STUDENTS from St John Bosco Arts College recently said ‘ciao’ to the classroom as they embarked on a five day trip to Italy.
Organised by the school’s geography department, 30 Year 10 students visited the Bay of Naples, which is situated in the Campania region of southern Italy.
During their time in the country students visited the ruins of Pompeii, learning about life in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius and its devastating eruption that ultimately led to the destruction of the area.
The curious GCSE students discovered more about the scale of the eruption which saw life come to a permanent standstill when Pompeii was buried in a thick layer of ash and lava in 79 A.D.
As the only active volcano on mainland Europe, students then took the opportunity to see Mt. Vesuvius up close, witnessing the lava flows from many years ago as the group made it to the base of the crater.
On their second day, the group visited the Amalfi Coast stopping at the towns of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello, learning about life in the coastal area and coastal landscapes.
Students then visited Capri where they spent time in the port area and on higher ground in Capri Town.
The next day saw students visit Herculaneum, a smaller, more prosperous town which was preserved in a different way to its sister city Pompeii.
During the jam-packed trip, students also had a great time in Sorrento, experiencing life in a small Italian coastal town and spending time wandering around the festival that was taking place.
Head of Geography Joseph Brennan, said: “The trip was a great success and brought students’ current GCSE topics and themes to life in a really engaging way.
“From studying life in the shadow of Vesuvius, viewing volcanic and coastal features to thinking about tourism and its effect on settlement development, the students found the four day tour very inspiring.
“Students fully embraced the Italian culture throughout the trip and also sampled many traditional Italian foods!”
