Hal High teacher Darla Searle says most of her students have heard the idiom ‘when in Rome,’ but now she’s giving some the opportunity to experience it.
Partnering again with EF Education Tours, Searle has organized a 10-day tour of Italy in April 2027.
Up to 50 students will have the chance to take in the wonders of Venice, Florence, Assisi, Capri and Rome on a trip Searle described as “the ultimate vacation.” It follows previous excursions she’s organized for students to Costa Rica in 2023 and England, France, Switzerland and Germany in 2025.
“Europe seems to be an extremely appealing market,” Searle said. “We’re going to be spending a few days in each city, so the kids will be able to really immerse themselves in the history and the culture and truly experience what life is like in Italy.”
The group will fly into Milan, where they will meet their EF tour director – from there, it will be on to Venice. Students will spend two nights in the floating city, built on a dense network of 118 small islands within the Venetian Lagoon. Guides will lead a walking tour in the morning, with glassblowing demonstration and trip to Burano, famed for lacemaking, also on the agenda.
Days four and five will be spent in Florence – considered the birthplace of the Italian language, opera and the Renaissance, where works of art like Michelangelo’s statue of David and Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus still reside today.
Following that, there will be sightseeing in Assisi, home to the Basilica of St. Francis, and a trip to Pompeii – once home to a thriving Roman Empire community before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
“I’m a history buff, so Pompeii is going to be a big thing for me. Just to be able to see it,” Searle said, noting the excavated site offers a snapshot in time of how the Romans lived. “It was buried under 20 feet of volcanic ash… which preserved and protected it from deterioration over the years. Now, you can see the ruins of family villas, ancient temples, mosaics, roads and bathhouses.”
After seeing Pompeii, the group will travel across the Bay of Naples to the Isle of Capri before moving on to Rome. In the Italian capital, students will enjoy tours of the famed Colosseum and Roman Forum, panoramic views from Capitoline Hill and a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica.
Aside from the culture and history, Searle, who teaches hospitality and tourism at Hal High, said she’s most excited about the cuisine.
“I’m such a foodie… on one of the days we’ll be doing a food walking tour, getting to try all the Italian staples. I’m not going to want to come back after tasting the food there,” she said.
EF representatives will be at the school Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. to provide more details on the trip. Searle said registering for that will score a $200 reduction on the booking price, which she expects to be between $4,500 and $5,000. That covers airfare, hotels, buses, day trips and morning and evening meals.
After seeing how previous trips have helped broaden students’ horizons, Searle said traveling at such a young age is worth its weight in gold.
“Some of our kids have never been on a plane before. I never got to travel when I was a kid and, knowing what I do now, my life would be totally different if I had the chance to do something like this when I was a teenager,” Searle said. “Traveling changes perspectives. To many, Haliburton County is this huge thing. But our community isn’t even 200 years old – on this trip, we’ll be seeing places literally thousands of years in the making. There’s a whole other world outside of home.”
