Student Travel Blog

11/10/2024: Heading Home!

We are packing, eating breakfast, and getting ready to load the bus to the airport. We will be stopping on a layover in Germany and then back to Chicago. We had a wonderful trip! Everyone was on their best behavior, and we did and saw so many things. See you all soon!

Update: While on our layover in Germany, students were able to name all of their assigned Emporers in order in 12 seconds!

11/9/2024: Capitoline Hill, The Colossal Statue of Constantine, The Pantheon, The Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps, The Stadium of Domitian, and Pizza Party

We started our day by first visiting the Capitoline hill. On the top of the hill we first presented our emperors by the statue of Marcus Aurelius, later we moved to the reconstruction of Constantine's Colossus and did more presentations. On top of the Capitoline, we were able to get a new view of the roman forum and a new perspective of how Rome was formed. After spending some time on the Capitoline we left and went to the Pantheon. Before going inside we spent time in the area and got gelato and coffee. In the Pantheon we were able to see the building abilities of the ancient romans and how they could build large and long lasting structures. We then walked over to the Trevi Fountain and spent more time shopping and getting lunch. To pass the time many of us began playing soccer and catch in a large circle. From Trevi Fountain we moved to the Spanish steps where we spent time shopping, exploring and people watching until it was time to go to dinner. On the way to dinner we made a stop to see Domitain’s stadium buried underneath Piazza Navona. After spending some time in the museum we continued on our walk to dinner. For dinner we stared with various antipasti and then had a choice of different types of pizza. We ended the day with a short walk to get onto the bus to return back to the hotel where we were able to name all our emperors in 16 seconds. 

Robin, Alastair, and Joaquin

11/8/2024: Hadrian's Villa and Villa D'Este in Tivoli

Today we all traveled to the quaint town of Tivoli, where we visited Emperor Hadrian's villa and the Villa D’Este. For breakfast, all of us loaded up on caffeine, pastries, and eggs. In Hadrian’s Villa, we took a 2 hour guided tour around the ruins, and saw many destroyed buildings and many preserved frescos and some amazing preserved architecture showing a wide variety of colors and patterns.  The Villa was filled with vegetation, including but not limited to olive and nut trees. After our stop at Hadrian’s magnificent palace, we drove into the town of Tivoli, where we visited Villa D'Este. In the Villa D’Este, there were many frescos and a massive garden with many fountains. One of the fountains had potable water, and we had a lot of fun looking at the views and the numerous fountains, each one more grand than the other. From both inside and in the gardens, there is an amazing view of the town of Tivoli and beyond. For lunch we stopped at a restaurant just outside of the villa. We were served a magnificent meal, consisting of an appetizer, a 1st course, a second course, and a dessert. The appetizer was a simple yet delicious bruschetta, consisting of tomato on toast garnished with olive oil. For our first course we ate pasta with meat sauce, and for our second course we ate pork with gravy and salad. Finally, for dessert, we ate locally made butter and sugar cookies. For dinner, we were served the Roman pasta dish of Amatriciana as a first course, and were served chicken with potatoes and bell peppers for a second course. Finally, we were served a chocolate pudding for dessert. After dinner, we went to the Termini train station. For an hour and a half, we walked up and down the shops, exploring the station. 

Tommy, Ethan, Jacob, and Michael 

11/7/2024: Baths of Caracalla, The Church of San Clemente, The Roman Forum, and the Colosseum

We woke up at 7 so we could get ready, grab breakfast, and be out the door by 8:30. We got on our bus and took a short drive to the ruins of the baths of Caracalla. A lot of people did their emperor presentations. The baths had a modern photography exhibit within. 

Next, we walked from the Colosseum to the church of San Clemente. The church on top is a renaissance church from the 14th century. Then below that gorgeous chapel is a church from the 3rd or 4th century with an intact altar. Below that church there was an ancient Roman street with an alley, shrine to a pagan god, Mithras, and a Roman home. After that we all separated and got lunch along the street.

After we all rejoined, we walked back towards and past the colosseum, to the Forum. There was some issue with the tickets but it was all figured out and we went on a guided tour with Linda through the forum. There were lots of new constructions and additions since the last time Mrs. Green and Ms. Marien had been there. After the forum we went to Colosseum where Linda did a guided tour and we got to look around just before closing time.

We got back on the bus and were dropped off at Piazza Navona. Mrs. Green was kind enough to buy us all gelato and we ate it in the square with all the performers, sellers, and stores around us. Then we went to dinner where the main dishes served were Cacio pepe, meatballs, and panacotta. Then we went back to the hotel and tried to do homework except the WiFi gave out :(

