Queen Mary's Grammar School's Geography Trip to Naples and Sorrento

We wanted our students to get out of the classroom and really experience geography in the real world. The students we took on this trip have studied geography for a minimum of 4 years, yet have never seen a volcano or the features of a coastline in person. The intention of the trip was to bring geography to life and fuel the passion of our young geographers - and it absolutely did. 

Italy really has it all - an active volcano with a violent history, multiple archaeological sites of historic settlements which have fallen foul of the natural world, beautiful coastlines and landforms - not forgetting the excellent weather and food. 

On day 1 we arrived in Naples to a beautiful 23-degree heat and transferred straight to Herculaneum via coach. 

We stopped for a quick lunch of pizza, paninis and gelato before meeting our two tour guides. We spent the afternoon in awe, listening to our tour guides explain the tragic fate of the residents of Herculaneum when it met with a pyroclastic flow in 79 AD. 

We then transferred to our hotel for an excellent evening meal and a settling in period to become accustomed to our new surroundings for the next few days. 

On day 2 we woke nice and early to enjoy our continental breakfast before heading out for a full day at Vesuvius and Pompeii. The drive up Vesuvius was perilous and stunning in equal measure. It really gave us a great perspective on the sheer size of the volcano as it towered over the Bay of Naples. 

Upon arriving at the gate, we began our trek up to the crater of Vesuvius, which is still issuing out steam. We took lots of opportunities to take photos and listen to the tour guides who were extremely knowledgeable and informative. Who knew that Vesuvius is considered to be the most deadly volcano in the world?

Our hike to the top made us extremely hungry, so our driver took us to an excellent authentic Italian restaurant for lunch. The pizzas we had here were like no other and fuelled us for an afternoon at the ancient ruins of Pompeii. 

Walking around Pompeii with our tour guide was surreal to say the least. It really put into perspective what it would have been like wandering around the city in 79 AD. Our favourite part was the view of Mount Vesuvius from the colosseum. We then headed back to the hotel for an evening of relaxation and more food.

On day 3 we headed into Sorrento, ready to catch a boat over to the island of Capri. Sorrento is absolutely stunning (if very hilly) and we thoroughly enjoyed our walk down to the seafront. The boat over to Capri was an excellent opportunity to see both the Bay of Naples and Capri looming into view. Again, the weather was 24 degrees all day and felt more like the middle of summer than October. 

We hopped on another little boat which took us around Capri, stopping off at the Blue Grotto before heading back on to dry land for lunch and more sightseeing. The day was finished off by visiting a gelato shop where we got to make and sample delicious gelato. 

And on day 4 we travelled back home, ready to share all we'd learnt with our families and friends. 

We felt that we got a really good mix of different kinds of geography - from volcanoes, to cities to coasts. It really allowed our students to see as much geography in action as possible. We also really wanted to experience the culture of Italy too. 

The boat trip around Capri will be my lasting memory of this trip - there were surprises around every corner. 

Halsbury had excellent reviews online and from initially asking for the quote 'til we came home they've been amazing. 

Working with Halsbury on this trip has been an absolute breeze. In fact, planning a trip was made so easy that I'm already looking into the next one. 

Absolutely. The staff are friendly and helpful and make the process of planning so seamless.