Classics Trip to Rome

We arrived in Rome past midnight and were off to the Vatican by 8.45am the next morning. Once there we visited Saint Peter’s Basilica (taken from the Latin word for law court, as many early Roman Christian churches were law courts). The queue, though long, moved along swiftly, and soon we were exploring the wonderful works of art inside.

After lunch it was on to see the castle of Michael the Archangel and his bridge, complete with the story of Jesus in Latin (we needed a lot of help in translating). Next stop was the Piazza Navona where we learnt about its two large fountains. Then it was off to the Pantheon, learning about the Romans’ amazing architecture: the Pantheon’s concrete dome is 9m in diameter! Our last stop was the Victor Emmanuel monument and eternal flame, learning how victory can ‘fly away and leave you’ (Romans always picture victory as winged)

The next day our first stop was Ostia Antica, the Roman port (since the time of the Romans the coast has moved, so today it’s far from the sea). We explored the necropolis, marketplace, theatre and forum. After lunch it was off to see the amazing Ara Pacis (altar to Augustus) and Capuchin Friars’ ‘tombs’ (where the bones of monks were made into elaborate pictures).

The last morning started with packing our bags before setting off on a massive walking tour of Rome, covering the Colesseum, Forum and Santa Maria Maggiore. In the afternoon we visited the Catacombs of San Callisto, which cover over 12kms. Then we were off to the airport and home, We had learnt so much.

And who knows, thanks to our trip to the Trevi fountain, someday we might even return. Thank you to Mrs Kyrke-Smith, Mr Dant and Mrs Shirley for this wonderful experience.

Eleanor L Year 9