Nyx, Neva, and Elizabeth

11/6/2024: Herculaneum, Oplonti, and Rome

Boo! Today was our final morning in Sorrento before we traveled to Rome later. We rose from our slumber around 6:30 AM to prepare for our 7:45 AM departure. We packed our last things into our bags, grabbed a quick breakfast, and bid farewell to Sorrento with a tear in our eyes. We slept and listened to music on the bus and enjoyed the views from the window. After a brisk 1.5-hour bus ride, we arrived at Herculaneum, an ancient archaeological site. There was a very cute dog named Bianca who we got to pet. We experienced a wondrous tour led by Giovani. During the tour, for about 15 minutes straight, Rivka experienced some very loud and violent hiccups, but Giovani assured her that everything would be okay. Herculaneum was previously on the shore and was a wealthy town that was not a center of commerce. It was completely buried under the lava of the eruption of Vesuvius and most of it had not even been excavated! We then tucked in for another 20-minute bus ride. We then arrived at Oplontis, an ancient Roman home gifted to Emperor Nero’s mistress by Nero himself. We participated in a self-guided tour of the mansion. We compared and contrasted the extremely well-maintained frescos against those of Herculaneum and Pompeii. After a wonderful self-guided walk through this house, we began an hour's drive to lunch, where we got updates on the presidential election. We ate pizza, pasta, and some sodas. Then we had yet another hour's drive to make it to Rome. After arriving at our hotel we had a couple of hours of rest then got ready for dinner out on the town. We walked a couple of blocks to arrive at Eat, Drink, and Love, the location of our fabulous meal. We then returned to the hotel and worked on some homework. Ciao!

11/5/2024: Amalfi Coast

For our last day in Sorrento, the group took a drive along the Amalfi Coast. Our first stop was to see a beautiful coastal view of the sea. On a balcony, we took the “perfect pictures”. We got an amazing view of the Tyrrhenian Sea which was lined with colorful towns and wondrous nature. Near where we were parked was a local stand that sold lemon-flavored treats. Many of us enjoyed some lemon candies, pomegranate juice, and other lemon treats! We got back on the bus and continued our tour of the coast! Our second stop was a ceramic shop farther along the way to the Amalfi Coast. There were gorgeous handmade pieces like dining ware, jewelry, and various other knickknacks. We bought gifts for family, friends, and ourselves! Once we got to Amalfi, we were able to walk around and explore. Students were given the task to hunt for Latin throughout the city. So, we set off on our mission and people went into different shops such as the special paper shops and souvenir shops. We were there around lunch time so everyone bought lunch or sat down at a restaurant for lunch. The food there was very good! Additionally, Amalfi has an artificial beach which we were able to go to and take pictures at. The views from the beach were very spectacular! About an hour through the bus ride back to the hotel, some people started singing on the bus. We got a beautiful rendition of Deck the Halls by one of our fellow Latiners!

By Mira, Rachel, and Amia

11/4/2024: Pompeii and Vesuvius

Today we woke up and had breakfast in the hotel. We all had hot chocolate from the coffee machine and the hard boiled eggs were really good. Then we got on the bus and headed on a long drive to Pompeii. The drive was interesting because it was our first time seeing the town during the day. Once we arrived in Pompeii we met our tour guide Antonio. He showed us around Pompeii and told us about the history of how people lived. We saw houses, fountains, a fresco, and a theater. The fresco was original and was made out of plaster and still had bright colors and designs. The streets were handmade out of rocks and had raised stepping stones. They also had marks where the wagons drove over them. We also saw a cat and pigeons. Then we went to the forum and took a group photo! After we toured Pompeii we sat down at a local restaurant and tried Italian pizza for the first time. We also had salad and delicious smoothies. Then, we went to the book store and Alex bought a book about the history of Pompeii. Can’t wait to read it! After that we stopped for our taste of Italian gelato! The coffee gelato had espresso beans in it, which was tasty. After lunch, we hopped on a smaller bus and made our way to Mount Vesuvius. We got off the bus and started our hike. The view was great, we could see so many towns. There were also little shops on the way up. Once we got to the top, we saw the crater and it had steam coming out of it, which was sulfur. Then we walked around at the top. The group took a few pictures together, and friends took goofy pictures with one another. After we saw the crater , we headed back to the bottom. It was kind of hard to find our footing on the way down because it was pretty steep. Once we got to the bottom, we spent a few minutes looking at jewelry before we boarded the bus. Some of the jewelry was made out of the volcanic rock from Vesuvius. Many of the girls in our group bought handmade necklaces and bracelets from the vendor. Next, we got back on the bus and headed back to Sorrento. The view on the bus ride back was really pretty because we saw the sunset over the Mediterranean and Vesuvius. We are excited for another day of exploring Italy tomorrow! 

By Ruby, Alex, and Lila

11/3/2024

7:00 breakfast at the hotel and preparing to leave for Capri.

8:30 Ferry boat ride!

9:00 We went on a boat tour around the island, on which we got to go inside a cave called the Blue Grotto.

11:00 Lift up the hill, lunch, and a walk through Augustus's garden

More exploration of Capri!

3:00 heading back to Sorrento

6:00 shopping and dinner.

By Kala, Rory, & Grace 

11/2/2024

11:37 am Zurich Time (5:37am Central): We landed in Zurich, went through customs, and are waiting at our gate for our connecting flight to Rome. Some students slept on the plane, others didn't. Everyone is doing great!

3:45pm Italy Time: We are on the bus heading to Sorrento. Many of the kids are using this time to sleep. We will be stopping for food on the way. Below are some photos from our travel so far.

7pm: We checked info the hotel and ate dinner at the hotel. We had pasta, pizza, and pastries. Everybody is heading to bed to prepare for a full day at Capri tomorrow!

11/1/2024

6:41pm: Our group made it through security and we are now sitting at the gate waiting to board. Students are enjoying their last hamburgers, fries, and other American food stapes. We will update again when we can!