carnival costumes, especially at Café Florian. By then many had purchased the odd Venetian Carnival mask and posed for pictures with the many maschere on the square.

Some even had their faces painted by street artists. Tired but with a smile on their face, they then boarded the chartered ferry which earlier in the morning had taken them from Tronchetto to St Mark's Square, and which now took them back to their coach.

The last day was spent on Lake Garda. They were also were taken to Riva del Garda, Limone and Malcesine. At Riva they boarded another chartered ferry to be taken first to Limone and then Malcesine.

Students could roam the narrow, meandering streets of these picturesque lake resorts admiring the unique scenery of the rugged Brenta Dolomite chain, especially Monte Baldo, with its peak covered in snow, which was reflected in the translucent water of the lago.

Having experienced art, culture and nature, the group landed in Malta on February 28 feeling more enriched and satisfied to have experienced this trip organised by their school. They wouldn't have missed it for the world!