Bay of Naples Visit

Girls in Year 8 and 9 enjoyed a trip to explore the Bay of Naples – a cross-curricular adventure learning about geographical phenomena as well classical history and civilisation.

‘On the last day of term, we happily departed from a rainy London heading for Naples. On arrival we discovered our rooms for the next three nights, and walked into the local town of Vico Equense to sample some of the famous Italian ice cream. Thursday was our first full day of sight-seeing, taking the train to the ancient city of Pompeii, where we got lost in the amazing city. From the tragic casts of dead figures formed by the pyroclastic flow in the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius, to accidentally eating (a large quantity) of stevia sweets – it was a fantastic day! We also learnt a lot about what life was like before the tragic events, from artefacts in museums to 5D volcano experiences, as well as visiting the nearby town of Herculaneum. We climbed to the very top of Vesuvius and felt very proud to have tackled such a steep climb: it was a beautiful day and the views were breath-taking. We walked around the crater to a souvenir shack, taking in the views whilst purchasing little lava carvings, accompanied by some Geography revision tips from Ms Humphreys. Despite the fact there was a fake eruption warning, we had an incredible day!

On Saturday, before leaving for London, we managed to visit Poppaea’s holiday home, Villa Oplontis. She was the wife of the emperor Nero, so the house was very elaborate and beautiful, complete with an enormous swimming pool. The paintings and mosaics were some of the best preserved in the world, around 2000 years old and still full of colour and detail. Finally we drove into Naples and stopped off at the National Archaeological Museum before eating pizza and heading home. All in all, we had an incredible time – learning, making new friends, and having fun.’

By Lily and Isabella in Year 8