Classics Trip

Year 8 Classicists enjoyed a trip to Italy to explore a wealth of historical sites and bring their Latin learning to life.

30 pupils headed to the Bay of Naples at the start of the Easter holidays for some fascinating insight into Roman history – as well as plenty of pizza and pasta. Sadie reports back on the highlights of their trip:

‘We checked into our hotel, with picturesque views of Mount Vesuvius, settled in and enjoyed our first Italian dinner – pasta – before bed and lights out, exhausted due to the 5am start. The next day, after a hearty breakfast of cake and bread, we boarded the coach, ready for a day of culture. It was fascinating to walk around the actual ruins of Pompeii, imagining what it would have actually been like for the Romans living there. After a stop-off for pizza and chips, we drove into Naples city and went to the Archaeological Museum to see an intriguing array of exhibits. 

On the third day we visited Herculaneum, a town similar to Pompeii but smaller in size, especially as only a quarter has been excavated; a lovely guide who showed us around the site. Afterwards, we climbed Mount Vesuvius – an hour’s walk, quite steep in places, but the breath-taking views were worth the effort. 

On the Saturday, we descended on a supermarket, eager to get our hands on some fruit and vegetables, which we’d barely eaten since our arrival!  After getting a little lost on the way, we visited some beautiful villas before driving along the coast to see some Greek temples in Paestum, fuelled by several scoops of ice cream from a really good gelato place. 

On our final day, we went on a pizza-making course in Sorrento – undoubtedly the best pizza we had eaten on the whole trip! We then took a three-hour coach ride to Rome Airport, before boarding our flight and saying ‘arrivederci’ to Italy.’ 

At South Hampstead, all students study Latin in Years 7 to 9; Latin and Classical Greek are on offer at both GCSE and A Level, as well as Classical Civilisation at A Level.