Year 9 Trip to Italy
From 3rd March to 9th March a group of 40 students and 5 staff visited Italy for a two-centred trip organised by the Geography Department.
We met at school very early on the morning of 3rd March and travelled by coach to Heathrow airport for our flight to Rome. After leaving our bags at the Hotel Archimede we enjoyed a walking tour of the capital city of Rome, where we were able to visit many places including the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. We then headed back to the hotel to settle-in before heading out again for our evening meal at a local restaurant. On the next day, we enjoyed another walking tour, this time including the Colosseum, where we saw where gladiators would have fought in front of an audience of 85,000 people. Shortly afterwards, we went to the Vatican City and saw the famous Sistine Chapel which has the magnificent ceiling designed by the artist Michelangelo, adorned with religious symbolism, and architecture that dates back to the 16th century. We also visited St. Peter’s Basilica before heading back to our hotel.
On the next day we boarded a coach to travel to the bay of Naples and visited Pompeii on our journey where we were able to clearly see remains of life in 1st Century Italy. We were able to see ancient streets, houses and atriums all of which were preserved by volcanic ash and then uncovered and restored by archaeologists. We were based at the Hotel Albatross in Sorrento for the next 3 nights. From here, we visited the Island of Capri. On our ferry journey there, the choppy water meant that many of our group were sick – our teachers (Mr Thaper, Mr Sanders, Miss Morgan, Mr Campbell and Mr Jones) were kept busy supplying sick bags to us (and some other passengers!) We then had a boat trip around the island to see gorgeous cliffs, mountains and sea- caves. On the following day we climbed the infamous Mt. Vesuvius which is famed for destroying the city of Pompeii. The climb was easy but exciting, as throughout we were met with incredible views. We then visited Herculaneum, which was also destroyed during Vesuvius’s eruption in AD79.
For the full duration of the trip, we ate authentic Italian cuisine, which was mouth-watering and flavourful. On our final day, we took part in a gnocchi-making session at a farm and, after taking a tour of the farm whilst our food was cooking, ate what we had made. It was very tasty! From here, we headed to Naples Airport for our flight home, after what had been a very enjoyable, educational and tiring week.
Amrit, Amaan and Yazan
