Redborne in Italy 2016 - overview
- Mr S. Dobson
- Apr 14, 2016
- 3 min read
One of the highlights of my teaching is our biennial (well, we've been twice now, but the pattern is set!) department trip to Italy. This time we took thirty-five students from years 10 to 13, and four members of staff, up from twenty-three two years ago - Latin in Redborne is going from strength to strength!
Meeting at school in the dark at 3:45 am on Friday 11th March, wearing our trip hoodies designed by Chloe (yr13), we headed off to Luton airport for breakfast, a lost (and returned) passport, a very suspicious security guard, and some early morning games of Cards Against Humanity on the plane.
Landing at Napoli, we transferred straight to Herculaneum to begin our sightseeing. This time I was delighted that the sloping road down to what would have been the waterfront was open, allowing the students to see the deeply affecting remains of those who had sought refuge there in vain almost 2,000 years ago.
Afterwards we headed down to Sorrento and our hotel which gave glorious views across the bay of Naples towards Capri.
Next morning (Saturday 12th March) was Pompeii. The amphitheatre, roads, little courtyards, raised streetcrossings, theatre, wall paintings, mosaics, forum, lupanar, and the exhibition in the town palaestra were amazing and breathed life into the Cambridge Latin Course's stories. Some of us also got a chance to talk with the gentleman leading an excavation of the palaestra in the Stabian baths - if any of you know who he might be, or what project he was attached to I'd love to hear from you.
After lunch in the street, we raced back to our long-suffering driver, Liberato, and were only an hour or so late. Sorry, Liberato! Then it was up Vesuvius for a wet, windy and cloudy climb that I would like to say was enjoyed by all, but endured might be more accurate. Why some of the boys thought stripping to their MK Dons football shirts at the summit was enjoyable, I'll never know!
Sunday morning saw us transfer to Rome, the Eternal City, and begin our walking tours. First we went straight to the Colosseum where we had guides booked.
After that came one of my favourite parts of the whole trip. We strolled from the Colosseum in the early evening sunshine, past street musicians, to Trajan's Column, to the Pantheon, to the Trevi Fountain (with ice-creams, naturally), and through the full but relaxed winding sidestreets and piazzas that give Renaissance Rome its character and ambience. Bliss!
Monday. Our last day. The Forum and Circus Maximus were our destinations today. Overlooked by the Colosseum, and surrounded by a couple of hundred years of Roman development, the staff and students wandered in the sunshine hunting for the rostra from which Cicero spoke, the temple of Vesta, and something interesting to share with the group when we regathered.
A short stroll (ok, slightly longer than planned because all the entrances/exits at one end of the Forum were closed) later and we were free of the crowds and ready for piggyback races in the Circus.
Honour satisfied, both "horses" and "riders" repaired to a cafe for pizza. Then it was the sad part - a dash back to the hotel, onto the coach, onto the plane, and home again.
I was in mourning for Italy for at least a fortnight and can't wait to go again. it will have to be a pretty special group of students to match this lot, though...
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