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Kingswood Secondary Academy

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Geography Field Trip - Italy 2013

“During the May half term we set off at 2am on Sunday 26th on our Italian adventure. Arriving at the Costa Alta resort by midday we were able to enjoy our first taste of spaghetti having a lovely lunch. The sunshine soon showed its face, so those that still had some energy were able to enjoy settling in, having a swim and exploring the local town. In the evening we went for lovely gelato- yum!"

 
 
 

"Monday 27th May 

We had a wonderful informative tour of Pompeii, with a local guide. She filled us with information about the Pompeii disaster which is 15 km from Vesuvius.  After a walk into Pompeii and for some a traditional McDonalds lunch we headed up in the mountains to Vesuvius. We trekked up the volcano which some of us found more difficult than others!  We were able to take in the fantastic views as well as see the gases being released from the volcano - a once in a life time experience for many.
 
Tuesday 28th May
We headed out very early; 7:30am start to get down to the port in Sorrento for our hydrofoil boat to the Island of Capri. Here we were able to see the mass tourism, and the land of the living for the rich and famous! There were many expensive shops and café/bars, which I know I certainly couldn’t afford to even buy a coca cola! We had some time cloud bathing on the beach before getting back to Sorrento. When back in Sorrento we had the opportunity to look round the shops and do some souvenir shopping and explore the local town. It was a very long day, not arriving back until after 7pm.
 
Wednesday 29th May
We went to the Campi Flegrei region, firstly visiting the 3rd largest amphitheatre to the Coliseum in Rome. It was very interesting to see where the gladiators would fight animals in a huge arena. From there we headed to Volcano Solfatara, a landscape of sulphur! The volcanic region is important in monitoring Vesuvius and we were able to see a volcanologist at work and the instruments used to measure and predict movement in the earth’s surface. Many of the students struggled with the very strong smell of sulphur, but were able to see it seeping from the ground as fumaroles and bubbling mud pools. It was a long 2 hour drive back to the accommodation, on our return students had the opportunity to relax before dinner. By this point I think everyone was a little fed up with pasta!!
 
Thursday 30th May
Thursday was time to depart, so we had our last morning in Piano de Sorrento. On departure from the resort we went to a place called Alexis House. Set in tranquil gardens with beautiful mountain views we were able to enjoy a traditional Italian cookery school. We are now all experts in making our own pizza dough and cooking our pizza! It was a wonderful experience, a real insight into traditional Italian life run by a very welcoming family. We all went away absolutely full to the brim with pizza, bruschetta, hand cut chips and sausage…followed by the most delicious nutella pizza! We were then bound for Naples to catch our flight back to Stansted.  A wonderful time was had by all” by Faye Austin Trip Organiser.
 
      
 
      
 
Here is what some of the students thought:
 
“On the Wednesday we went to Solfatara and that is the place at which I felt that I learnt the most, we could smell the sulphuric acid coming out from the earth’s core and we could see it as well.  Everyone that I ask now says they wish they were still in Italy and they’re all saying what a good time they had.” Demi Martin

“I thought the trip was really good because we were given freedom which made us feel adult and trusted. Also I learnt a lot more than I thought because of Solfatara and Pompeii. I would really like to go again in the near future.” Caitlin skillen
 
“I learnt in Italy that they really love to eat pasta, I know this as I had lots of it when I was there. I also learnt what the inside of a volcano looks like, before I went I really had no clue what it would look like. I really enjoyed navigating our way around Capri and having the free time to learn about the island in our own way.” Chris Knapp 
 
“In my opinion the trip was amazing! I have learned lots of facts about the Pompeii City for example: the place in their time had its own fast-food. I really liked the visit to Capri and Mount Vesuvius. Even the smell of the Solfatara volcano, which was horrible, stays in my head.  I wish to go again and see more of Italy in future.” Zaneta Domanowska
 
“There’s lots of things I learnt about in Italy. I really enjoyed the visit to the huge amphitheatre in Campi Flegrei volcanic area. I like the size of the amphitheatre and I also liked the reconstructed side because it made me picture what it would have looked like when it was newly built, it was really interesting.”  Jack Young

 

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