One of my favourite and most adventurous experiences of my school year and Transition Year, has been the annual international school trip, which this year was in Italy and was based in Rome, Fiuggi & Sorrento.
The trip was first mentioned last May, prior to my Junior Certificate Examinations, and almost immediately I signed up for the trip, and paid my deposit for the trip. The trip had been arranged and brought to us by two teachers in Crana College ! Mrs Walsh and Ms McElhinney!
Since the New Year, we had been given information about the trip, and we’re able to get a clear idea of what we would have been doing whilst in Italy! We had to have out Passports and European Health Insurance (E111) Cards at the ready, in order to book the flights and also all of the activities for the trip! We were also split up into groups, with a specific teacher keeping an eye on us whenever we were in Italy, as well as going to and from the airport. I was in a group along with another TY Student (who I would be sharing a room with whilst in Italy) – Gerard McGee, along with 4 other 2nd Year Students. The teacher that was over us was Mr Ward!
On Thursday 17th of March, at 1 O’Clock in the morning, we all met outside of the school in Buncrana, and got onto our buses and headed for Dublin Airport. We were flying from Terminal 2 in Dublin to Rome-Fiumicino Airport with Aer Lingus In total there were about 65 Students and 12 Teachers on the trip. We arrived at the airport at about 5 in the morning, and went straight to check-in as we were to be flying at 6:40! We ran through security, and got on to the plane in time!
The flight from Dublin to Rome took about 2 hours and 40 minutes, however we did not take-off until about 7 O’Clock and with the hour time difference in Italy, and the collection of bags from the plane, we were on the bus in Rome again at about 11:45 (Italian Time – UTC+1)!
Our first stop on the trip was the Vatican City, which to put it simply was simply breathtaking! We met our guide, and were taken on a guided tour of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Bassilca. The whole country was covered in pieces of artwork, which were all created by Michelangelo, and those who had learnt from him. The majority of the artwork on the walls of the buildings were created in the ‘Fresco’ style in which, painters would have painted over wet plaster, as seen below.
‘Frescos’ in the Vatican City – Italy 2016
Unfortunately, there was a strict ban on the use of cameras inside the Sistine Chapel, and unfortunately I was unable to get any photos of the amazing artwork inside the chapel. Following the venture through the Sistine Chapel, we arrived in the extremely large St Peter’s Bassilca, which actually compromises the vast majority of the Vatican City’s land area! It was unbelievable to how large the open space actually was!
Saint Peter’s Basilica – Italy 2016
Following our tour of the Vatican City, we traveled to our second activity of the day, when we headed to the ‘Time Elevator’, which is a large 5D Cinema, which simulates real life events, trough everyday stories and events. It was a really strange experience to have a cinema simulate two stories – ‘The Evolution of Life’ and ‘Horror Story’! It was such a surreal experience!
The Time Elevator – Italy 2016
At the end of our first day, we left Rome, and headed to our hotel – ‘Hotel Sud America’, which was in Fiuggi, a small Italian Town, an hour and twenty minutes outside of Rome. This hotel would function as our base for the majority of our trip. We headed to dinner on the first night, before going on to bed, and getting up the next morning again for breakfast, before leaving for our next day of events!
On the second day, we became more accustomed to Italian Life, and headed South towards Sorrento. We were greeted by a tour guide in the town at about 11:30, and were given the full tour of the town. The so-called ‘city’ overlooks the Gulf of Napoli, where the towns of Napoli & Pompeii, along with Mount Vesuvius and the Isle of Capri, can be seen clearly from the town. The town is really pretty and is littered with winding alleyways and streets coupled with Designer & High-End Stores on every corner!
Following our Trip around Sorrento, we were given time to either eat our packed lunch provided by the hotel, or to source food from some of the restaurants about the town. At about 2:30, we headed for the bus once again, and ventured around the Amalfi Coast, which was an extremely terrifying experience, as long coaches speeded around narrow roads, that sat on cliff faces that sat looking into the Mediterranean Sea. To make maters even worse, I was sitting on the outside seat of the bus, where the cliffs’edge was in plain sight! Despite the somewhat shocking journey, the views were unbelievable, and the stop in the idyllic town of Positano, which sat on the cliffs’ edge, yielded breathtaking views!
