Our 2016 Religious Studies field trip to Rome commenced in the ‘wee’ small hours of Saturday 30th January (1am
to be precise!) when 29 enthusiastic AS/A2 Level students and their three teachers – Mrs Patterson, Miss Carson and Mr Dickie embarked on a three hour
bus journey from the Lodge Road campus to Dublin airport. It was safe to say that with a crowd as excited as ours, there was to be very little sleep
had on the way down! After a further three hour flight we landed safely in Rome – once the capital of the greatest empire of the ancient world and
of course the focus of our studies in Early Church History.
On arrival at our hotel and all rooms checked out, we set off with our very own GPS (aka Mr Dickie!) to explore Rome! Our first stop was a local restaurant
where pizza was on the menu – surprise! With our stomachs duly filled we headed off to our first stop which was a 3/4D interactive experience covering
the last 2,000 years on the history of Rome. We were sprayed with water, blasted with air as we were transported back in time. A few screams could
be heard when we were blasted with air around our legs – the girls and Miss Carson thought the rats were running up their legs! That evening we made
our way to the famous Trevi Fountain where we ate ice cream and soaked up the Italian culture. An early night was had by all as we hadn’t slept in
48hours!
On Sunday morning, we were up bright and early thanks to the staff telephone calls to our rooms, making sure we were wide awake – needless to say there
were a few grunts at the end of the phone! After a continental breakfast we set off to visit some of the most unbelievable pieces of architecture in
the world. We visited the Colosseum where our tour guide was very informative. This was where the Romans went for entertainment and where Christians
faced their death by wild beasts. Its is like nothing we have ever seen before. We were taken to the Roman Forum, the political centre of Rome and
the Circo Massimo where chariot races were carried out. After lunch we visited the only church in Rome dedicated to the mother of Christ and the church
of St Pietro where the chains that Peter was imprisoned in when in Jerusalem are housed. The interior of these churches were amazing. Our evening was
spent dining out, eating pizza and pasta again and watching the world go by.
Monday saw our visit to the Vatican. We braved the Metro and were thankful that we all got off at the right stop after having been told numerous times
by our teachers what to do in case we were left behind on the metro! After getting through security we met our tour guide who led us through the Vatican.
The sculptures, paintings and ceilings were amazing and the detail in the Sistene Chapel is difficult to put into words, it’s like nothing I have ever
seen before. It was amazing to see this world famous ceiling by Michaelangelo. Our tour guide explained in great detail the various aspects of the
ceiling. We then made our way to St Peter’s Basilica, financed by the emperor Constantine. Our tour guide asked us if we wanted to walk through the
‘Holy Door’ or the ordinary door. Both Mrs Patterson and Miss Carson wondered what the difference was only to be told that the ‘Holy Door’ is only
opened once every 25years by order of the Pope! They thought it better to go through the Holy Door! We then had the chance to climb the Dome of St
Peter’s and this was certainly one of the stand out experiences of our trip. When we finally reached the top, we were rewarded with a birds eye view
of Rome and it made for some breath taking photographs, let alone the quite literally breath taking steps leading to the top! We strolled along the
River Tibre, made our own magnum ice cream and headed to the Spanish Steps for an evening stroll and a little window shopping at Gucci and Prada!
Our final day saw us visit the Borghese Gallery and the Catacombs of St Sebastian. Here we saw where many Christians were buried as it was the only place
that they could safely meet to worship for fear of being persecuted. It was amazing to see these burial sites together with drawings on the walls depicting
Christian symbols.
Overall, the Rome trip truly brought our A Level module to life as well as having the opportunity to see some of the most famous sights and monuments.
We met some true Italian characters and sampled some real Italian cuisine which made our experience all the more authentic. We couldn’t go wrong however,
with Mrs Patterson’s lazer precise planning and itinerary, Mr Dickie’s great sense of direction and of course Miss Carson’s voice of reassurance. A
wonderful trip with many memories made!
Adam McCurdy L6th
{module_contentholder name=”Gallery – RE Trip to Rome”}