International officer Pam Kozielecki said she felt she had learnt even more than the school students did after searching the internet extensively for all things Italian, including recipes for food that was made on the day.

She said she wanted to visit Italy after learning about the catacombs of Rome, the beautiful cathedrals, art and the way the landscape varies so much from the canals of Venice to Pompeii's Mt Vesuvius.

At Stuart Town Public School students learnt about Murano glass, masks at the carnival of Venice and art. They even had a go at painting under their desks to learn what it would have been like for Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel and they soon began to question how he went about it. 

"What did he do for his toilet break? Did he drop his paint brush or get sore arms? Did he get lots of paint on his face?"

Mumbil Public School also had a lesson in Italian art and students were asked to come up with their own theories on why the Mona Lisa is depicted smiling.

They believe it is because jesters and entertainers were hired to keep the subject of the painting entertained. They also noticed that only one side of her smile curves upwards.

As part of their unit on Italy they also tried their hand at Italian cooking, donning their chef hats and moustaches.

Jazmine McCarthy and Gina Gallop said it was something they looked forward to every year.

Jazmine said her favourite was still Morocco because she loved to cook with spices (specialising in things her dad couldn't eat).

You can see more photos of International Day in our online gallery.