People were everywhere, trains were leaving from all directions and the multiple lifts and stairs to get to the different platforms were confusing. However the trains were really cool as they are two story and the entire train system is underground.

About an hour were emerged to the bright sunlight and fresh air in search of a place to change Lyndal, Ebony and Bethany’s train tickets as they are detouring to see their family.

With everyone famished we ate lunch at Mc Donald’s to experience the Italian Mc Donald’s and the menu differences. There are only slight variations in the menu with the option to buy pasta.

A few members of the shopping group were feeling unwell so they returned in a taxi, while the other remaining members went shopping in the heart of Milan for a couple hours.

The group that remained at the hotel earlier in the day had lunch and then went for a run and a swim before everyone gathered to go to the Twestival held at the Cascina.

The Twestival is an annual Twitter festival held in Europe in multiple destinations at the same time to celebrate Twitter. The festive celebrations include a barbeque, live music and constant tweeting throughout the duration of the night.  

Once again Jack and Alanna stole the limelight with their ability to dance. Overall everyone had a fantastic night dancing to the blues band and socializing with the general public.

 

All aboard the bus! At seven o'clock in the morning we are on our way to Parma. Everyone is excited to see the Barilla pasta factory in action and then eat their premier pasta in the restaurant...

There goes a car, there goes another one, everyone is sick at looking at cars going by as we are stuck on the highway for two and a half hours with a broken down bus until another car gets dispatched to us. Two and a halve hours later we are on the road again on the way to Parma, upon arrival we ate lunch in the Barilla pasta factory restaurant however pasta wasn't on the menu. The first course was  
prosciutto, risotto, veal and then fruit salad for dessert. 

After lunch we travelled to the township of Parma itself for small cakes in a local cafe before returning to the Cascina for dinner and karaoke. 

Jack did an awesome job at singing TNT but it was his dancing that got the crowed going wild with their clapping and cheering. Alanna was in her element with the look of delight on her face has she confidently sang and danced to nearly every song. 

Everyone was holding their breaths in suspense as we only had an inch to spare between us an the wall in the petit alley ways and streets. The sound of relief once the  large vans we were traveling in made it through was noticeable but it was nothing compared to sounds of amazement when...

The scenery was if Leonardo De Vinci himself painted it, with the landscape being picturesque. The vastness of the velvety blue lake as we skimmed the top with our boat was magnificent.

Aboard the boat the party atmosphere highlighted the gorgeous views of the surrounding area and the Italian alps. The boat ride was so enjoyable their were tears from Bethany who didn't want to leave.

Wondering through the petit streets we discovered different flavors of gelato including Irish cream, raspberry, lemon, violet, banana, passionate fruit, hazelnut and chocolate.With everyone eating gelato, everyone went their own separate ways to discover the small boutique shops.

An hour latter and quite a lot poorer we boarded the vans to go to a restaurant which was situated upon them top of a hill overlooking the lake and the surrounding areas. The restaurant served about seven different variations of pizza which was finished with teramasiu for dessert.

With everyone filled with pizza we travelled to a musical farm called the Cascina Nuova which was clever in it's design. The garden featured a wide variety of interesting ornaments and furniture which made musical sounds when interacted with.

The clever engineer and musician's house featured the a whole musical arrangement on the side of the staircase, a Leonardo Di Vinci barbecue and musical touches around the property including a musical bridge.

The nigh concluded with a refreshing swim in the hotel pool and dinner.

Ebony wanted the Italian experience and as received a chance to experience every facet of Italy including the Italian hospital system and the not so nice wildlife. Ebony's mysterious bite from a couple days ago, rapidly grew into a red rash up her lower arm and swollen hand. Ebony endured needles and an IV drip without a single tear but when it was mentioned that she would be unable to go shopping the tears started to flow. All is well with Ebony back to her usual self and the swelling is starting to decrease. 

While Ebony was at the hospital the others walked through the heart of Milan with the aim to do some casual shopping however between Fred and Shelley we managed to get disorientated and completed an entire lap of the block. Once we had found our way we enjoyed shopping in a wide variety of local shops from Prada to road side souvenir shops. 

Everyone managed to buy their own copy of the newspaper we were featured in (which can be seen in the media section) and multiple key rings and tee-shirts. 

With the general shopping completed everyone stopped to enjoy a gelato with chocolate, choc chip, kinder surprise, cameral and lemon being enjoyed by everyone. 

A couple hours of relaxation at the hotel were ended with a wonderful traditional Milanese meal at a restaurant called (insert restaurant name here) which ended with bowling at the Play City entertainment complex. The atmosphere at the bowling was "fun, crazy, energetic and bouncy" according to Ebony.

Today is Sunday the 29th. We woke up and got dressed, went down to have breakfast and then we went into the bus. We went to the park to have a bike ride. Then we had lunch and a free bike ride around the accessibility park that is at the Cascina. Then we drove down to the Hub Hotel where some people went to the pool and some went to the pub. The group got dressed. We drove to the restaurant in Navigli which was by the canal. 

By Campbell Hannett

Interchange the defending soccer champions had their pride on the line as they walked onto the field. What! Our Italian recruited as been stolen by the Athla team. That's alright we walk on and win the game with penalty shots with Isaac doing a fabulous job in goals. The grand finial was next everyone played really well however we lost. 

The plastic swords clashed as Campbell and Isaac fought in the fencing arena with Isaac walking away victorious. Next to fight were Katie and Jack with girl power triumphing the boys. Ebony and Alanna were the next pair to test their skills with Alanna winning. The epic battle between Fred and Jack proved that Fred was the best fencer after all. 

The next sport was basketball, however we were smashed as there was an Italian basketball player who was 2.24 metres tall but it still was a lot of fun. 

