TAVISTOCK College language students were personally mentioned and blessed by the Pope on a school trip to Italy this month.

Teachers Julia Pace and Paul Maddaford took 15 GCSE and A-level Italian students to the country to help absorb the language and culture in preparation for their exams.

Mrs Pace said: 'I wrote to the Vatican for tickets for an audience with the Pope and was very pleased to be accepted. None of the students had seen the Pope before so there are a lot of very happy parents and grandparents.

'Tavistock College students were personally mentioned and they all stood up and gave a cheer. The Pope then blessed them and their family and friends.'

Students enjoyed a whirlwind tour of Italy, stopping to go into the Colosseum and have their pictures taken at the Trevi Fountain, the Victor Emmanuel monument, the Spanish Steps and St Peter's Basilica. They went up Mount Vesuvius and visited Naples, Amalfi, Sorrento, Positano, Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as the Pantheon in Rome which many recognised from Angels and Demons.

Mrs Pace added: "The students did the college and their parents proud with their outstanding attitude, and their behaviour was so good it was commented on by the hotel and the tour reps.

'The audience with the Pope was the run-away highlight, but they also loved Amalfi, Herculaneum and Pompeii.

'Ice cream and the food got a big thumbs up — it seems the year 13s now intend to spend their gap year there and the vast majority are about to emigrate!'

This is the first year the Italian trip has run, but the huge success means it will become an annual event.

Student Nik Way said: 'It truly was an enriching experience — it's not everyday you get blessed by the Pope.'