"Sparkling Sorrento

Thirty six students from Years 8 and 9 spent five days of the Easter break with Mrs Whalley, Mrs Haresign, Mrs Penney and Mrs Rai sampling the delights of Italian culinary specialities on a visit to Sorrento. Artisan gelato, olive oil (in dozens of varieties), making dough at a traditional pizzeria restaurant, fresh mozzarella and ricotta cheeses and air-dried salami on sourdough bread were all on offer as they walked in fruit groves dripping with lemons and oranges. Tarantella dancing turned out to be a lot of fun and involved much napkin waving and shouting! There was plenty of time to browse the shops for gifts and souvenirs and to admire the scenery of this lovely area including the view of Mt. Vesuvius rising above the city of Napoli. An excursion to the volcano saw everyone climb to the crater rim to gaze down into the gently smoking hole and wonder when it would next erupt, together with a visit to the remains of Roman Herculaneum, several miles away, buried by lava and ash in AD79 and still being rediscovered by archaeologists now. There was just time for a paddle in the Mediterranean before heading back to the airport and to Leicester, tired but happy and all having learned a lot."