It turned out that the weather gods were not on our side on this trip (the curse of the Home Economics tour strikes again…!) We woke to a yellow rainfall and storm warning for our trip to the Amalfi Coast – not ideal but “we’re not sugar cubes” as they say so off we went.
Even in the rain & fog the Amalfi Coast has a mystical beauty as our bus driver expertly snaked around the coastal cliff road, definitely not for the fainthearted (we were in good hands). A quick stop in Positano to admire this pretty vertical village, has to be see to be believed. A little further along the coast, we stopped off in Amalfi to explore the quaint cobbled streets. The Church of Saint Andrea was an imposing presence in the square and as is customary when visiting a new Church, we claimed our three wishes and lit a candle for the remainder of our trip.
Due to the inclement weather our visit to Amalfi was cut short in favour of a longer visit to one of Europe’s largest shopping centres, a cross our students bore bravely. After drying out here and some lunch, our next stop was Pompeii where the majestic Vesuvius was hidden under cloud and the rain continued to pour. But every cloud……… who knew rain ponchos would be the discovery of the trip – soon to be making an appearance in SCS – you heard it here first!
Pompeii did not disappoint. We were guided through the villages giving us a fascinating glimpse into life over two thousand years ago. A recently opened aerial exhibition gave us a unique perspective of the layout of the houses below. We really just scratched the surface of what is here to discover. Our guide told us there is at least another one hundred years of excavation still to complete. Definitely on our list of places to return to.
Back to our hotel then for a quick change (we ditched the ponchos), before arriving at the cookery school for our pizza making class. Mama Lucia demonstrated the technique for making the dough. Students then made their own, chose their toppings before baking in a spectacular wood fired oven. The evening was made more special by the arrival of a group of traditional Sorrento dancers and musicians – everyone got involved, such fun!
The singsong continued on the bus back to the hotel where we all reluctantly packed our bags for our early morning journey to Rome. And yes you guessed it …..day four greeted us with yet more rain…….. slightly soggy, a few more bits of shopping and a few more slices of pizza, we arrived safely at the airport after an amazing few days.
Despite the inclement weather our SCS students radiated sunshine and were a credit to themselves, their families and our school. They were complemented on their behaviour wherever we went. As you can imagine the tour took an incredible amount of work to organise and this would not have been possible without the hard work and support of the following:
· Our principal Anton O’ Mahony, 4th yr Deputy, Tom Foley and all SCS Management.
· Our TY Co – Ordinator, Conor Uhl & Year Head Gretta Burchill
· The Parents of our TY Students
· Our tour Co-Ordinator Lyndsey O Loughlin from Saffron Travel
· Matteo our tour leader in Italy
· Damien Long Coach Travel
· Our Home Ec Department and accompanying teachers Sarah McCarthy, Laura Corkery and Emer Quirke
· Our amazing TY students who made this trip by being such fantastic ambassadors for themselves, their families and SCS.
Arrivederci!!
