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History
and his group of Roman Interpreters made a very special visit to Mr.
Gude's year 4 class at The Grove School in Totnes.
Students were treated to a series of presentations on the Roman
Empire, food and dress, as well as the everyday life of a soldier. Year 7
and 8 students from the History Challenge Pathway group worked very
hard to put together an interactive experience for these students, which
involved hours of research, preparation and prop design.
Centurion Favonius Facilis, Legio XX Valeria Victrix is aiming to visit
more primary schools in the area in the coming months.
Well done History Challenge Pathway!
Mr Davies and Miss Madden
Trip to Pompeii
Day Three:
We were all blown away by the spectacular Villa Oplontis, with its beautiful wall paintings and Olympic-size
swimming pool. Sadly, there was no water for a quick dip! Next stop was the ancient town of Herculaneum which, for
many, was the highlight of the trip. Seeing the skeletons in the boat house by the ancient shoreline reminded us all of the
devastating effect of the pyroclastic flows from the eruption of 79CE. It was strange to think that these people had once
walked the streets of this thriving ancient town. Our mood was lightened somewhat by Miss Harris’ comic dash across the
bridge into the site – we hadn’t realised that she was scared of heights! Herculaneum boasts some of the most amazingly
preserved villas, apartments, baths, shops and bars from ancient Rome and, walking through the streets, gave us a real feel
for what the town was like in ancient times. No surprises, then, that we lost Mrs Clark again as she hurried to capture the
stunning mosaics, statues and wall designs on camera before it was time to leave.
Day One:
Che bellisima! After a
nine hour overnight journey, 40
students from years 9-11 and 4
staff arrived where all roads lead
to: Rome. We were greeted by
a short shower but, thankfully,
the sun began to shine as we
embarked on our guided tour
around the amazing sights
of the ancient city. Students
found time to indulge in pizza
and gelato at the beautiful Trevi
Fountain before continuing our
journey to the wonderful Bay
of Napoli. Our base was the
picturesque town of Sorrento.
where our epic trip really began.
Day Two:
Mr Purdy could hardly
contain his excitement as we
ventured through the freezing
fog to the crater of Vesuvius.
But where was the crater? Sadly,
hidden under a dense blanket of
cloud. But Mr Purdy still got a
selfie (and a few bits of Vesuvian
andesite) to prove that he’d been
there! At Pompeii, highlights
here were the amphitheatre,
the scene of Gladiatorial fights;
the Baths, theatres, bakers and
ancient forum.
Mrs Clark had to be dragged
from the site as she went back
for 'just one more photo.'
Volcanoes, Gladiators and Gelato
Centurion Marcus Favonius Facilis, Legio XX Valeria Victrix
Day Four
:
Off to the bustling and chaoticmetropolis of Napoli
where we sauntered through the Museum of Archaeology,
which houses many of the items discovered at Pompeii and
Herculaneum, before making our descent down into the
ancient aqueduct that supplied the city with water right up
until the 1800s. Our tour guide, Alex, proved to be immensely
entertaining as we squeezed our way through narrow, candle-
lit tunnels into grand caverns – very Indiana Jones!
At David’s Gelato Parlour back in Sorrento, we discovered
that fat, sugar, air and serving temperature makes all the
difference between gelato and ice-cream. The gelato was
out of this world and we quickly came to the conclusion that
a gelato machine was essential equipment for any school
canteen. We even heard a rumour that the teachers went
back for seconds – the first two scoops were not enough!
Day Five:
Sadly our final day. But we weren’t going to let
the rain dampen our spirits! We lost Mrs Clark yet again;
this time in the basement of the Flavian amphitheatre.
The imposing structure played host to many gladiatorial
duals and the cruelty of the Romans really hit home when
we discovered that the square holes in the arena floor were
used to crane caged animals and fresh gladiators in from
the basement mid-fight to liven up the battle. From here it
was a short journey to our last stop: Solfatara. Mr Purdy and
Miss Harris insisted we brave the pouring rain to explore this
extraordinary volcanic crater. And it was well worth it. The
vastness of the crater with its many fumerals, did not fail to
impress and, despite being soaked through, we headed to
the airport in high spirits at the wonders we had seen. What
a tour!
Natalie Clark with Ed (what a tourist) Coles
