Ficino’s unique approach to teaching about the Renaissance came vividly to life on this unforgettable journey through Italy and England. What had once been studied in the classroom was now experienced in the streets, galleries, and cathedrals where history was made.
In Rome, students had their first taste of the city’s grandeur with a walk to the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain before standing in awe beneath the Sistine Chapel ceiling, exploring the treasures of the Vatican, and visiting St Peter’s Basilica. They also walked among the ruins of the Colosseum and Forum, where the power of the ancient world still lingers. A highlight was Hadrian’s Villa, the remains of a vast imperial estate that showed how classical art and architecture inspired later generations.
Orvieto and Siena immersed the group in the dramatic shift from medieval to Renaissance culture, while the soaring cathedral in Orvieto and Siena’s lively streets revealed the continuity of tradition and change.
Florence, the heart of the Renaissance, was unforgettable. Students climbed Brunelleschi’s dome, admired the intricate detail of Ghiberti’s Doors, gazed at Botticelli’s masterpieces in the Uffizi, and came face to face with Michelangelo’s David in the Accademia. In the quiet of San Marco Convent, Fra Angelico’s frescoes revealed the harmony between faith, beauty, and philosophy that Ficino’s teaching celebrates.
Year 8 then travelled to the UK, where the Renaissance spirit was seen in a different light. At Oxford, punting on the river and visiting Christchurch College showed the tradition of classical learning in England. In London, students stepped into Shakespeare’s world at the Globe, visited St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London, and walked through the city’s historic streets. Meeting with St James Schools reinforced the shared values of wisdom, beauty, and classical learning.
Students did not just learn about the Renaissance; they inhabited it, carrying home insights that will inspire their studies and lives for years to come.
