Lily of the Valley students in Rome

A group of students from Lily of the Valley Secondary School, Mosta, and some parents accompanied by five teachers, visited Rome over the Carnival holidays.

This visit was organised by the Religion teachers, Ms A. Simler and Mr D. Dempster. Before leaving for Rome the students, with help from their teachers, gathered information about the places they were going to visit.

It was a very tight schedule. As soon as the group arrived in Rome they were taken to the most important sights in the centre, the Coliseum, Piazza Venezia and Piazza di Spagna and other important piazzas and fountains. Many students tossed coins in the Fontana di Trevi hoping that they would revisit Rome, as the saying goes. The first day ended with a visit to the church of San Paolo Fuori Le Mura.

Everyone was up early the next day and by 7.15 a.m. the group was on its way to Assisi. It was worth the three-hour trip. Everyone was fascinated by the churches of St Clare and St Francis and the relics of these two saints. The next stops were Perugia and Orvieto.

Sunday was the climax of the visit. No one complained while waiting in the long queue to enter the Vatican and then again to go into the crypt where Pope John Paul II is buried. Before noon the group joined the crowds on St Peter's Square for the Sunday Angelus and blessings by Pope Benedict XVI. After walking by Castel Sant'Angelo it was off to get some lunch and then to Santa Maria Maggiore, San Giovanni Laterano and the Scala Santa. In the evening it was time for some fun and the group was taken to EUR (the site of the projected 1942 World Expo), where the girls had the time of their life trying out all the rides. Monday was another new experience for the group. This was a visit to Terminillo, high up in the mountains. It was snowing and the girls enjoyed themselves snowballing and sledging. The last important place was a visit to the monastery of St Francis in Greggio which houses the first Christmas crib on permanent display.

This was a memorable first-time visit to Rome for some students, for others the first time abroad. Back at school, the students are talking and showing photos and postcards and discussing the whole project. An exhibition will be put up so that this experience will be shared with all the students in the school.