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Grace McCumber

My Best Present

The best gift I ever received was when my dad and I traveled to Italy for

Christmas in 2018. ​First​, the food we ate ​stood out ​as one​ of my favorite parts. Before we left, I thought Italian food meant spaghetti and pizza. In Venice, I ordered linguini with clams and mussels, which I had never ​tasted​ before. When we had an ​elegant hotel ​repast​ in Rome, the restaurant brought a beef stew dish. I really enjoyed it except for this side dish made of spinach and flan. ​Second​, the art in Italy ​caught​ my eye in every city we visited. I ​spied​ the most art in Florence; my dad took me to see the Statue of David. We also went to the Uffizi Gallery, where we     by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio and Boticelli. At the Vatican, I learned about how much art they​ own​. We ​trekked​ to the Sistine Chapel to look at the ceiling. My dad ​saw​ paintings given to the Pope by Salvador Dali. The Vatican has a voluminous​ collection of statues from ancient Greece and Rome. ​Finally​, this ​journey gave me and my dad time to spend together. My dad ​loves​ the composer Vivaldi, and on Christmas evening, we heard Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” in a performance in a church named after him. We also took a boat taxi from Venice to Murano where we saw glass blowers make beautiful objects from glass. ​In conclusion​, all of these reasons made going to Italy the best gift I ever received.