The Amalfi Coast from Positano – Italy 2016
After the trip along the cliffs, we arrived in the town of Amalfi at about 3:30, and we were given a chance to shop around the town. The seaside town’s shops were all littered in Lemon-Themed Souvenirs, and every variation of soaps, tea-towels, bottle openers and everything in between had been decorated or incorporated the lemon theme! We all met at the pier in Amalfi to go on a boat excursion at 4:30, around the headlands, and to the nearby resort of Maiori. The views on the boat were striking, and looking back on the Amalfi Coast was unbelievable!
The Boat Tour from Amalfi to Maiori – Italy 2016
We then disembarked the boat in Maori at about 5 O’Clock, we met our coaches once again, and then headed via Salerno, before travelling to our hotel outside Sorrento – Hotel Moon Valley. The hotel was really nice, and the food that they had on offer was delicious! Unfortunately, we were only staying in this for one night, as it acted as a stopover point for the trip. The hotel also had a pool, however with the 18°C Weather, it definitely wasn’t ideal for swimming!
On the third day of the trip our tour group had split in two , where half toured Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii, whilst the other half went to Sorrento in the morning and attended the AC Roma Vs Inter Milan Match, in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. I went with the latter of these groups, and went by train to Sorrento to shop around, before heading on a bus once again from our hotel at 12:30, and headed to the ‘Restaurante Tiberius’ near Pompeii, where we dined with the rest of the tour group before heading to the football match in Rome. We then got on the motorway again and headed from Napoli to Rome. Unfortunately, a journey that should have taken 2 hours on the motorway, took up on five hours, due to a diversion caused by a collision. Which meant that we arrived at the football match in the nick of time, and meant that we had no time to get food, nor time to prepare before the match.
Touring Sorrento – Italy 2016
The atmosphere at the match was really good, and sitting among the home fans, facing the home net, just added to the vibe. It was a good match, and even though I didn’t have much of an interest in football, it was an extremely fun experience! We once again, after the match boarded our coach and returned to Hotel Sud America in Fiuggi, where we were greeted with takeout pizzas, brought to us by our teachers – Mrs Morrison, Ms Bradley & Mrs Gill! A major thank-you has to be given to these teachers who had food sitting ready for us at 12 o’clock at night, for students who had been sitting on a bus for the vast majority of the day!
AC Roma Vs Inter Milan – Italy 2016
On our proper final day in Italy, the group once again headed into Rome, and were given a guided tour of one of the largest, and most influential cities in Europe. We arrived at about 11:30, and met our guide outside the Colosseum, which is an unbelievable structure, measuring 50 meters high. Following the Colosseum’s Tour, we headed across the city and ventured towards the Trevi Fountain, where we were told to ‘make-a-wish’ by throwing one coin with our right hand over our left shoulder, in order for our wish to come true. After the tour had been completed, we headed to the Piazza Navona, where we were given an hour to shop around and to get lunch! We then all regrouped and headed for the bus at 4:30.
The Colosseum – Italy 2016
We arrived back in Fiuggi once again at about 7 O’Clock , and headed for dinner. After dinner, the whole group decided to make a decision to head out a walk into the town square, where we all got ice-cream. We were then greeted in by a local cafe, where a disco was going on. At first, it was very quiet, and there was nobody dancing, but when talk got up at the table where all of the TYs and 5th Years were sitting about the ‘Macarena’, it wasn’t long until the whole group were out dancing, and ended up going back to the hotel at 12 o’clock that night!
Touring before the disco with Tiree & Roisin – Italy 2016
The next morning, still tired, we were all up at 6:30, in order to get breakfast and to get checked out! We left the hotel, and headed for the airport once again, before flying back to Dublin, and arriving back at the school, in Buncrana once again at 7 o’clock that night.
The trip has not only been one of the highlights of my TY, but also one of the major highlights of my time in Crana College over the past four years. It was simply amazing! The sights and experiences were unforgettable, coupled with a great group of friends, along with teachers who looked after us, but also got on with us so well, during the 5 days in Italy. A major thank-you has to be given to all the staff who had given up a portion of their Easter Break, to keep an eye on us, but a very special thank you has to be given to Mrs Walsh & Mrs McElhinney, who had organised the whole trip!
Italy 2016 was unbelievable!
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