Fountain Hills High School sent a group of 31 people on an eight-day trip to Italy with EF Educational Tours this past June. The group visited Venice, Florence, Rome and the Vatican.

Teachers Chris Peterson, Luke Salzman and Jamie Sunshine led the students and chaperones. Fountain Hills has hosted similar trips for the past 25 years, and next spring break, another group will visit Scotland and London.

Salzman said the kids were great, and they learned a lot about travel and Italian culture. The students ranged from eighth grade to recent graduates, and Salzman provided The Times with photos and quotes about their favorite experiences.

Students ventured out to try new foods and had old favorites with a twist. Brandon Despain liked the different menu options at McDonalds, and Franklin Fiola enjoyed arancini for the first time. Arancini are deep-fried rice balls usually filled with meat sauce or mozzarella and prosciutto.

Elle Young and Emma Brown both said Venice was their favorite city on the tour. They took a gondola ride through the famous canals, and they enjoyed Burano, an island town near Venice with lots of colorful houses.

Julia Trimble said the trip was a lot of fun, and she created unexpected friendships. Hannah Mowers said “you learn and have fun at the same time. Once in a lifetime experience to see things across the world.”