A group of students and teachers set off on a trip to Rome and Pompeii over the midterm break.
Over several days, students walked where emperors once ruled, traced the steps of ancient gladiators, and gazed into the smoking heart of a volcano that once changed the world.
The journey began in Rome with a walking tour of the city. Standing inside the Colosseum, the students listened in awe as their guide painted vivid pictures of the roaring crowds, the clash of swords, and the architectural genius that made this amphitheatre an engineering marvel of its time. They learned how Roman builders used concrete and arches to create a structure so strong it still dominates the skyline nearly 2,000 years later.
The group also visited the Roman Forum, once the beating heart of public life in Rome.
On Saturday the group visited Pompeii and Vesuvius.
Walking through streets preserved by ash, the students saw bakeries, bathhouses, and homes frozen in time since 79 AD. They learned how this ancient city, once thriving beneath Vesuvius, was buried in a single day—its tragedy becoming archaeology’s greatest gift. The plaster casts of victims served as poignant reminders of both nature’s fury and humanity’s fragility.
The final challenge was the climb up Mount Vesuvius itself. The climb up the steep, volcanic slopes took nothing out of the young men from St. Pats (teachers were a different story).The reward at the summit was a breathtakingly, panoramic view of the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast.
On Monday the group crossed into Vatican City, the world’s smallest independent state, the students found themselves surrounded by some of the most magnificent art and architecture. Their lessons on Renaissance art came to life in the Sistine Chapel, where they got to marvel at the ceiling frescoes that depict humanity’s creation and fall.
A big thank you to the group leader Mr. Joseph Coogan who organised the trip and to Mr. Kenny, Ms. Bannon and Mr. Boyle who accompanied students on the trip.
It is hoped that Rome and Pompeii are no longer just names in a textbook but their story and history came to life over the course of the trip.