Submitted by Alexander Newkirk on the 2020 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and the Honors Program…
Today marks the end of our first week in Italy. We are having a wonderful time in Rome! This past week was filled with unique experiences, completely different from anything I’ve experienced in the United States. So far, we have visited the Coliseum, Roman Forum, catacombs, Sistine Chapel, and a bunch of other incredible monuments. One of my favorite days incorporated a tour of the catacombs as well as an afternoon presentation at an Italian refugee center. As usual, we woke up and met downstairs for the hotel’s complimentary buffet. Everybody gathered in the lobby at 8:00 am, so we had enough time to get to the catacombs by 9:00 am. To get there, we ended up taking a bus out along the Appian Way (Via Appia Antica), one of the longest and most strategic roads of Ancient Rome. For this excursion, we would be exploring the Catacombe di San Callisto, named after the administrator of the cemetery. After arriving, we explored the gift shop, waiting till the tour guide was ready to take us down. The tour started in a small room at ground level. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and humorous, and, even though English was not his first language, he was able to provide us with a detailed origin of the catacombs. He explained the different symbols that we would encounter as we descended into the second level of the catacomb. The hundreds of thousands of Christians buried there were spread among four levels with the total distance needed to reach the bottom approaching 20 kilometers. Unfortunately, only the first and second levels were open to the public for viewing. The time in the catacomb was also limited due to the sulfur from the volcanic region. As we went down, the difference in the sizes of the tombs showed the large number of children buried there which make up 40% of the catacomb according to our guide. We saw the burial sites of many different popes, including Pope Damasus I, who was responsible for switching the official language to Latin. As a way of respecting the lives and sacrifices of those that came before us, about half of our group stayed and participated in Mass spoken in Latin.
We had a short break for lunch around the hotel before we walked over to our second planned event for the day, a tour of the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center. The day center works with thousands of refugees and asylum seekers every year. A few of the leaders at JNRC gave a presentation on the work that they currently do, outlining the year long plan to integrate asylum seekers into Italian life. It was incredible to see the services, like Italian lessons and resume help, offered by the center. Though we didn’t have much time, we were grateful for the opportunity to learn about the refugee crisis in a global context. The rest of the evening was allotted free time to explore the city or catch up on rest. Overall, it was one of my favorite days in Rome so far, mixing history of the past with the issues of today. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of our program!
