OJCL Torch Winter 2016-2017 | Page 22

This past summer, members of the Madeira Junior Clasical League in grades 10 through 12 got the chance of a lifetime. A total of 35 students and chaperones traveled to Italy for a ten day educational and sightseeing tour.

Leaving from CVG airport, we made a connecting flight from Atlanta, GA, all the way to Rome, Italy. Despite our ten hour transatlantic flight, there was no time to waste once we landed, as it was 7:00 AM Italian time. As soon as we hit the ground, we gathered our bags and headed to our tour bus, where we met Massimiliano, our tour guide for the next ten days, and Pietro, our bus driver. Thankfully the first half of our day consisted mostly of a long bus ride from Rome to Florence, giving us the opportunity for some much needed sleep. In Florence, we learned about the art of leather craftsmanship, saw the David and other works of art in the Academia, toured the famous Duomo, and visited the surrounding towns, including the beautiful city of San Gimingnano. These sometimes multiple hour long bus rides were made bearable by Massimiliano's stories, and some unconventional Italian lessons from our Aedile, Scott "Thueris" Thomas.

Next up was another bus ride back into Rome. On the way we stopped at Assisi, where we saw the tomb of Saint Francis and explored the medieval fortress Rocca Maggiore. Once in Rome, we toured the modern parts of the city, attended a culinary class at the international school of hospitality, shopped at open air markets, saw the Colosseum, and explored the Roman Forum. We traveled out to Sienna, and also took a bus to Ostia, the port city of Rome, to see the catacombs and necropolis, as well as take a day at the beach. Finally, we had a tour of the Vatican. In addition to seeing the Sistine Chapel, we walked through the Holy Door of Saint Peter's basilica which was unsealed only for a special jubilee of mercy declared by the Pope.

Next, we went out to Sorrento, where we stayed for the night before driving to Mt. Vesuvius. There we took our massive bus up a precarious looking road, then hiked up to the volcano to the crater, where we marveled at the surrounding countryside. We then went into Pompeii itself. This was an especially significant part of the trip for many of us, because our first Latin textbook, book one of the Cambridge Latin Course, is set in Pompeii, following the life of a real Roman banker, Caecilius. Unfortunately his villa was off limits, but other surrounding locations we had read so much about were still open for us to see.

The next day, having returned to Sorrento on the previous night, we took a ferry out to the Island of Capri, a famous getaway for the rich and famous. We took a large boat out around the island, and then got into small rowboats to go inside the brilliant Blue Grotto. Then, we took lifts up the rocky terrain to the top of the island for some wonderful views. Finally, we took a ferry to Naples, where we got straight on our bus and headed for Rome, where we stayed the night.

Early the next morning we flew out of Rome to Amsterdam, from Amsterdam to Boston, and from Boston to CVG. We had been gone for ten days and came back with countless stories and a more intimate knowledge of the Roman world.

A Trip to Italy

Nathan Brunner, Madeira

22 OJCL TORCH: Voices Winter MMXVII https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjB6MPV-L3RAhVMNiYKHUL8A4EQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmagistrabush.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F23%2Fjcl-t-shirt-contest%2F&psig=AFQjCNHBUl5DxFMgey96R-DH1Oh37W6Q0A&ust=1484356401987376