In the second week of half-term, 19 Beacon boys from Years 7 and 8 plus three staff travelled to the Bay of Naples for a sun-drenched week of exploration.
They were delighted to have their base in a lovely family-run hotel in the centre of Sorrento. From here they travelled back in time to the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the luxurious Villa San Marco at ancient Stabiae.
In Pompeii, the boys were fortunate to witness the ongoing archaeological work at the House of the Casti Amanti, as well as the newly restored frescoes in the House of the Vettii. At Herculaneum they even got to see the skeletons of the unfortunate victims of the volcano. A shuddering sight.
But it was not all Roman antiques. They climbed to the very top of Vesuvius and peered into the volcanic crater! Once back down they were taught how to make mouth-watering authentic Italian pizzas, went ten-pin bowling, circumnavigated Capri in a small boat, and rode the chairlift to the top of Monte Solaro to take in magnificent views.
In Sorrento there was plenty of time for shopping and ice cream, and on the last night which just happened to coincide with Halloween, the streets were packed full of local children trick-or-treating in and out of the shops!
All in all, un viaggio da sogno – a dream trip!
Some reviews from the boys:
Sebbi T: Dear Magister Walker, thank you for the amazing views and the amazing experiences such as the beautiful boat tour around the whole of Capri. I really enjoyed seeing the elephant mountain and the mask in the stone. Also, I loved all the delicious food like pizza and ice cream. Herculaneum and Pompeii were even better than I expected.
Shay N: Thank you very much for organising Pompeii 2024. I loved all parts, but if I had to choose, I would say that going to see the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii were the best parts!
Thomas S: I found it hard to pick just one highlight of the Pompeii Trip since everything that we did and experienced was so amazing. However, I have decided that my highlight was Tuesday since that was the day that we had our tour of Pompeii and because that was also the day that we went bowling, which was super fun. Tuesday was also the first time that we went shopping in Sorrento by ourselves which was exciting, since the streets were full of people and jam packed with various shops which were filled with lots and lots of lemon related items
Nisaja D: The Pompeii Trip 2024 was such a success and a huge thank you to Mr Walker for organizing the trip wonderfully and Mrs Elcomb and Mr Stansfield for all the dedication you put in and for giving up your free time for this💝. I loved this trip and I hope everyone else did too💖
Laszlo B: Pompeii was mind blowing and Capri beautiful, especially the boat tour! Thanks so much Mr Stansfield, Ms Elcomb and most of all Mr Walker, we all had an amazing time!
