Latin Scholars’ Tour
First hand experiential learning.During the recent Easter Break, 21 BGS students from Years 9 to 12 and three BGS staff spent the entirety of the Term 1 holidays in Italy (the Bay of Naples and Rome) for the inaugural聽 Latin Scholars’ Tour.
Translating original Latin passages was certainly the academic focus of the tour: an experience enhanced by visiting many significant Ancient Roman sites where many of the events within the studied texts actually occurred. This combination provided invaluable first-hand experiential learning for our students.
Throughout the full 17 days, the tour was greatly aided by our travel guide, Lehman, who, as a full-time Classics scholar, provided much enthusiasm and expertise.聽
As well as reading seminal literature in situ, this tour also enabled the boys to engage with present-day Italian culture and food, reinforcing the links between the Roman culture studied and the traces of the past still visible today.
Some of the many highlights of the tour, shared by the students themselves, included: the boat tour at Capri; the day at Pompei and Mount Vesuvius; attending a Sunday Latin Mass; a day trip to Tivoli, which included the magnificent country villa of Emperor Hadrian and the scenic Villa d鈥橢ste (from the 16th century); the Roman Forum and the iconic Colosseum; the day at the Vatican, which included the hallowed Sistine Chapel.
A sincere thank you to Lisa Toomey and Katie White for their tireless work both on the tour and in the months preceding it. Thank you too to the BGS families for their support and advocacy of this tour.
Robert Hayward
Head of Latin