Courtesy | Jaiden Frantz
What do sketchy taxi rides to a suspicious pharmacy, fights in the street and a handshake with the Hungarian ambassador have in common? All were experienced during a trip to Italy during the long-awaited spring break.
Two separate groups left Hillsdale and flew to Rome for spring break. Senior Andrew Szewc said tickets to Rome were cheap in the summer of 2021 so he bought them and planned a lads trip for spring break with his friends, seniors Andrew Nell, Michael Fleischer and Zack Niebolt. Unaware that their classmates had planned a trip, three women, juniors Jaiden Frantz, Kalli Dalrymple and Eleanor Hansen also jumped at the idea of visiting Italy when tickets were cheap.
When the day finally came, women struggled to leave the country, Dalrymple said. They had prepared everything in advance and had all the correct paperwork, but Dalrymple explained that they were forbidden from entering the plane leaving Chicago.
“So our negative tests and documents were hand-signed by doctors, but she said they weren’t verifiable,” Dalrymple said. “We were told we weren’t allowed on the flight, but we could be if we called this really sketchy taxi service. We had to go back outside the airport, get into this taxi and we went to a somewhat dodgy pharmacy probably 10 mins from the airport, we spent $500 to take a quick COVID test, went back to the airport and she let us in.
The women then boarded and made their way through their stopover in Portugal with ease, eventually reaching their final destination: Rome.
“As soon as we arrived in Portugal, we showed them our papers, our card and our negative tests and we entered without any problem,” Dalrymple said.
While in Rome, the women witnessed a nearby street fight, Frantz said. They were eating at a restaurant on the outdoor patio when they suddenly heard loud voices nearby.
“We heard a lot of loud noises and looked and there were about 40 guys walking down the street,” Frantz said. “Our server took us inside just to be safe. He made us pizza and was really lovely.
The boys had the pleasure of meeting the Hungarian ambassador after mass at Santissima Trinità dei Pellegrini, Szewc said.
“So Michael and Ellie Hanson approached him because he was at church with his family, and they were like, ‘We follow you on Twitter.’ And he was like, ‘That’s cool,’ Szewc said.
Both groups visited the historical sites of Rome. Dalrymple said they went to the Trevi Fountain, many churches, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum and St. Peter’s Basilica. Szewc said the highlights of the trip were mass at the Vatican, climbing the sacred steps on your knees and seeing the bones of St. Peter at the Roman Acropolis. Frantz said his favorite place was the Trevi Fountain.
“There are all these smaller alleys, and then you just hit it,” Frantz said. “It’s huge and so beautiful.”
Szewc said the men often returned to the Hall of Fame at the end of the day.
“We ended most nights at the Pantheon with a few bottles of red wine,” Szewcz said. The men also went to Florence for a day but didn’t like it as much as Rome, Szewc said.
“Florence wasn’t intimate – it was so touristy,” Szewc said. “Rome had mom and pop shops and restaurants, and Florence was just very commercial. It was beautiful, but we only spent four or five hours there in total.
Both groups enjoyed authentic Italian cuisine. Frantz and Dalrymple said the girls’ favorite restaurant was a small restaurant a few minutes from the Colosseum. Dalrymple also reflected on the delicious use of pistachios in Italian cuisine.
“Pistachio. I was absolutely shocked at how good it can be,” Dalrymple said. “We had pistachio croissants, cannolis and ice cream.”
“We also ate on-site at times, cooking meals in our AirBnB kitchen,” Frantz said. “We were one block from the supermarket. It was great. You can just say there is a much higher standard for them. They take more pride in their food so every place had local and homemade.
The women also traveled to the Amalfi Coast for a day to do some Christmas shopping, Dalrymple said.
“Our favorite store was on the Amalfi Coast,” Dalrymple said. “This small village is famous for its handmade ceramics. We have small ceramic bowls. I bought a hand painted ceramic vase for my mother.
Dalrymple also said she and her friends learned the art of tourist shopping and price negotiation in Rome.
“So what we found works really well, it was just hesitant,” Dalrymple said. “You look at something, say ‘I like it,’ then put it back on or stand there like, ‘I don’t know if I like it enough to buy it,’ and they drop the price.”
All in all, both groups had a wonderful trip and created many memories. Dalrymple explained that the trip gave her great motivation for the rest of the semester.
“I expected it to be a really quick break and not feel super rested when I came back,” Dalrymple said. “But it was the perfect structure for touring and having fun, relaxing nights.”
Frantz agreed that the trip was a wonderful break before the end of the semester.
“I felt mentally rested. School was really piling up towards the end, and spring break came at a really good time,” Frantz said. “So I think even though physically it was probably a bit exhausting, I was very reset mentally to get back to the semester.”
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