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Italian Classes Travel to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Italian Classes Travel to the Metropolitan Museum of Art photo thumbnail121263
On Wednesday, May 29, Mr. Massimo’s and Mrs. DiMaggio’s Italian 4 Honors classes from both Sachem High School North and East went on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.  

For the last few weeks, students in Italian 4 Honors have been learning all about the Italian Renaissance and its contributions to the modern world. They explored a variety of topics, such as how the architectural innovations of Brunelleschi and the inventions of Leonardo DaVinci would change the world. Students were introduced to some of the masters of Italian art, such as Bernini, Botticelli, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael, as well as other important figures of the time like Machiavelli and Galileo. 

To enhance the experience, Mr. Massimo came up with a scavenger hunt that would challenge the students while they strolled through one of the greatest museums in the country. Working in teams, students had to use what they learned in class to decipher clues that would lead them to not just the paintings and sculptures of Italian masters such as Bernini, Canova, Caravaggio and Michelangelo, but also to other famous masterpieces from all over the world, such as the paintings of Monet, Rembrandt, Vermeer and van Gogh, and the sculptures of Rodin and Degas, just to name a few.  

As they wandered through the halls of the Met, students had the chance to appreciate more than just art. They discovered artifacts from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, weapons and armor from the Middle Ages, and rare musical instruments, such as Stradivari violins and the world’s oldest piano, not to mention the rock-and-roll exhibit.  

After leaving the museum, students ate their lunch in beautiful Central Park before boarding the bus back home.  

The field trip was a wonderful experience for everyone. For many, it was their first visit to the Met; for others, their first to a museum. Students seemed to truly appreciate being able to see for themselves, in person, beautiful works of art by the world’s greatest masters and amazing artifacts from all over the world and from throughout human history. However, what really made the trip special was how it brought to life so much of what they have learned in the classroom.