Half Term Classics Trip to the Bay of Naples
By Eleanor P, Ella C and Esha K
Over half term, 70 of NHEHS’s Y8-10 classicists went on a fascinating voyage across both space and time, walking among ancient Romans and practising their Latin!
Well, not really. But that was what it felt like (minus speaking Latin – imagine! we chose a dead language for a reason) when we flew to the Bay of Naples for five days and explored many of the stunning sites preserved for us in the future by a volcanic eruption almost 2000 years ago.
A very early start on the first day meant that when we landed in Naples, we still had plenty of time to explore the Naples National Archaeological Museum. There, we saw a wide variety of mosaics, frescoes and other artefacts from Pompeii, Herculaneum and the surrounding areas affected by the eruption. It was great to see so many of the artworks which would have been left in situ if it wasn’t for the, ahem, alternative methods of archaeology (making money out of stealing art) from the time when the towns were discovered. Some of our favourite items included a mosaic of a skeleton, a lavishly frescoed niche and an impressive scale model of Pompeii, which proved to be helpful for the next day! We then returned to Sorrento, across the Bay from Naples, and enjoyed our first night at the Hotel La Ripetta.
The Villa Oplontis, a large Roman villa believed to still be half-buried by archaeologists, was our group’s first stop the next day. It is thought to have been the home of Nero’s second wife, Poppaea. The villa was one of the largest in the Bay of Naples, and one of the most luxurious, too, with a pool larger than ours at school! After that, we went to our largest site: Pompeii. We visited the amphitheatre, lots of villas and thermopolia (fast food shops) with marble table tops. We braved the sweltering heat in the forum, exploring the Temple of Jupiter (which was still being rebuilt after an earthquake and the Basilica, important locations to the residents of the ancient town. We even managed to find the house of the notorious Caecilius – although we didn’t see his hortus! (Apparently it’s an inside joke. We don’t get it either.)
Monday saw everyone visit a local family-run farm where we encountered many animals, discovered how mozzarella is made and (best of all) made our own Italian pizza! After this, we took the long drive to Paestum. Paestum was initially a Greek settlement, so is home to amazing Greek temples of Hera and Athena, but also the remains of many other public buildings. The architecture was extremely impressive – did you know that the Greeks made their columns bulge in the middle to give the illusion that they were the same width throughout?
On Tuesday we split up again: Year 9 and 10 spent some time in Sorrento before trekking up Mount Vesuvius. It was a surprisingly steep walk but we braved the rain and managed to make it to the top of the volcano. The views were breathtaking (despite the cloud) and we got the chance to visualise the incredibly famous eruption from 79 AD. We even saw steam coming out of the crater! In the coach on the way back to our hotel Mrs Goodall read out the two fascinating letters of Pliny the younger describing the eruption. In the evening, we enjoyed a night of karaoke, singing only, of course, Latin lyrics!
On our final day, we visited two villas at Stabiae, the Villa San Marco and the Villa Arianna. These villas were impressive and everyone enjoyed exploring their elaborate frescoes and learning about the previous inhabitants. Finally, before departing for home, we visited Herculaneum. Herculaneum was a Roman town covered by pyroclastic flow from Mount Vesuvius’s eruption. We enjoyed looking at the Roman spas and houses, as well as seeing how they had invented many useful domestic appliances we still use today, such as central underfloor heating. Particularly moving about Herculaneum is that skeletons of many people were discovered hiding in the boathouses – trying to escape but failing – and provide a very dramatic contrast to the deserted town above, reminding us why we can enjoy these sites.
Overall, we loved seeing all the different Roman sites around the Bay of Naples! It is incredible how immersive the sites are, and the fact that we can just wander around them two millenia later – it really puts everything in perspective, and frames our studies of Classics (especially seeing Greek colonies in Italy!). Thank you very much to Mrs Goodall and the accompanying teachers for organising this intriguing, enriching experience for us!
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