We came, we saw, we conquered: Holyport College’s Latin trip to Rome
At the end of the Easter holidays 32 students and 3 teachers from Holyport College headed off in the dead of night to catch a flight to Gatwick. By late morning we were sitting under umbrellas being refreshed with fresh pasta dishes and basking in the warmth of the Italian spring. Our first stop was the ancient ruins of Ostia Antica, where there were rows and rows of old crumbling shops and houses and a maze of buildings to get lost in, as well as beautiful mosaics of the gods in old bath complexes. After a quick stop at our hotel, we headed out for dinner. Of course we also needed to check out the local supermarket for extra supplies as well.
Early the next day we were on our way on foot (we walked soooo far!) to the Colosseum where we looked at the history of Rome and where gladiators used to fight. It was massive and everyone was lost at some point, but after being impressed and regrouped, we found our way to the Palatine Hill, where the emperors had their home (Palatine gives us the word ‘palace’ and ‘palatial’). There were huge buildings and water gardens as well as an ice-cream van and some enjoyable shade.
Later that day we went to the Piazza Navona which is one of the many old chariot racing tracks. Now it has lovely fountains and lots of restaurants where we all found the lunch we wanted. Then it was off to the Vatican - a different country. Mr Boyle has just received the postcard we sent him after all this time!
The Pantheon
The next day we saw so much - the Baths of Caracalla, which had tunnels underneath which a horse and cart could go through, the biggest chariot racing track in Rome (the Circus Maximus), and a museum with amazing mosaics where we saw some things the GCSE classes have studied. We ambled to the Trevi fountain and then to the Spanish steps in the evening, where the views once you climbed to the top were brilliant. Getting back to the hotel was a real adventure but at last we all arrived.
Our final day involved a ‘surprise’ boat-trip, since we all got our deposits back on the rooms, and a visit to the Pantheon, Miss Quigley’s top building.
After a quick trip to the Campidoglio (the Capitoline Hill in Latin speak) we rushed back to the hotel and boarded our coach for the airport. Just when we thought we had avoided all problems, we nearly missed the plane, but thanks to Mr Bicknell’s heroic efforts we were all on board by take-off.
Cool things about Rome from y8s: the free water fountains, the gelati, the street vendors.
We are grateful to the Latin Excellence Programme for organising our itinerary and supporting us with extra funding. We had a great time and saw so many things. ‘I’m definitely going back to Rome’ (y10 student) -echoed by lots of us.
By Albie, Bowen and Mrs Miller
