Written by Tara and Ariana, Overseas Educators wrapping up their Italy Greece semester closing week with pizza in Naples, a day trip to Capri, and a final ceremony in Rome. We embarked on our student direct travel pizza mission in Napoli! Eating pizza, island hopping, and visiting mystical ruins. We maxed our selves out with pizza and pastries. Clocking 30,000 steps a day trying to soak in the most… Read More

  Written by Katie M. and Conrad I., this Italy Greece farm Matera update covers a week of olive harvesting, school visits, cave exploration, and a group Thanksgiving celebration with B-link volunteers. Since the last blog we’ve moved away from the city of Rome and have been staying at a farm right outside of the city of Matera. For the past week we’ve been working with volunteers from the organization… Read More

  Written by Iris and Rob, this Italy Greece Panta Rei Rome update covers their final week at the sustainable community before exploring Vatican City and heading south to Matera. Since last week, we have finished our stay in Panta Rei. Doing day trips into town and learning Italian by a very patient Chiara. We got to explore the surrounding area and learned about sustainable living, such as water conservation,… Read More

  Written by Rob and Josie, this Italy Via Francigena Panta Rei update traces their cobbled steps through medieval history before settling into the Umbrian eco-community for ravioli, Italian lessons, and a Halloween movie night. Roads knotted and paths forked, the rebellious stature of hundred-year-old cypress trees, and the subtle sound of bushes on our path whispering out the name of the wind. This is the picture we would like… Read More

Written by Marielle M. and Katie M., this Italy Via Francigena Paladini update covers a week of sustainable farm camping, chestnut harvesting, and trekking the ancient Canterbury to Rome pilgrimage route through Tuscany. After our time in Florence, our group travelled to Paladini to spend the week camping. This provided us the opportunity to spend time in nature within a community that focuses on living sustainably and is open to… Read More

Written by Conrad I. and Mason E., this Italy Greece Florence Uffizi update covers a week of Renaissance art, a sustainable community garden, and authentic Italian food before heading to a chestnut farm in the mountains. This week, we left Greece and travelled to Florence, Italy. We did a walking tour of the city, seeing the statue of David and other famous monuments across the city. We also visited the… Read More

Written by Malee G. and Josie B., this gap year Greece sustainable living update covers mud-building at CobGreece, a sunset at Meteora’s cliffside monasteries, and a stop at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi before heading to Florence. We ended our stay in Athens and drove up to a sustainable living community near Larissa called CobGreece. During our stay, we learned about mud-building, foraging, and the process of pickling (so… Read More

Written by Charlotte B. and Iris J., this gap year Greece Athens update follows the group from Crete to the city, covering Greek language lessons, pottery classes, and Minoan palace ruins. After spending a week on the island of Crete, we said goodbye to our wonderful hosts and locals we met along the way. On Wednesday, our group landed in Athens, Greece, and had a chance to explore our city.… Read More

Written by Ariana, Overseas Educator on the gap year Crete Greek culture week, this update covers the Meraki group’s immersion in Greek philosophy, traditional dance, and a visit to the palace of Knossos in Heraklion. This week has been all about getting to know Greece and each other! In addition to Greek lessons, we’ve also learned about Ancient Greek philosophy and the Parthenon, and even mastered a few traditional Greek… Read More

Written by Ariana, Overseas Educator on the gap year Greece Crete arrival week, this update introduces the Meraki group to mountain village life in Agios Ioannis. Carpe Diem Meraki group has landed in Greece! Two flights, a car ride, and many snacks later we’ve finally arrived in Crete. We’re staying in the beautiful mountain village of Agios Ioannis, getting to know each other, and eating tons of delicious home cooked… Read More

Written By Adam & Mara Wow! We cannot believe the end of the semester has already arrived. It feels like we were all just meeting in the Newark airport and trying to awkwardly learn names behind masks. Seemingly overnight in Crete, the group formed deep friendships and became a family. Their connection and care for each other created an incredible foundation throughout the semester. Despite long travel days, rainy hikes,… Read More

Photo Blog By Liam & Mackenzie… Read More

Written By David & Kai Buongiorno from Matera! This is David and Kai, this week’s leaders. On Wednesday, we finished up our stint in Abruzzo with a 7-hour hike that brought us up to 2,000 meters above sea level. At first, our views were obscured by omnipresent mist and fog; however, upon reaching the summit, we were awed by the majestic mountain view that appeared as the wind serendipitously cleared… Read More

Wednesday: Orti Dipinti and Treedom Visit Thursday: Vineyard Tour and Exploring Florence Friday: Our Last Day at Orti Dipinti and Uffizi Gallery Saturday: Traveling to Abruzzo  MONDAY: Day Hike Tuesday: Transfer from Pescasseroli to Civitella Alfedena and Visit to the Wolf Museum “Why are they playing on that? This is for children” – Andrea Wednesday: Day Hike to Viewpoint of Civitella Alfedena… Read More

Vlog by Clemmie & Alex… Read More

Written by Aidan & Mackenzie Greetings from Italy! When you left us, we were traveling to Mondeggi from our week in Bologna: this week, as you may expect, we are in Mondeggi. From the first, we were welcomed into the communal farm with open arms, surprisingly good English, and lots of cats. The next few days consisted mainly of getting to know the flow of Mondeggi. On Wednesday, we spent… Read More

Written By Liam & Vivi Though leaving Greece was bittersweet, we were excited to arrive in Bologna and start the second phase of our journey in Italy! We were treated to our first views of the city through our taxi rides to the hostel. We settled into our hostel, a former monastery, then set out to grab some lunch and explore the city. After lunch, we headed to a nearby… Read More

Written By Clemmie & David Kalimera from this week’s group leaders, Clemmie and David! As we type this, we are on the train back from Re-Green and off to Athens, practically holding in our tears. Out the window, we can see mountains on one side and a glistening ocean on the other, with islands in the distance. This week has presented a threshold of emotions including: joy, serenity, and gratitude.… Read More

Written By Alex & Aidan This week we continued working at Vasili’s wonderful farm, where we spent the next three days picking grapes and olives (used to make olive oil and wine), getting to know Vasili’s family in order to learn from their experience on the farm, and enjoying beautiful meals by Nikki, the wife of Vasili and co-manager of the farm. Clemmie even had her fortune told by Nikki… Read More

Written By Chloe & Kai Hello from your group leaders for September 22nd through September 29th, Chloe and Kai! We kicked off this week with an incredible day trip to Chryssi Island. After frantically rushing to catch our boat ride, we enjoyed a sun-soaked voyage over unimaginably blue water to the island. The whole group was wowed by the white sand beaches and crystal-clear water, and some of us snorkeled… Read More