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GCSE Geographers visit Sicily
Ananya in 9V sent this report:
During the half term, myself and many other students in Year 9 and Year 10, had the opportunity to go to Sicily for Geography, and it was amazing! Although we had to be at school at 2.30 a.m. It was definitely worth it…
As soon as we landed, at the airport in Catania, we boarded the coach to go to the Neapolis Archeological Site, one of most visited archaeological sites in Syracuse where it's possible to see the most important remains of the ancient Greek and Roman town. We had a fantastic, entertaining guide named Giovanni, who even sang for us in the whispering cave. After that, we went to the town Ortigia where we were allowed to go to some of the shops, however the most memorable event would be gate-crashing a wedding to see the cathedral. Later in the evening, we travelled to our hotel, which was absolutely beautiful with a view of Mount Etna.
The second day in Sicily was the most eventful, we first went to a lava field near Mount Etna, and then a honey shop near by to try different types of honey, there were so many types of honey, but the Hazelnut honey was my favourite. And then we finally went to Mount Etna, the highlight of our trip, it was definitely an unforgettable experience going on the cable cars to the top and seeing what Sicily looked like from the top of Mount Etna was such an ethereal experience. It was also so cold at the top that there was snow!
On the third day, we had to wake up early at 5am to travel to Milazzo harbour, to take the ferry to Vulcano. There we climbed the steep volcano all the way to the top where we saw the crater of the volcano, and the sulphur dioxide gases (which smelt horrible). I don’t think anyone can forget the walk back down the volcano, where we were met with an extremely steep hill, which most of practically slid down the deep ash. However, we did get ice cream after, which felt a bit like a treat. After taking the ferry back, we went to a town called Giardini Naxos, where we had some free time.
The fourth day, was extremely relaxing as we were able to lie in until 8.00 a.m. We first went to the Taormina, which was a beautiful town, definitely a tourist hotspot, and later explored the Greek Amphitheatre. Just before lunch, we walked to Pizzeria Porta Messina restaurant for Pizza Making. Although, some of the pizzas did not come out quite the way we had expected, they tasted delicious. We then went to Alcantara George, to see the botanical and geological park. One of the most memorable things was the pretty river with clear cold water.
The next day we flew back to England, and I don’t think anyone was ready to leave Sicily. It was such an amazing trip, with many opportunities that I don’t think we will get again (such as climbing volcanoes), it was also so nice to become friends with people from other school as we had a Polish school and a school from Dorset at the same hotel. So many great memories were made, it was a delight.
