At Rayburn Tours, we’re all about helping to create amazing learning experiences for groups to inspiring destinations across Europe and beyond! From time to time, we’re lucky enough to be able to accompany groups on tour to offer on-hand support and share in their experiences.
Tour Coordinator, Sarah recently had the pleasure of accompanying Bishops’ Blue Coat High School on their trip to Sorrento. She shares her top 5 highlights from the trip:
1. Pompeii
The sheer size and architecture of Pompeii really is astounding considering how long ago it was built. Our guide was very knowledgeable and took us to the main ‘sights’ of Pompeii, as well as pointing out smaller details that we otherwise would have missed. A highlight for me was the Roman ‘Cave Canem’ (‘Beware of the Dog’) sign in one of the houses!
2. Capri Boat Trip
After a few windy days around Sorrento, we were blessed with lower winds on our scheduled day to visit Capri. The hour-long boat trip allowed us to see the island from a different perspective, and to get close to some of its many coves and the famous Faraglioni rocks – admiring the archway from a distance, and then going right through it on the boat.
3. The cuisine
Italy is famous for its food and it’s always a highlight! During the trip we were treated to a delicious selection of meat and cheeses at the Fondo Galatea farm, an ice cream making and tasting session at the Bougainvillea Gelateria (including three ice creams!), and found time for a Neapolitan pizza when in Naples – a must.
4. Herculaneum
Lesser known than Pompeii, Herculaneum was also destroyed during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. Some of the objects have been incredibly well-preserved, including an original wooden bed-frame! Again our guide had a lot of detailed knowledge, which enabled us to step back in time.
5. The views
The Bay of Naples coastline is stunning, and there is always something to look at when driving between excursions (provided the weather is good enough!). Vesuvius stands proudly over the bay, so whilst we were unfortunately unable to climb Vesuvius due to weather conditions, we certainly saw it from a variety of angles.
This was my first experience as a courier, and they were a lovely group to spend it with. I hope some of the students have had a go at making ice cream at home – I plan to soon!