Rome:
One of the
many reasons I went to UD was for its notorious Rome program. I had been
looking forward to studying abroad for two years and this summer it finally
became a reality. I spent two weeks traveling Europe with my family and six
weeks studying in Rome and, within those two months, I experienced the most
eventful and enjoyable two months of my entire life.
It started
the day after finals (which one can only fathom how difficult it was to focus
on those) when my family and I flew to Dublin, Ireland. While there, we took a
two-hour train ride across the entire country to Galway, Ireland, only to rent
a car to drive to the infamous Cliffs of Moher. I’m not sure if my country
biasedness comes into play or not but I personally preferred the countryside to
the city of Dublin. The Ireland countryside is overwhelmingly beautiful. The
driving is not. Driving on the left-hand side of the road was comical yet
nerve-wracking but, nonetheless, still something one should try if given the
chance.
After two
days freezing in the Ireland rain, we flew to Paris where it was still chilly
but much more to my liking. I loved Paris. There’s just something about seeing
the Eiffel Tower and the Mona Lisa in real life that is almost indescribable. As
a family we spent four days in Paris but I was fortunate enough to go back a
second time on my five-day trip with some of my classmates. I was amazed at how
quiet and clean Paris was compared to Rome. Also, the stereotype of Frenchmen
being rude and hating tourists is completely false; I would say that would be
more correct for an Italian.
After
Paris, my family and I went to Rome, Florence, and Pisa. Pisa was tiny and
quaint but the only thing of notable existence is in fact the leaning tower of
Pisa. I spent an entire thirty minutes in that town, all of which were spent
trying to perfect the famous “holding up the leaning tower” picture from just
the right angle.
I was more
than excited to have been there two weeks before thinking that I would have a head
start on the “jet-lagged” feeling. Little did I know that in the first week of
classes I was going to be bombarded with readings and events out the wazoo. In
the first five days, we (as a class) celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi
with Pope Francis outside the Basillica of St. John Lateran, we walked the 6
mile Appia Antica (the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of
the ancient republic) all the way to the catacombs where we read the Martydom
of Polycarp and finished with mass INSIDE of a Catacomb, and we traveled a
short way to the antiquated towns of Nemi and Castel Gandolfo where we
witnessed a fragolini festival (tiny strawberries) and the Apostolic Palace of
Castel Gandolofo which serves as the summer residence and vacation retreat for
the pope. That was just the first five days.
In a matter
of six short weeks, I was blessed enough to see the Sistine Chapel (twice), the
Colosseum, the Spanish steps, climb St. Peter’s Dome, celebrate mass inside of
St. Peter’s, the chains that held St. Peter, the Pantheon, and Michelangelo’s
Pietà . At one point, I realized that I was so accustomed to all of these
historical and astounding sites that I would go into Rome without my camera. I
was no longer a tourist.
As a class,
we took a weekend trip to Assisi and Florence. I was able to see the church
that St. Francis built and also climb two miles uphill to see the hermitage of
St. Francis. In Florence, we toured the Uffizi and saw the illustrious statue
of David. Personally, I think this statue is severely underrated. It was
breathtaking.
On the one
free weekends that we were given, two of my classmates and myself travelled to
Cinque Terre, which is located in Northern Italy. Cinque Terre literally means
“The Five Lands” and it is comprised of five small villages. This is arguably
one of my favorite places in the entire world. It was so perfect that it almost
looked artificial.
During my
five-day independent travel, I went to Paris and Barcelona. After seeing so
many baroque churches in Italy and France, it was shocking to see la Sagrada
Familia. It was designed by Antoni Guadi and, although it is incomplete to this
day, his combination of Gothic and curvilinear art noveau forms make this
church the most intense basilica that I’ve ever seen.
After Barcelona,
we returned to Rome with twenty-four hours left before taking our final and
only a short forty-eight hours before we were to depart Due Santi Campus. It
all happened so fast.
As I look
back on this trip, it all seems so surreal. For six weeks, it was normal for me
to walk past something historic and probably not realize it. It was normal for
me to sit outside of the Mensa, over-look UD’s vineyard and ancient Rome whilst
sipping a caramel macchiato and eating the delicious pasta made fresh by our precious
Italian chefs while simultaneously having theological discussions. It was all such a blessing.
To those
who have been apart of the Rome program, you know exactly what I’m talking
about. If you have yet to go to Rome, you have something to look forward to. If
you are still deciding, I beg of you, GO! It will change your life.
FC Barcelona Stadium
Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italy
On top of a castle in Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy
Court on the Due Santi Campus
Light show in Paris
UD basketball sweatshirt in Dublin, Ireland!
