Tom Beale's video diary of the Classics trip to Italy

Day 5: Thursday 25th October

Thanks to Leo Jewell, Henry Lewis and Hugo Jenkins for Thursday's blog entry

Wow - this was another fascinating but tiring day. We were told that the main road between Sorrento and Pompeii was going to be closed at 9.00am for road works so we had to be up and out of the hotel by 8.00am! This meant an early (7.15am!) breakfast.

Despite the road works we got to Pompeii quite early which meant we had a lot of time to look around the town. The first thing we saw was the Necropolis which was on the main road into the town, but outside the city walls. Only the rich people could afford for all their family to be buried together in this street and some of the tombs were as big as temples, with statues of the dead people on the outside.

When we got into the town we went to see the Amphitheatre which is where there were gladiator contests. Mr Allen got us all to walk through the main entrance like gladiators and give a traditional salute 'Nos moraturi te salutamus' (we who are about to die salute you). Then we got to see where the lions would have been released from.

We got to see loads of stuff in the morning after that. Mr Bury pretended he was a barman in one of the street-bars and Mrs Green was the waitress. She would be the only woman allowed in the bar! We also went to the house of Stephanus - Mr Allen's description of how he got clothes clean made us all feel a bit funny, but his house was quite big so he was obviously doing quite well out of it. One of my favourite bits was looking round the bathhouse; there was a new bit that the teachers hadn't seen before which showed the hypocaust system used for heating the floors and walls. There were also some of the plaster casts of bodies buried beneath the lava - it was fascinating to see them knowing how they had died.

After a quick comfort break we went onto the 'Teatro Piccolo' which means 'little theatre'. Alex got up and did a little dance which was very funny but very short, before we went onto the 'Teatro Grande' - this was the main theatre in Pompeii and was much bigger. However it had been designed really cleverly because when Mr Allen and Hugo were at the bottom and we were at the top you could still hear them properly.

We had time for a short lunch stop before we were off again. The excitement was building as we got closer to seeing Caecilius' house. Before we got there we went to see the 'House of the Fawn' which Mr Thomas remembered from last time - he said it was superb and he wasn't wrong! It was an enormous house with a lovely, big garden and some really intricate mosaics.

We looked through some more houses and temples then we went to the 'naughty house' where Caecilius and his friends would get up to irresponsible things where their wives couldn't see! Then we got to the high point of the trip - Caecelius' house; and Mr Allen broke the news to us that actually Caecilius was a fictional character and his family were all fictional too! There were wails of disbelief, although Mr Allen did tell us that all the characters were based on people that may well have lived in Pompeii at that time.

From here we went to the Forum which was really impressive and made us wonder at how magnificent the forums in Rome might have looked if Mussolini hadn't built a main road straight through Augustus' forum! We finished off in the basilica where we heard about the law courts and how Caecilius would have prosecuted anyone how owed him money.

Day 4: Wednesday 24th October

Thanks to Dan Conlon, Serge Savva, Jackson Buckler and Alex Manson for Wednesday's blog.

Yes!! A lie-in! Mr Allen said we could get up half an hour later this morning as we weren't leaving until 8.30am. I've really grown to like these sweet croissants we get at breakfast. Luckily we all packed last night so it was really easy to get out of the hotel and onto the coach.

We made it to our restaurant for lunch quite early which was great because we got to relax and chill out for a little bit without having to worry about going up another set of steps! The hotel we stopped at had a beautiful garden with an outdoor seating space, a fish pond with a bridge and a small playground with swings and a slide. The lunch was lovely whilst the dining room was very ornate, particularly the chandeliers. Apparently one of the other families having lunch told Mr Allen we were the best behaved school party they've ever seen! That put all the teachers in a really good mood.

The journey from lunch to Monte Cassino to visit the cemetery was pretty quick.  Mr Thomas had already given some of us a little talk about it, but we got a lot more from him about the battle, the high level bombing and the monastery.  The German army lost 20000 soldiers during the battle, but the Allies lost 55000 men and women. We had some time to ourselves to look around the cemetery - it was really sad to see how young a lot of the soldiers were, I saw lots who were only 18 or 19 years old. I was amazed at how many different countries the soldiers came from - New Zealand, Australia, Canada, India as well as Great Britain.

Just before we left Mr Allen got us together and we had some time to reflect on what we had seen and what we felt. Then he said a prayer before we quietly got back onto the bus to continue our journey to Sorrento.

Getting into Sorrento itself was quite an experience - the roads were really narrow and bendy, they reminded me of the journeys up to ski resorts where you're scared to look out of the window because the drop down is so steep! Our driver was brilliant though and got us to the Hotel Ascot without any fuss, earlier than expected so we were able to go out and explore a little bit of the town with the teachers before heading off to bed. Tomorrow we're going to see Pompeii, which is one of Mr Allen's favourite places to visit; I can't wait!

Day 3: Tuesday 23rd October

Many thanks to Elliott Howell, Will Barker, Bella Prior, Ed Yeatts and Luke Bury for Tuesday's blog.

