Some forty pupils and four members of staff visited Italy this year. Staying in Sorrento the main focus of the trip was to visit sites which have been affected by volcanic activity over the years bringing parts of both the geography and chemistry syllabuses alive.
Day 1
We arrived at Naples airport having changed at Munich and half of us even had our luggage (thanks Lufthansa). Luggage arrived at the hotel late that same night (pizza for tea naturally).
Day 2
Climbed to the summit of Vesuvius to see steam and other vapours seeping out of the ground. Wonderful views over the Bay of Naples. No eruptions that day.
Visited Pompeii. What amazed us at first was the sheer scale of the place. We stood in the amphitheatre and imagined what it must be like to be a gladiator, a slave or even a lion making what could possibly be a last ever journey into the ring. Saw Roman houses, snack bars and the casts of dead bodies caught in the descending volcanic ash.
Day 3
Went to Solfatara feeling the warmth of activity beneath our feet as plumes of steam, sulphur and bubbling mud belched out from the ground. We saw Cumae, a Greek settlement complete with obligatory temples to goddesses various.
Day 4
The Isle of Capri! Home of the glitterati, Gracie Fields and possibly the largest ice creams ever invented. Some of the party took a boat trip around the island looking at stacks, arches and other coastline features. Some of us played beach cricket with stones and paddled in the Mediterranean.
Day 5
Spent the morning shopping in Sorrento finding those valuable gifts that parents around the Ribble Valley will surely value for ever. Returned home after midnight (and so did our suitcases this time)
Many of us will have memories and experiences which will stay with us. The students behaved impeccably and were a credit to the school. I am sure that we would all extend our thanks to Mr. Spencer for taking the time and the trouble to organize such a wonderful trip.
