In March 2024, we visited Italy on a Classics trip and wanted to highlight some of the moments that we thought made the trip memorable. However exhausted we may have been after the 6.00am start, the walk around Ostia Antica really brightened us all up. The incredible ruins of the city were our first introduction to Roman culture and they were amazing. The next day, we dove further into the culture with a visit to the Capitoline Museum and saw the awe inspiring artwork around it. We were then free to explore the Colosseum, one of Rome’s most iconic monuments which could only be described as breathtaking. After, we took a break from walking, and ate lunch by the Circus Maximus. We then visited the Roman Forum which was equally amazing as it gave us a valuable insight into the ruins of the city and how the Romans used to live. Something that many of us also found fascinating was the Temple of Vesta within the Roman Forum as, having studied it in our sources, it was amazing to see it in person.

The next day was mainly the coach ride down to Sorrento, but even that was interesting as we were able to see so much of Italy and get a better picture of the country and culture itself. We got to visit the Appian Way and Villa Poppea, a house that is believed to have belonged to Emperor Nero’s second wife. The next two days were extremely busy, with visits to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Mount Vesuvius. We were all so fascinated by the ruins of Pompeii and the sheer volume of the city itself. Both of the ancient cities were so interesting to walk around as they are so well preserved and it was incredible to be able to see how the Romans used to live.

Overall, the trip was a truly spectacular experience and was so well planned as we were able to see so much of the country and all of its culture, and of course, so many of our studied sources which were amazing to see in person.

Isobel & Lily, Year 11