Days 1 & 2 Diary
Thirty-four enthusiastic pupils and their teachers departed CGS in the early hours of Saturday morning. After an eventful start, we arrived in Rome where we have enjoyed much warmer and calmer weather than we left behind! We have been busy and our first stop on Saturday afternoon was to the Catacombs of St Sebastian. Here our guide took us 6-9 meters underground to see the maze of burial sites belonging to the Early Christians. We learned that Peter and Paul were buried there for a period of time before their bodies were removed to St Peter’s. We have visited a number of Churches and Basilica’s. The architecture and interior of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore was stunning housing a range of magnificent artworks. We were also privileged to view an exhibition of artwork from the Papal museums which were on display due to this being the Jubilee Year.
The Welcome to Rome experience was a 3D cinema experience where we learned about the history of Rome from its beginnings over a period of 2,700 years. We also enjoyed some time in Piazza Navona, which was the 1st Century AD stadium of Emperor Domitian.
The Spanish steps have been climbed by all where the views from the top were breathtaking.. and many were out of breath by the time we got to the top!
We have also enjoyed Pizza, ice cream and tonight’s tea was at the Hard Rock Cafe which was enjoyed by all.
We have certainly been getting our steps in… hitting 34,000 so far and more to come as we visit Vatican City and the Colosseum tomorrow.
Day 3
After an early start, where we battled our way through a very busy metro, we finally arrived at Vatican City. We were met by our two tour guides for the day where they took us through the Vatican Museums, explaining many of the vast sculptures, carpets, maps and paintings. We also entered the rooms containing the artworks of Raphael and then finally reached the Sistene Chapel where we were all in awe of the spectacular ceiling by Michaelangelo.
St Peter’s Basilica was our next stop and the grandeur is very hard to put into words. Our pupils thoroughly enjoyed this experience with many speechless at what they had seen. We then finished our tour here with a visit to St Peter’s square.
After a bite of lunch and a chance to rest our very tired legs and sore feet we headed to the Colosseum with our tour guides. The AS Early Church module focuses in on the persecution of the early church and so as we stood in the Colosseum we contemplated what it would have been like for those Christians who were used to entertain the 50,000 people this amphitheatre could easily hold. Many Christians met their death here and in other amphitheatres around the Roman Empire.
We finished off with a walking tour to the Roman Forum, the political centre of Rome and then onto Palantine Hill, often referred to as ‘the first nucleus of the Roman Empire.’
Our evening was spent enjoying some more pizza, ice cream and we even squeezed in a bit of last minute shopping where some souvenirs and presents for family were purchased. We managed just over 20,000 steps today so everyone should sleep well tonight .
Another early start in the morning as we begin our journey home. A great few days with a fantastic group of pupils who have done their school proud while on this trip.
