Day 6 - JHS Europe Trip - Winter 2025-2026

Following breakfast at the hotel, we boarded the bus and due to the clear weather and limited cloud cover, we were all able to view Mt. Etna, the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy, as we drove to Siracusa (Syracuse). Our group was initially supposed to visit Mt. Etna but we're unable to due to a recent blizzard at the top of the mountain. We also learned that Mt. Etna had just recently erupted on December 27th, we day we left JHS and flew to Rome. 

When we arrived in Siracusa, we met our local tour guide Elisabet who guided us through the Neapolis Archaeological Park, one of the most important archeological areas in all of Sicily. 

After our guided tour of Neapolis Archaeological Park, Elisabet took us to the island of Ortigia, the historical center of Siracusa. As we walked across the bridge from the mainland and onto the island, we passed a statue of Archimedes, the first mathematician to calculate the value of pi.

Elisabet took us to the city center where we were able to view the ancient ruins of the Temple of Apollo, the oldest stone temple in Sicily. Following a short walking tour, our group was given a few hours of free time where we were on our own to get lunch and spend our free time as we wished. Two students joined me in going to the Museum of Illusions which was one of the highlights of the trip! It was awesome because it was super interactive and put into practice concepts that I teach in AP Psychology, which really hit home for me.

After our time in Ortigia, we returned to our hotel for our last night in Giardini Naxos and several of us decided that we were going to venture out to find dinner on our own. Margherita Pizza has been a massive hit with our group and it's going to make eating any type of pizza back home super disappointing.

More to come.