Students visited the Vatican, the Colosseum, St Peter’s Basilica and Pompei during the half term trip, which was led by Mr William Lowis, head of Sociology at the Sir John Colfox Academy.

Mr Lowis said: “We packed in a huge amount of history, art and culture, as well as lots of delicious Italian food. Our Sixth Form really enjoyed the trip and they were all brilliant as usual.”

Stan Bowden, in Year 13, who went on the trip, said: “It was the best school trip I have ever been on. We had a brief agenda each day, so we could enjoy the trip at our own pace, but we also had the option of being guided. We also had time to explore Rome, visiting niche cafes and eating delicious and authentic Italian cuisine.

“The trip gave us the opportunity to explore the rich and vast culture of Italy’s past. We visited places of key cultural influence like the Vatican, Colosseum, St Peter’s Basilica and Pompei. These places provided useful background knowledge and inspiration to complement our course subjects. The Vatican especially was my favourite as it contained stunning architecture, divine works of art and a complex ancient history behind each exhibit.

“The only downside of the trip was the weather with rain on some days, but we cannot control the weather! I would highly recommend it for upcoming year 10 and 11 students at Colfox or Beaminster who are thinking of attending the sixth form! Overall, the trip was incredibly insightful, great value for money and along with a shorter travel time, was very well organised and enjoyable, thank you to Mr Lowis and all the teachers who made it happen.”

Another group of Colfox students in Years 9 and 10 are preparing to go back to Italy at the end of March for a ski trip and a trip to Iceland is also being planned for later in the year.