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[ 25 June 2012 ]
Tour to Rome and Florence, May 2102
The following is a report on the wonderful trip to Italy organised by Mrs Haslett at the beginning of May. Many thanks go to her and other members of her team who helped to make it such a special event.
A six-day tour to Italy was undertaken from 4th -9th May 2012. The cities visited were Rome, Pompeii, Siena, Florence and Pisa. The aim was to provide as full a programme as possible introducing pupils to the rich and wonderful history and culture ofthat country. The tour party consisted of 45 pupils from the Transition Year and Fifth Form, together with six members of staff.
After a very early departure from St.Columba’s we commenced with a tour of the major sites of ancient Rome, beginning at the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill and then visiting the Forum. Walking everywhere, pupils and staff alike became familiar with the challenge of navigating a large group through the busy streets of Rome. Fortunately, there were many re-fuelling opportunities at the gelaterias.The following day we had a major tour of the Vatican City; our extremely knowledgeable guide introduced us to some of the less well-known treasures of the Vatican Museums. The highlight, of course, was the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. We also visited the Pantheon in the afternoon. In the evening we walked to the Spanish Steps and threw some coins in the Trevi Fountain as well as entertaining the crowds with some impromptu ensemble singing.
Owing to the cancellation of our original flight our tour was extended by a day so we were able to visit Pompeii the following day, climbing Mount Vesuvius in the afternoon.
En route to our next hotel in Montecatini we visited Siena, exploring its spacious Campo, the Duomo and its beautiful old streets. The next highlight was Florence where we visted the Duomo, the Baptistery, the Accademia, the Piazza della Signoria and , of course, the markets.
On the final day we explored the Field of Miracles at Pisa on our way to Milan for the flight back. We arrived home to a torrential downpour in Dublin sporting Italian hats, scarves, T-shirts, ties and sun-tans, having been blessed by pleasant, sunny weather for most of our tour. The memories, of course, will be much more enduring!
MDH
The following is a link to the photo album of the trip.
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