With everyone sweaty and hungry we returned to the Cascina for Filipino cuisine which was delicious. There were spring rolls, charred capsicum and zucchini, rice, prawns and a wide variety of meat. Ebony, Isaac and Campbell took the opportunity to ride the bikes for tomorrow and to play on Athla's accessibility playground. 

In the first early morning session we were joined by students aged eleven to thirteen from a local Italian middle school. They started the day by asking us questions including our ages, names and what pets we own. The Italian students were amazed at the number of pets everyone owns but their reaction was the best to Campbell's ownership of a Blue Tongue Lizard. 

The large group of kids were divided in half with one group going to learn the musical instruments and the other learning how to play footy with Fred and Isaac. The Italian students were taught how to hand ball and kick the football along with the general rules of our great game from the land down under. Everyone had the opportunity to test their new found skills in a miniature game of football in the park, which was a great hit with the Italian students. 

After morning tea it was the Interchange groups turn to play the wide variety of musical instruments. As we entered the Cascina we had little musical experience but when we left we were playing pieces like Peer Gyant and Greg and Beethoven Inno Alla Gioia. The musical pieces were played on violins, double basses, basses, xylophones, drums, percussion and harps using simple actions and movements, which were easily learnt by everyone. 

Learning to play the musical instruments provided hours of entertainment especially with Shelley and Fred having a ball while providing everyone with comical entertainment. 

As we walked through the wrought iron gate through to the Villa Corbellini di Corbetta 2013 was transformed into medieval time before our eyes. The impressive vast grounds and gardens surrounding the medieval castle provided a stunning backdrop to the beautiful but dramatic castle. 

Upon entering the castle you couldn't help but stare in awe as a medieval scene played in front of your eyes. Every person in attendance was wearing a medieval costume, the tables were laid with medieval food and cutlery and medieval music was playing. 

The night contained ghost stories, a haunted toilet and an hysterical Shelley who was petrified of the creaky stairs, the lights turning off and the toilet door not opening.

The night was truly magical with medieval dancing, the music and the festival atmosphere. 

One of the oldest opera houses in the world can be found in the heart of Milan the Scala, which is elegant in design with the intricate details and expensive decor. 

A local ballet school was performing their dress rehearsal, the ballerinas graceful movements combined with the sweet music of the orchestra intrigued viewers especially Ebony who was in awe and pure love at the opera house.

After watching the ballerinas performing everyone moved into the museum section of the building to discover the history of the building, the opera singers and general performing art artifacts.

Once the self-guided wonder through the museum was complete the real shopping of our trip begun with everyone buying gifts from the gift shop. With the shopping complete we walked down the first original shopping centre in Europe to the ‘bulls balls’ to participate in the Italian tradition to bring good luck.

The shopping centre featured a collection of the worlds most luxurious shops including Prada and Louis Vuitton with unbelievable price tags. The females were in shock at the prices while the boys went to buy soccer merchandise. 

With a huge night at the soccer coming up we had a couple hours of relaxation time back at the hotel. Most of the group spent their time playing in the pool while others decided to chill in their rooms. Everyone would agree that the relaxation time was needed as the night was only just beginning. 

At six o'clock we participated in Athla's regular youth group the Life Club at the Cascina Bellaria. The Life Club had performances from clowns which was then toped off by yet another wonderful dinner. With everyone filled with food and anticipation we took a twenty minute walk to the San Siro Stadium. 

The crowds shouts could be heard kilometres away from the stadium, however the noise was unbelievable as we walked through the gates into the stadium. You could cut the air with a knife when the angry banned Inter Millan supporters protested with flares, shouts and violence on the other side of the fence. 

Once safety inside the stadium walls the electric energy, the noise and the atmosphere was nothing like anything we had experienced before. The dedication of the fans, the cheering and celebrations when Inter Milan defeated Fiorentina were incredible. 

 

In the morning I woke up mum and I got dressed. We went down to get breakfast and then we left to go the Roman ruins which included the Romain imperial city walls and tower. After that we went to Burger Wave then went to the park for a kick and some ice-cream. After the park we went to Viziati Con Calafuria that is the name of the pizza shop we are there now having the pizza, it could be yum!

By Campbell Hannett

Italian breakfasts are delicious. You can eat croissants, fruit, cereal, bacon and eggs and so much more while drinking juice, hot chocolate and Italian coffee. The hot chocolate in Italy is better than Australian hot chocolate as theirs is syrupy, rich and thick with barley and milk. 

After everyone had a feast for breakfast we all ventured into the heart of Milan (the middle of the city) to take a self guided tour of the city centre including a visit of the San Babila area, the Duomo Cathedral and the Emanuele Gallery via Dante. 

Everyone was amazed at the age of the buildings and their intricate details with most people not knowing where to look between taking pictures, looking at the street performers and taking in the atmosphere of the street. 

After we walked through the cobblestones street to Ristorante Milano where we ate Italian lasagna, which isn't similar to the Australian version of lasagna as it doesn't feature meat and tomato sauce but is really cheesy instead. We took a tour of the Duomo Catherdral, which is absolutely breathtaking. Our tour guide took us around the facade of the cathedral and explained what each of the individual different statues represent. The view of Milan from the roof top was spectacular.

Once we had returned to the ground we continued our tour inside the cathedral which was breath taking with the details, the stories it contained and the traditions. A few of the highlights inside of the museum where the mummified bishops, the stained glass windows and the sheer size of the cathedral itself with the cathedral being the fourth largest in the world.

Soon after the conclusion of the tour we returned home to our official welcome which included a cocktail party and piano concert. Alanna presented a well spoke speech about how much the trip meant to her personally. The rest of the presentations and the exchange of gifts was excellent to watch due to the different people (including politicians, the media, volunteers and organizations) uniting under the common goal to make a difference in the lives of people who have a disability.