Submitted by Jessica Weber on the 2016 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Philosophy…
This past week was the last of our adventures in Rome, including trips to the Ancient Roman city of Ostia Antica. As we’ve become more comfortable with the city, we have begun to truly do as the Romans do. One of the biggest parts of that is realizing the importance and efficiency of public transportation. Much like New York City, walking is one of the easiest methods of transportation, but Rome is too large of a city to get everywhere by walking. We’ve become accustomed to taking the metro. At first, the metro was empty, most likely due to the occurrence of Epiphany Mass and the holiday. This week, however, was the first week after the holiday and it was extremely crowded. We actually had to wait for a second car because the first was too stuffed to enter. We began taking longer trips on public transportation. On our free day this Monday, we took a metro to a train station and bought tickets to Orvieto, Italy, which was about an hour train ride away. Easily one of my favorite excursions on this trip, Orvieto greatly contrasted the busy city of Rome. The town was very quiet, and upon talking to some locals, we found out that only about 500 people live in the quaint town. There were many small handmade ceramics and leather shops owned by people in the town. This trip, however, was the only time we had trouble using public transportation. Our train to Orvieto left the station almost a half hour late and picked us up from Orvieto another half hour late. Regardless, we have become much more appreciative of the availability of public transportation here. This week was also filled with service opportunities. We visited the community of Sant’Egidio in Rome, where we were guided through a soup kitchen and attended a prayer service. The next day, we spent time in a refugee center and talked with refugees, mostly from Afghanistan and Africa. The entire experience was extremely humbling, and later that night, we went back to Sant’Egidio to eat in a restaurant that provides job opportunities for people with disabilities. These last few days in Rome have been an incredible learning experience, and I am excited to see what our next city, Sorrento, has to offer.