In some cases, yes it does! Literally! As I soon discovered on day 5 with the students from Danetre and Southbrook Learning Village when our first stop of the day was Solfatara. As we approached the volcano in Pozzuoli the smell of sulphur got stronger and I wondered what on earth I was going to face when we arrived. Despite the smell I was pleasantly surprised by the peaceful surroundings of the volcano and the greenery we walked through to get to the fumaroles.
By the time we got into the main crater I hardly noticed the sulphur smell and we were all quickly distracted from it by the bubbling mud puddles and steam rising up from the ground. Around the steam vents the discolouration on the rocks, caused by the elements being released with the steam, were a nice splash of colour against the surrounding grey. Whilst at Solfatara we learnt that locals used to visit the site as they believed that the fumes could treat various ailments including rheumatism and skin diseases. They even have 2 “Stufe” or caves dug into the rock where people could go in and breathe in the fumes. I learnt quite a bit about Geography here and I almost wish I had carried it on at school now.
It was soon time to go, but not before an obligatory stop at the gift shop and café for snacks, drinks and souvenirs. The next stop was the one all the students were waiting for – the Valle dell’Orso waterpark. Here they spent a good few hours enjoying the pool, water slides, wave machines and some time relaxing in the sun and shade. It was great to see them enjoying themselves and they had been an amazing group so it was a lovely treat as our time was soon coming to an end.
After our time was up in the waterpark it was back to the accommodation for our last night in Italy and to get ready for our last stop of the trip – Rome.
~ Meg