Portsmouth High girls live la dolce vita

Pizza, pasta, sun, sea, ancient history, inspirational music, and volatile geological formations all contributed to an unforgettable five-day tour of the Sorrento coast of Italy for 45 students, teachers, and parents from Portsmouth High School. 

The group performed a series of concerts in the Sorrento area, singing and playing music ranging from gypsy dances to religious anthems for appreciative audiences that included locals and tourists.  Eleanor Palmer, 12, particularly enjoyed the third concert:

‘We sang, ‘Let the River Run’ by Carly Simon, which first featured in the 1988 film Working Girl. We were asked to do it again as an encore which was very special.’

During the day, the group explored the rich variety of ancient sites, including Pompeii and Herculaneum, where Mr Maude led the group through the winding streets, bringing history to life through quirky anecdotes and vivid descriptions of what life would have been like in 79 AD.

‘I really enjoyed Pompeii,’ said Olivia Kelsall, 15.  ‘It was really haunting to see how the families would have been living before being so suddenly killed.’

‘It helped me hugely with my classics’, added Felicity Bryant, 15.

The weather was perfect for exploring Mount Vesuvius, where the girls took photographs by the smouldering crater, and admiring the breath-taking view of the Bay of Naples.

Lauren Sutton, 12, enthused, ‘I’ve never been near or on a volcano and I liked being at the top because you could see everything.’

On the famously glamorous Isle of Capri, everyone sampled numerous flavours of gelato and picnicked underneath the pines with the iconic faraglioni rock formations in the distance.

‘I bonded with younger years and had so much fun, said Imogen Dyne, 15.

This truly was a trip for making friends and experiencing things new and old in another culture.