Submitted by Stella Castor on the 2018 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Philosophy…
Roma. The city of the Roman Empire and the Italian Republic. A birthplace of the Renaissance, and a birthplace of fascism. The first thing that you notice about Roma is that it will never compare to any city in America – and how could it? America has only existed for a little over two centuries, and Roma has been around since 753 BCE. For the past week, I have been living in a city that has existed for millennia, and it shows. Right near our hotel, you could walk maybe a block down the street and be able to see the Colosseum. The streets, paved with stone and sometimes cobbled together, could have been built in the 100s, the 1500s, or the 1900s. Everything in Roma comes together as one, complete, historical city.
As we traveled from place to place, the Roman Forum, the Jewish Ghetto, the Vatican, la Fontana di Trevi, and countless others, I found myself almost living in a dream. I couldn’t believe I could see these ancient, famous, amazing structures, and then walk two blocks over and get McDonalds for lunch (something I would not recommend, when there are so many amazing, delicious Italian restaurants in Roma).
Every single place we visited was the most beautiful place I had ever been to – although, I think my favorite was the Jewish Ghetto. As our trip’s focus is on religious pluralism, visiting great religious centers has been greatly impactful and humbling. These places of worship, adorned with beauty, truly indicate the love and spirituality of their people.