After another early breakfast we were up and out, off to the Colosseum. On the way we saw Nero's Golden Palace. When we got to the Colosseum it was fantastic to see one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient World. It was amazing to think that we were standing where gladiators had spilled each others blood and fought against lions, tigers and leopards thousands of years ago.

    Colosseum

Before heading to the Palatine Hill, we had a snack outside the Colosseum; I got a colossal donut! On top of the Palatine Hill (which was the most exclusive place to live!) we looked round the awesome palace which was mostly built by Emperor Septimus Severus. Not only did it contain an enormous garden and thermal baths, but you could get a superb view of the Circus Maximus. Apparently I need to see Ben Hur to get an idea of what the chariot races were like, as Charlton Heston was magnificent!

Coming back down the Palatine onto the Capitoline hill, we strolled through the Forum where we learned a bit more about the way Roman politics was conducted. I'm not sure how our modern day politicians would have coped - it was expected that all promising young politicians spent a few years serving in one of the legions as a tribune and being taught how to fight by a Centurion. 

  

    Septimus Severus' palace 

We had a fantastic lunch at a pizzeria just a short walk from the Forum then went to the Augustine Forum. This was much bigger than the other forums and was seen as a way of imposing his authority and status. Mr Allen said this was one of his favourite sights in Rome (I think was his 7th favourite sight!).

By this time we were pretty tired and were really pleased when Mr Allen took us back to the hotel for a rest before our evening meal. Of course there was still time for a gelato! We finished by having dinner at our usual restaurant and had another fantastic meal - they have been absolutely brilliant looking after us.

Day 2: Monday 22nd October

Many thanks to Kate Malden, Chiara Rocker-Cook, Serge Savva, Rebecca Earl, Samuel Barratt, Samuel Dowling and Georgina Back for Monday's blog.

We woke up at 7.00am for a 7.30am breakfast. We had traditional sugared croissants which were delicious. At 8.00am we walked up to the 'Repubblica' Metro station to travel to the Vatican City.

We had to queue for about half an hour to get into the Vatican. The walls built round the city are very tall. Once we got in we had to go through security before going through to listen to Mr Allen tell us about the Pope. We were allowed to have a drink from a fountain that some of us thought contained holy water!

We saw a bronze sculpture that represented our world within the whole world. It was amazing.

Wow! Today was so exciting; we walked around the Vatican museum. The artwork was amazing - it was on the walls, the floor, the ceiling - everywhere. After that we went into the Sistine Chapel. Wow! Wow! Wow!

We looked up and saw the beautiful ceiling - this was one of my favourite sights. It made me feel very euphoric.

    La Galleria del Carta Geographica

After lunch we went up to the top of St Peter's dome - 551 steps! As we got nearer the top the walls became slanted and the stairways got tighter and narrower. Not being a fan of heights it was quite scary, but the view from the top was fantastic; it was like a map of the city.

Following this we went to the Pantheon which was truly inspiring - one of Mr Allen's favourite parts of Rome! It's hard to believe that this dome is completely self-supporting. It's the first time I've been inside a church with a hole in the roof!

We continued our trek across Rome to visit an ancient Roman racing track - the Piazza Navona where we bought ice creams and sat by the fountain. This is where young Italian men come in the evening to 'promenade' and be seen.

When we had finished we whizzed to the Time Elevator where we had the 'time' of our lives! It felt very realistic - the 'rats' running up our legs, levitating floors, massive screens - it was like going through a time vortex. In the evening we went out for a delicious meal of tortellini and pizza before heading to bed after a brilliant but tiring day.

Day 1: Sunday 21st October

Many thanks to Harry Raffan for the first blog entry. 

6.30am! Too early I'm afraid. I am first to arrive so I had time to people watch. Amazing how many of the top sportsmen get their mums to carry their bags!

As the trees whizz by I realise just how excited I am. Their colours are turning as autumn grips England. The sooty grey sky makes me long for the Italian sunshine.

An uneventful flight ends with a safe landing in Rome. Stunning, awesome, colossal, magnificent - my first views of Rome from the coach. I'm amazed by how much if the original architecture we can still see today. Wow! We've passed under a great viaduct set into the city wall - you can only wonder at the skill of craftsmen centuries ago.

Checking into the hotel - there is a warm atmosphere but lots of steps. Apparently we need to get used to them!

It's a very short walk to the restaurant where I experience my first piece of Italian culture up close. A sensational lasagne followed by tender 'pollo' and traditionally prepared 'patates'. It is interesting to see how food is served in two courses - the pasta first, then the meat.

After dinner we go to the Spanish Steps - a truly magical location. Lit up by the glow and buzz of everyone who is taking in the amazing scenery.  Starting at the grand white church the steps roll down to the piazza with the ornate fountain. Here we sit for several minutes to enjoy and take in the view. It's been a long day however we still have time for our first ice cream and the Trevi Fountain. With the change I take part in the customary throwing of a coin over my shoulder into the fountain. Maybe one day I will return to Rome.

Harry Raffan, Yr 8

Countdown to Sunday

Looking forward to 8am on Sunday morning. The passports are in, the EHICs are in, all the plans are ready, just get a good night's sleep on Saturday.

Mr Allen