Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dulaney Latin teacher Dawn Mitchell had taken a group of Latin students to Italy almost every year since 2007. This spring, she decided that it was time to revive that tradition. Over spring break, 18 students from different levels of Dulaney’s Latin program accompanied Mitchell and her family on a 10-day trip to Italy (March 31 to April 9) to learn more about Latin and Roman culture. Their busy itinerary kept their feet tired and their step count up, beginning with a trip to the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum as soon as they arrived on Friday, March 31. The first couple days of the trip were based in Naples, focusing on journeys through the excavated towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, both of which were buried in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D., and are still in the process of being uncovered. The group also visited the Naples Archaeological Museum.

After one night in Naples, the group traveled to Rome, where they stayed for the majority of the trip. During their time in Rome, the group walked the equivalent of over 50 miles, occasionally hopping on and off local buses. Highlights of Rome included locations such as the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Galleria Borghese. On Thursday, at the tail end of the trip, the group took a train to Florence for the day, where they had the opportunity to see the Duomo di Firenze (Florence Cathedral) and Accademia Gallery, and explore food, shopping and architecture in a new city. The trip allowed these Dulaney students to create new and stronger friendships and experience life in a different way than they may be accustomed to.

Gallery • 10 Photos

Trevi Fountain