Rome 2024

20 boys – 5 days – 1 capital city

‘On the first afternoon of the trip, after an early start we began a tour of some local sites, these included sights like The Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps, The Santa Maria and the Piazza del Campidoglio (not far from where they filmed James Bond’s Spectre) We covered about 7 km in total that night, walking past many more impressive buildings and lesser-known landmarks. We also walked past the roman forum but didn’t go in as we were going there the day after. We also covered the Via del Corso.’  by Oli G

‘The coliseum, being the most famous landmark in Rome, definitely lived up to the high expectations I had of it. We had a tour guide (Richard) show us around, telling us the facts about how it was built (using pillars and arches) and when the gladiatorial games took place. It was extremely interesting to me seeing where thousands of people, thousands of years ago, all would come to the arena to watch what we now see as inhumane. Then we moved on to palatine hill where Rome was founded by the first king of Rome, Romulus. Rome was founded around 700bc Richard told us as we walked in and explored the hill. Seeing huge buildings where the king would’ve lived. Overall, the guide was interesting and informative on the tour and it was a great once in a lifetime experience.’ by Dan Q

‘The Capuchin Friars was one of our stops in Rome, distinguishable for its rich history and mind-blowing art. It holds stories of amazement and old ancient relics but employs the use of bones in different patterns and styles to take us on a journey through a tunnel of death. Each room had a different meaning and scenario to make us astonished. One of the rooms was a gallery of skulls and skeletons with the design of an hourglass on the wall made of pelvises with wings on each side to connote that life is short and time flies. Going further back into the museum there holds many ancient artifacts apart from previous lives with objects even a few hundred years old. I left the museum with bulged eyes and a dropped jaw to conclude what just happened and what I just saw.

The Vatican Museum was an amazing place and we saw many interesting artworks. Our tour guide also did a good job explaining to us about the history of the paintings. Although it was very hot and very crowded, we all managed to pull through the whole visit to the museum.’ by Dan N

‘The Stadio Olympico was an unbelievable experience for NSB to have. We started in the dressing rooms of Italy, Roma and Lazio, before we walked through the tunnel into the dugouts where many famous footballers have sat during a game taking in the atmosphere of 70,000+ people. After that we walked up into the hospitality suite which was an amazing experience sitting in the padded seats with televisions infront, where the very important people sit. This was an amazing stadium tour and an amazing trip!’ by Max W

‘The catacombs were a once in a lifetime opportunity. Such a unique experience to explore the hidden secrets of ancient Rome. Our tour guide was very informative and showed a clear and in-depth understanding of history and the people who reside here. Personally, I found the catacombs to be a very worthwhile adventure, it was both very exciting but occasionally eerie. Overall, the catacombs are a must see “When in Rome”.’ by Ronnie