The Amazing Race

The students began their Italian Life and Culture class today, and what better way to do so than with some good, old-fashioned competition! So we sent them on an Amazing Race through the streets of Florence, where small teams from each college competed against one another.

We had 15 different things that they could do, and each team was to pick ten of those. The first team back got first choice from a list of research project topics for a midterm presentation, which turned out to be a really good prize as the most popular topics got snatched up very quickly.

Students were encouraged to use any and all resources, including maps (here are some students preparing before taking off into the streets), the Web, guidebooks, and people on the street. (One innovative group got many of the answers from a knowledgeable gentleman who works in the cinema near the school!) They also had to take digital photos at many locations to prove they were there. (One group shared its photos with me, which I’ve posted here. Great, aren’t they?)

The tasks that students had to complete included visiting historical sites (the oldest gold shop on the Ponte Vecchio, the Campanile, Piazza della Signoria, and others. Of course, they had to figure out where to actually go based on clues. We couldn’t just tell them now, could we?

Other tasks were more practical, including buying a stamp to send a letter to the U.S., finding out when the next train to Lucca is, finding out what English-language movie is showing at the Odeon this week, making a phone call on a public phone, and buying a bus ticket.

We had them running all over the place (here’s Milli fanning herself after working up a sweat!) Toni checked them all in as they arrived back to the school, digital cameras, stamps, and bus tickets in hand. They all had a lot of fun, and they certainly got a good workout.

And the winners from DVC? Here they are: Holly, Nick, Gianna, Sheldon, and Meaghan. Good work, you guys!