A group of 40 Sixth Form students has just returned from a six-day visit to Rome and Sorrento. During the visit, the year 12 and 13 students experienced many different aspects of the culture, society, history and food of Rome and the Bay of Naples.
After a very early start from Prince Henry’s, we arrived in Rome in time for lunch and then a walking tour of the city to get our bearings. The highlights of the tour were the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. We then had a day exploring Vatican City, St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. The evening was spent enjoying more Italian food and some very competitive ten-pin bowling. The key sites of Ancient Rome were on the itinerary for the last day in Rome, including the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, The Forum and the Pantheon. On the way back to the hotel, we visited an historic Gelateria where we learnt how to make gelato and enjoyed tasting the wide range of flavours.
The next day we travelled to Pompeii to spend the day looking at the incredibly well-preserved remains of the town and learning about Roman civilisation and the disaster that befell Pompeii. Although it was very wet, we were still able to enjoy wandering around this world heritage site, marvelling at the condition of the buildings, frescoes and mosaics and we were particularly fascinated by the on-going archaeological excavations. Sadly the rain continued the next day, so a walk up Mount Vesuvius was not possible, but we were still able to visit Herculaneum to see the remains of the town and look at the artefacts that have been found, giving great insights into the lives and culture of the people who lived there. On the final day the sun shone to show Sorrento at its loveliest, and we made our last stop at a lemon and olive grove where we learnt about local products and had a hands-on demonstration of Mozzarella making. Our tour ended with a tasting of the cheese that we had made and other local delicacies.
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