Classics Trip to Italy
While the rest of the school was enjoying an early start to the Spring half term due to the snowfall, twenty culture vultures, accompanied by STP, BDB and AGM, braved the North London slush and boarded a bus early on the Friday morning to set off for the flight to the eternal city of Rome.
Determined to make the most of all of our time, the first evening meal was well and truly walked off with an STP-led stroll to the beautiful Trevi Fountain, a worthwhile view even in the pouring rain. Saturday morning saw another early start as we made our way across town to Vatican City. Our tour guide provided a thoroughly informative morning taking in some of the vast collections and artwork of the Vatican Museum before leading us through the extravagant surroundings of the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica.
The iconic Colosseum was our first destination on the Sunday and, treading in ancient footsteps, we followed the Via Sacra through the Arch of Titus and the remains of the Forum Romanum, the heart of the Roman Empire, before taking in the sprawling imperial accommodation of the Palatine hill. The visit to the Circus Maximus would not have been complete without offering the twenty-first century locals some free entertainment similar to that enjoyed by the 200,000 spectators in Roman times. Our twist on chariot racing had everything the Romans would have appreciated: teamwork, tactics, speed, fallers and even a hint of cheating. Next, it was on to the Capitol and Tiber Island, before turning homewards via the Emperor Trajan’s forum, dominated by his column commemorating his victory over the Dacians. After supper, a relaxing couple of hours were spent by the Spanish Steps watching the world go by or, in the case of some of the boys, buying the full range of gimmicky toys from the ubiquitous street sellers.
Monday was spent in transit from Rome to the Bay of Naples, with a visit to Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli on the way. We awoke on Tuesday morning to find our serene view of the Bay obliterated by freak storm conditions and the prospect of a whole day in such conditions as we walked around Pompeii tested even the most optimistic of the party. Amazingly, as our ever-cheery bus driver Vincenzo drove us around the headland into Naples, the storm subsided and, as it turned out, the rest of the trip saw dry, sunny weather. Pompeii inevitably proved to be a highlight of most people’s trip – a truly remarkable world heritage site.
Our final day was spent on a day trip to the island of Capri. The vertigo-inducing bus journey up to the town of Anacapri gave everyone a chance to make fun of AGM’s fear of heights. However, the decision that the group should all walk to the Villa Jovis enabled him to get swift revenge. It is indeed an arduous walk but the breathtaking views out to sea which convinced the emperor Tiberius to make it his home after his withdrawal from Rome will surely stay in the memory longer than the discomfort of the exercise or the odd blister. On the way back to the hotel for the final night, we were able to spend some time sampling the carnival atmosphere of a Mediterranean festival in Sorrento for St Valentine’s Day.
Despite the inclement weather, we certainly managed to pack plenty of things in to the itinerary which hopefully gave as wide-ranging a survey as is possible in one week.
AG McClure
