2025 Belmont Italy Cultural Journey
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Blog 6
After having breakfast at the hotel, we headed off to another country, the Vatican City! On the way we stopped by the Pantheon, an ancient Roman temple that had been turned into a Catholic Church. After having some free time to roam around the area we continued en route to the Vatican. Deemed the smallest country in the world (only 0.17 square miles!), the Vatican is home to the Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
As we walked towards lunch, we observed lines wrapping around the walls of the country, in light of the fact that Pope Francis had passed away earlier this week. We stopped for lunch at the L’Insalate Ricca before heading to the Vatican Museum. There we received a guided tour of the area and learned about the artwork of the Renaissance, made by artists including Michelangelo, Rafael, Van Gogh, and more.
After the tour, we visited the Sistine Chapel. The interior was covered with frescoes, which included Michelangelo’s first fresco located on the Chapel ceiling. Given a couple of hours to explore the Vatican, we stopped by the other museums, including one about the history of the Pope’s automobiles.
After free time, we headed to dinner at Tiberino where we enjoyed an amazing 3 course meal. On our way back to the hotel, we checked out the Mouth of Truth and the remnants of the Circus Maximus. After a long day of walking (over 25,000 steps!), we rested up for the last day of our trip.
Blog 5
Back to Rome
After touring Pompeii, we headed back to Rome by bus and subway. The subway moved quickly and efficiently, while the bus ride gave students time to catch up on rest. On the way back, we picked up snacks, sandwiches, and desserts at a very lovely gas station.
Inside the Colosseum
Upon getting back to Rome, we drop off our luggage at our hotel and leave for the Colosseum. The Colosseum is an enormous arena, previously used for gladiatorial battles and other events. An underground chamber is located below the flooring, revealing a series of tunnels and passage-ways.
During the tour, our groups walked along the arches and columned corridors.
Visiting the Forum
We then make our way to the Roman Forum, which was used in Ancient Rome as a public square or marketplace. In the Forum, we saw the ruins and remains of shops, homes, temples, and other historical monuments, such as the Circus Maximus.The Circus Maximus, shown in the second photo, was used for chariot races and other similar events. The columns create a path along the edge of the field for the chariots.
At the end of the day, we walked to a beautiful church, decorated by incredible sculptures and paintings.After quickly observing a ceremony we moved on to dinner, which resembled an American diner. We chose from a selection of four types of pastas and finished off our adventure with some delicious gelato.
Blog 4
We started the day with breakfast at the Sorentino, which included some delicious eggs and pastries. After breakfast, we wrote letters to our future selves and went on a tour of the vineyards on Mt. Vesuvius. There, we learned that there are over 150 varieties of grapes grown there, the volcanic soil from the famous eruption helps the grapes grow, and that the company’s “Lacrima Christi” wine won wine of the year in 2023.
After a quick lunch at Sorentino, we took a bus to the ruins of Herculaneum. The ruins reminded us of Pompeii as structures and items damaged by the eruption were on display, many of them charred black by the deadly fire and ash of the volcano. Nevertheless, colorful paintings and tile work made it easy to imagine what the site had been like before 79 AD.
Afterwords, we were able to explore the adjacent town of Ercolano, which displayed a grittier, less tourist-populated side of Italy. There, we split up into smaller groups and visited local shops.
To finish the day, we ate at the Butterfly, an upscale restaurant with a scenic view of Mt. Vesuvius and the surrounding mountains before heading back to the hotel.
Blog 3
We woke up between 7 and 9 AM in Rome this morning. We enjoyed breakfast in the hostel before grabbing our luggage and heading for the train station. The central station was massive and very fast paced. It was similar to being in an airport but with quicker boarding times and more trains coming in and leaving at once.
While at the train station we looked through a wacky soap shop before we got onto the train. We got on the bullet train and were able to see the beautiful Italian country side. We were on the train for about an hour or so. When we got off, we ventured into Naples and tried to find our tour bus. The bus took us out to around Pompeii where we had a variety of neapolitan pizza for lunch.
After this we headed over to the ruins of Pompeii and walked with an audio tour. We saw the amphitheater and some of the houses and temples. After this we finally reached our hotel up on Mount vesuvius. We are the only ones staying for the next couple days which is wonderful. The views from the hotel are amazing, with on one side being Naples and Capri and the other side being Mount Vesuvius looming over us. I should also mention at this point that the hotel where we are staying is adjacent to a rather large wine farm on the side of the mountain. On the way to dinner we walked through the vineyard and admired the grapes.
For dinner we had a charcuterie board as the appetizer, a neapolitan lasagna for entree and a type of pound cake for dessert. After dinner we walked back to the hotel for some free time before bed.
Blog 2
Eheu! Raeda in fossa cadit!
Blog 1
Starting off the day arriving at the airport after an 8 hour flight, we ventured to our hotel to drop off our things and have a short breakfast before starting the day. After a short orientation meeting in a park, we walked down to the Colosseum, Forum Romano, and the Italian version of The Unnamed Soilder. We walked to lunch which was a delicious three course meal of pasta with prosciutto, potatoes and pork, and tiramisu. Then we walked to the Museum Capatolini where we had a guided tour that depicted Roman history and mythology through frescos and sculptures. We returned to the hotel to get our rooms and take quick showers and naps before going to dinner. Dinner was a wonderful assortment of pizza and pastas delightful atmosphere. The group walked around 22,000 steps which is approximately 11 miles. The day was an awesome introduction to Rome and we are all super exited for tomorrow morning’s bike ride on the Via Appia!
–Dante & Sam
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