Class:
At promptly 8:30 am we left our quaint little hotel in Rome to go to our first day of class at the local university about ten or so minutes away by foot. After a little fiasco that involved Mr. Hamacher forgetting which floor we were supposed to get off on from the small underground tunnels, we finally made it to the university. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the luscious foliage and beautiful architecture that constantly surrounded us on campus. (It turns out having an amazing view of the city from your classroom window can be rather distracting).
In our World Religions class we went over a brief overview of Christianity which turned out to be extremely beneficial later that day when we explored St. Peter’s Basilica. Our lesson in International Relations mainly consisted of each country in our Model UN conversing amongst each other as we began the process of coming up with solutions to our four world-wide dilemmas: nuclear weapons, the Middle East, foreign aid/refugees, and global warming. It was very interesting to try and represent a country that you’ve never been to while thinking of what might be in its best interest and how that choice would then directly affect the other countries involved.
Castel di Sant’Angelo & St. Peter’s Basilica:
The Castel di Sant’Angelo was an extremely fascinating building because of how old, and how diverse of a history it had. Being able to walk around in a castle that was built between 123 and 139 AD is overwhelming in a way because you get to imagine it at the height of its glory with soldiers in gleaming suits of armor patrolling its borders in the blistering heat. It’s a wonder how they could survive the heat for so long when we feel overwhelmed in shorts and tank tops.
Directly after our tour of the Castle we walked down to St. Peter’s Square which, in and of itself, can be a little overwhelming. However, the Square itself is plain and ugly compared to what lays inside. Unfortunately, that experience had to wait until we climbed over 340 stairs to the top of the dome. Every single step, every single ache and pain was worth what lay at the top of those stairs. A simply gorgeous panorama of Rome lay spread out across the land in every direction we looked and simply took one’s breath away. Pictures will never do that view justice.
After the long trek back down the stairs we had the immense privilege of seeing the inside of the basilica. It didn’t matter what kind of religion you belonged to, or what your views of life happened to be… after you walked through those doors, your definition of “beauty” changed forever. Every image on the walls, which appeared to be painted murals from the ground, was composed of tiny, glass tiles. The amount of patience, talent, and beauty that lay in this one building was truly overwhelming. Each statue and mosaic looked as if it was about to move at any moment; they were so life-like.
Out of all the marble and gold, the most amazing piece of art, to me at least, was on the far east wall. A simple, alabaster window that depicted a dove surrounded by orange rays of light looked down on the crowd of people while casting a heavenly, golden light upon the ground and sky. Our tour guide Jill told us of an amazing occurrence that happens every year at Easter due to this window. As you walk in through the front doors from the Square into the Basilica, you would find yourself looking at thousands of haloed individuals. Around this time each year, the light comes down upon the crowd in such a way from the alabaster window that each person is crowned with a golden halo of light. This one fact alone gives me enough reason to want to come to Rome again just so I can see it.
There is no way for me to accurately describe to you just how moving of an experience this day has been. No words will ever be able to describe the beauty and the power that lay within the walls of St. Peter’s. I personally believe that it is something that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime if they have the means to. As of this moment, it has been the most incredible experience of my life and I will remember it for the rest of my life.