DAY ONE – Thursday 4th March

An early start as the group meets at 6am at Dubai Airport, to be flown to Rome Fiumicino airport by none other than Natalia Lukes’ father. Thankfully, he is an Emirates pilot...

We were met at the airport by Norman Fanelli, the NST tour representative, and taken to the Hotel Noto near the Termini railway station. After a quick luggage drop-off, we faced two challenges. The first, discovering that red traffic lights do not count for much in Rome. The second, displaying faith in Mrs Grant’s map-reading skills.

Our first destination was the Time Elevator – a rollercoaster ride through Roman history during which we encountered Romulus and Remus, Julius Caesar, a number of Black Death rats and Michelangelo. We emerged blinking into the Roman rush hour and had a well-deserved rest before dinner and bed.

DAY TWO – Friday 5th March

A full day of Roman history! But first, our intrepid group must navigate the Rome metro system and Mrs Grant must run a lap of the Colosseum in order to find the tour guide... Having finally located Richard, our guide for the day, we entered the Colosseum – the famous site of gladiatorial combats which was known to the Romans as the Flavian Amphitheatre. The group met their first gift shop.

We were then taken to the Forum, the heart of Roman government and religion, where triumphal arches and pillars remind us of the power of Rome. We also began to think about lunch quite a lot. After a swift pizza break in a piazza, during which the majority of the group purchase ‘I Y Roma’ hoodies, we moved onto one of the greatest of all Italian inventions: the ice cream. Presented with hundreds of flavours, from Kinder Bueno to Banana, guess how many chose Vanilla? And yes, it also sold lollies. Thank you, Bradley.

And then it started to rain.... We made it as far as the Spanish Steps and posed briefly:

We attempted the Trevi Fountain but instead had to hide in an art gallery to escape the rain. An executive decision was then made, prompted by quite a lot of whining from damp students, to return to the hotel and dry out. Dinner, and then a quiz to test what we had learned so far...

DAY THREE – Saturday 6th March

Another exciting trip on the Metro, this time to the Vatican City. Richard took us through various galleries filled with sculptures, tapestries and maps from across the centuries before we were led into the Sistine Chapel. We sat gazing at the work of Michelangelo before moving on through the crypt of the Popes and up into the Basilica of St Peter’s, the largest Christian church in the world. Again, we admired the Renaissance art on display, particularly Michelangelo’s ‘La Pieta’, and then went in search of lunch and some truly appalling souvenirs.

In the afternoon, we visited the formidable fortress of Castel Sant’Angelo. This was commissioned by Emperor Hadrian as his mausoleum, before becoming a medieval fortress and the hiding place of popes and their treasury. The tower also provided fantastic views of the city of Rome.

DAY FOUR – Sunday 7th March

Today we headed south, towards the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. This was a three-hour coach drive away, and gave us plenty of opportunity to admire the Italian landscape and motorways...

We saw Mount Vesuvius well before we reached Pompeii. At Pompeii itself, we were guided by a somewhat exuberant guide, Rosana, through the mausoleums of the Pompeiians, which lay just outside the old town walls. We then entered Pompeii through its main gates and visited the amphitheatre, the forum, shops and houses of the town, preserved under layers of ash for centuries.

After yet another pizza, we travelled to modern-day Ercolano, or Herculaneum. This is not as popular a site as Pompeii, but was much better preserved in many ways. The entire town was killed by the pyroclastic surge, and the small fishing village was buried deep under ash, as you can see in the central photograph. We were able to visit food stalls, a swimming pool, the bath house and a villa which would have had stunning seaviews over the Bay of Naples.

DAY FIVE – Monday 8th March

And then we flew back to Dubai, filled with pizza and historical facts and now possessing very toned legs...