Year 11 Geographers Explore Naples and Mount Vesuvius

An early 4am start saw 47 Year 11 Geographers set off to Naples to bring their studies to life in the real world.

Day one began with a long day of travel, but we were rewarded with pizza. We were warmly welcomed to a family-run lemon grove, where we were taught how to make mozzarella, the famous margherita pizza, and explore the many uses for lemons. The processes required to achieve the perfect texture and flavour demand both patience and passion. The staff on the trip also had the chance to try a white pizza topped with fresh lemon zest— don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

Day two started early as we made our way to Mount Vesuvius. After a long coach journey winding up the steep flanks of the volcano, we completed the final ascent to the summit, where we saw the crater and took in incredible views of the sprawling city of Naples. Here, we learned about the eruptions of AD 79 and 1631, which created the pyroclastic flows that destroyed settlements around the volcano. We also discovered that the last major eruption was in 1944. We discussed the physical geographical processes behind these eruptions and their social, economic and environmental impacts. These discussions continued in Pompeii, where the AD 79 eruption buried the city in pyroclastic material, killing around 2,000 people. Miss Young also shared insights into Roman architecture as we explored the amphitheatres and walked the ancient streets.

Day three took us to the coast. It began rather grimly, with rain setting in, but as soon as the ferry reached Capri, the skies turned blue. We took a boat trip around the island, where we saw clear evidence of coastal erosion along the limestone cliffs. There were excellent examples of caves, arches, stacks and stumps—features we studied in Topic 4. We also observed caves high up on the cliffs, evidence that sea levels in the area were once much higher thousands of years ago. Afterwards, we hiked up to the beautiful town of Capri and enjoyed the tranquillity and panoramic views from the Giardini di Augusto. We also had some free time to enjoy both Capri and Sorrento.

These trips are a true team effort and would not have been possible without the support of our reception and finance teams, who assisted with letters, phone calls, currency and other administration; Mr Gibbins and Ms Nonnenmacher for their leadership in ensuring everything ran smoothly; Mrs Duddy, especially for the urgent terminal change message on Saturday; our cover team and the teachers who stepped in to cover lessons; and our student services team for preparing first aid kits. We are also extremely grateful to the PTA, who once again generously supported the trip, enabling us to offer this opportunity to our students.

And of course, a huge thank you to Miss Young, who co-led the trip—her experience was invaluable in making it such a success. The staff team were outstanding: thank you to Ms Tirbhowan, Mr Orr, Mr Hodgson and Ms Bapuji. Without your time and energy, this trip would not have been possible.

These photos were taken by our talented on-tour photographer, Mr Hodgson—thank you for capturing so many special moments that students will cherish for years to come.