 |
| view from above of Herculanum |
Today's the day I'm gonna tell you about my school trip to Italy at last. It's been already almost a week that I'm back so now I thought was a good time to share with you my photos and impressions on the cities I visited, Rome, Naple, and Pompei.
Firstly, the reason why I was part of this trip to Italy is quite simple : I'm taking italian at school so I wanted to be part of it. Exept that I, with a friend, had skipped a year and therefore weren't allowed to go at all because there were no extra seat in the bus, 52 no more no less! So we got very lucky in last minute when two seats got freed because two persons weren't able to go anymore ! Even better, these new seats belonged to the group going to Italy with the greek and the latinist, not with the italianists and this was at our advantage for two reasons. Here is the first reason : more space in the bus because less people are taking greek or latin as way more chose italian. The second reason why I would better enjoy the trip with the latinist is because I already went to Italy with my school when I was 15 (poor me really) and what I did was the same itinary that the italianist were taking this time so I would have done the same trip twice! No thanks. So thanks to good luck it was my first time travelling down in the south of Italy. Moreover, this was a school trip without any homework to do and if we can say that like real vacations (a week of "vacation" before the two weeks of vacation that we usually get for halloween!). All the circompstances were there to have a great time and it didn't miss!
 |
| Colisseum, in Roma |
Departure from Laval at 5.30 am on a sunday morning. We all got in the bus with our pillows and blankets hoping to get some sleep before the sun would raise at last. Most of us we obviously didn't. I don't know if you ever being in a bus for more than 3-4 hours in a row which in our case was rather like 50 hours going and coming back, but I find it very hard to get the right position and fall asleep. Funny fact, instead of doing something else like playing cards or chatting with each others we, for most of us, desperatly try every possible possitions, shutting our eyes tight and everything until we feel so tired of trying that we start looking out the windows see if things are better from this side. When is it that we must arrive again? Only 20 hours from now, says the driver of the bus. (...) Find something else to be busy with, stupid games (cho lapin), cards, or just read books, anything that would keep yourself active until the next stop at the car station where everybody get off the bus and go to pee. We're getting closer, only 14 hours now, almost half of the trip to Rome done! We're now in the Rhone-Alpes region crossing many tunnels getting through the great chain of mountains. At last we're in the Frejus's tunnel !! The border between France and Italy is set inside this tunel of 13 km at about its half. Let's now turn on the radio and see the signs! In only few seconds we changed sides and it doesn't seem that different from what we just saw while still in France except as I just told you for the signs that were now green on highways instead of blue in France and of course the writing that were now in italian. Ours new hobbie is to understand what it is said, traffic allerts, which is not very difficult because thetwo languages are pretty close. Instead of Rome Roma, Turin has became Torino and Genève Genova, not a great deal haha. But what a thrill, WE ARE IN ITALY !! Let's get PASTA, and have a look on PRADA, GUCCI, DOLCA&GABBANA, and what about trying to find the most famous italian car brands on the way, it would make the trip easier as well. Let's spot the Ferrari, the newest Fiat and the Lamborghinis...From now on it's going a bit faster because it's the night so we're sleeping or waiting to arrive impatiently to Rome. 7am, we stop to get some beakfast and go back on the road. At 9am we're at Rome, safe and sound.
 |
| on the site of Herculanum |
 |
| Colisseum from inside but not from my camera |
The coliseum and the forum (sitted on the mount palatin) are very close to each other so we went there on foot and began the visit once we arrived. We immediately saw what there was to see which is to say the curie (where the senate assembled), the ancient senate, what remained from the temples (only columns) and basilicas. We closed our great march by gettint to the arch of Titus, one of the most famous arches with the arch of Constantin (on the west side of the Coliseum). In the end we saw the temple of Vespa that was put on the top of the hill and where young girls called vespal, they were at the number of 6, used to watch on turns the sacred fire that must not ever fade out (they were also called the virgin vesta because they had to remain virgin until declared out of duty, they were been buried for treachery if ever they were caught having sex...Then we had a nice picnic out and sit comfortably on the grass.
About 4 pm we'd be done for the day and began to walk toward the bus's appointement and get back on the road. Our hotel was in fuigi which wasn't far from rome and we stayed for the night with our stomach full of pasta made with tomatoes sauce. Next morning wake up was at 7am...
We drove three more hours south towards the city of pompei and it really was worth it ! After we arrived, we were all given a map and reminded of the time we had to make it across the city and back : 1 hour. It was really impressive to stroll about in paved streets that already existed two thousand years ago. Something funny too was that they had already cross-walks but you saw it (big boulders put by 4 in the middle of the road) you got the odd impresion that it was actually more dangerous to cross that way than to just be on the road. Sidewalks, now that I come to think of it were considerably high as well. We entered in lots of houses, most of them had no roof but some were actually pretty well preserved.
 |
| one the house's court in Herculanum (again?!) |
On these sites of pompei and herculanum, which was the next site I did, it didn't feel like we were in Italy but instead we had a taste of international with germans, british, french and yet italians and sometimes we couldn't tell where people were from...
At last we drove back up toward Napoli and went to the national archeological museum, grand, especially concerning the statues, and afterward hit back to Rome for a last "ciao tutti" and say good bye the city and its marvellous piazza. Piazza navone, if you ever pass, by is where all the shops and restaurants are, and artists can make out your portrait while driking a cup of cofee ! The Trevi Fountain is also very famous! Crowded is what it is and even more in summer when young people and tourists get together on the steps just in front of the fontain. Here, the story tells you that if you throw a coin from backward in the water and with your right hand above your left shoulders you will return to Rome, if you throw a second coin you'll have a boyfriend, third coin you'll get married ! I didn't wanna get married yet so I didn't throw a third coin...
 |
| Piazza di Trevi ! |
