Every year, HHS’s Outdoor Society embarks on a summer trip. For the trip this year, students will venture to Rome and Southern Italy for a ten-day excursion as a part of an Education First tour.
The group will begin their trip with five days in the Sorrento region exploring local villages and beaches and doing the Path of the Gods hike. The four-hour hike along the Amalfi Coast following a mountaintop path is a steep, winding route with amazing views for the entirety of the adventure. It is one of the most looked-forward-to activities for the students going on the trip. There is also guided sightseeing of Capri with a ferry ride in the aquamarine waters.
After the Sorrento Region, the group will travel to Naples, where they will visit Mt. Vesuvius and ascend to its peak to look down into the crater. They will also take a pizza-making class to learn to make the Neapolitan style of the famous Italian dinner. “While I am looking forward to the whole trip, if I had to choose one thing that I am most excited for it would be the food,” said sophomore Libby Thomas. The next day they will visit and learn the history of Pompeii where you can see ancient city ruins.
The final destination is Rome. They will spend 2 days exploring the city. The club will have a guided sightseeing tour of the city, visiting the Colosseum and the architectural ruins of Ancient Rome. They will also get to see the Vatican City on a guided tour that will take them through museums filled with art and history, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica.
Traveling is something that so many students are passionate about and to have a club that highlights that is special and unique. “I love traveling because I get to experience new places and meet new people along the way,” Thomas explained. “I choose to be part of Outdoor Society because I love the mission of the club to be outdoors as much as possible.”
Last year, club members went to Utah and Arizona to explore the National Parks and the unique beauty of the American Southwest. The trip included activities such as seeing the iconic Grand Canyon, skating down sand dunes and visiting Zion National Park. Sophomore Caitlin Petrosino was one of the students who went on the trip. “I loved traveling with the Outdoor Society last time because I got to go on lots of hikes and see really cool natural sights with my friends by my side,” she explained.
Students also had the option to attend a Spring Break trip to Costa Rica last year, but Italy stuck out for the students who chose to go. “I have never been out of the country and after a bunch of my friends signed up it seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Thomas shared. Similarly, Petrosino said, “I wanted to go to Italy so that I could experience leaving the country and make memories with my friends.”
The fact that the trips are school trips adds to the excitement for many of the students because they can go with their friends instead of family. “Especially for a big trip like this, I am going to have a better time going with the club just because my family is so big and it would be hard to do everything that I want to do,” says Thomas. The students will also have the opportunity to know people from school with whom they might not have spoken before since they will be spending so much time with all different kinds of people.
With only a couple of months left till they depart, the students are counting down to the trip. It has proven to be popular, with a long waiting list for spots in case someone drops out. There is no doubt that the tour guides and chaperones will make the trip amazing for the students in the Outdoor Society.
