Year 9 and 10 Italian Trip to Rome

From Monday 20th March to Thursday 23rd March, Mrs Evenden, Ms Jennings and Miss Clarke accompanied a group of 30 Year 9 and 10 students to Rome, the capital of Italy, where we were given the opportunity to practise and improve our Italian as well as learn more about the history and culture of the country and city. This trip was packed with activities: on the first evening, although we arrived at around 7pm we still managed to have a quick visit to the Trevi fountain. We were encouraged to throw a coin over our left shoulder and into the fountain as it is believed that if you do this you will come back to Rome and have good luck.

On the second day, in the morning, we visited Gelateria Fassi, one of the oldest ice cream factories in Italy, where we learned how to make traditional homemade Italian ice cream. We were allowed to have a tub of ice cream, of a flavour of our choosing, as well as an Italian dessert. In the afternoon we visited the Colosseum alongside the Roman Forum, which were both key parts of ancient Roman life. While we were there we learnt a lot about what parts these places played in Roman lives, about their Gods as well as the story of how the city itself, Rome, was founded by twins, Romulus and Remus. That afternoon was very interesting as we really enjoyed learning about Roman culture and history, and the guide made the tour a lot of fun, with lots of captivating Roman stories. In the evening we visited the Spanish steps in the Piazza di Spagna. Did you know that the steps were actually built by the French? However, because they are in the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish square), people thought they were built by the Spanish.

On Wednesday we visited the Vatican museum in the Vatican City. The Vatican City is actually its own country, so it’s not a part of Italy and this is where the Pope lives. It’s the smallest country in the world with about 600 people holding the Vatican passport. However, despite the Vatican City being the smallest country in the world, it’s home to the 5th largest museum in the world, which we visited. There we could see many famous works of art including the Sistine Chapel ceiling, which was famously painted by Michelangelo. That day we also visited the Castel Sant’Angelo, which is where the Pope would go if there was a threat.

On the final day we had a grand tour of Rome, seeing many interesting sites and finding out their history. Some of the places we visited that day were the Trevi fountain, the Piazza di Spagna, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and, last but not least, the Vittoriano, which was a monument built to honour the first Italian King, Vittorio Emanuele. As well as visiting all of these interesting places, as we were walking from place to place on the tour, our guide pointed out other points of interest, for example some of the 13 Egyptian obelisks that are in Rome. As well as all of our cultural visits we were also given some free time to shop in the Via del Corso area with its stylish shops. While we were in Rome we all enjoyed the wonderful Italian food along with the sunshine. I found this trip incredibly interesting, as Rome is a city packed with history and culture so there was always something to see, and I now have a much better understanding of Italian culture and language.

Elizabeth Unwin
Year 10