18 modern history students have just returned from Ragusa, Sicily on an exchange trip with students from the Giovan Battista Vico School.  This is the second year that this trip has run and was, once again, a very successful experience.  

Students were able to fully immerse themselves in the culture of Sicily by staying with the Sicilian students and their families during the four night stay.  Over the course of the trip students were able to study the fascinating history of Ragusa; visit the murals of Mussolini that are still present in the Town Hall, attend an exhibition on dictatorship and hear a lecture on the war memorials built there during fascist reign.  

The Sicilian students prepared a sightseeing walk of Ragusa as part of their own English studies which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Also, throughout the stay, it was the week of the Carnival, a celebration and feast before the fasting of Lent, which students and staff particularly enjoyed! 

For these second year students, the trip is the culmination of their Italian Studies Extension Project which is supported by both the Royal Holloway University and the University of Catania. The project continues to go from strength to strength and will continue to develop, with first year students just starting their research.