PARKSIDE students recently had a short visit to Rome.

A party from the Cullingworth school began an exploration of the historic Italian capital city before they arrived at the hotel.

They took an early morning tour of the winding burial paths within the Catacombs of San Callisto.

A spokesman said: “Everyone left feeling fascinated and intrigued by the underground world created by Christians in the 2nd century.”

The group then went to their lodgings at the Hotel Archimede, which they felt was as much of a labyrinth as the catacombs, before heading out to explore the neighbourhood and buy ice cream

The next day a bus tour of Rome took in the Coliseum and the Piazza Venezia, then the teenagers investigated famous works of art in the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel.

The final day allowed time for visits to famous sites such as the Coliseum, the Palatine Hill and the Spanish Steps, before the party returned home.