After sleeping so soundly that I almost forgot where I was, I joined the students for a leisurely breakfast and prepared for the day. We love to start these trips with a lecture by a local professor. In Italy, that starts t the American University of Rome. We have a partnership with AUR, and the staff there again welcomed us warmly.
Dr. Andrea Bini gave us the story of how media, politics and power intertwine here. We’ve heard lots and lots about Silvio Berlusconi, but we learned this dates back to the unification of Italy and then Mussolini. Leaders here have long created their own media to push their political parties and power. It started with newspapers and then radio (both of which Mussolini) employed to great success, then newsreels and television. It gave great context to why the government still has a hand in broadcasting in particular. But he showed us how political parties, business still control top positions in important media, and of course, Berlusconi owns just about everything in this country, or so it seems.
Two big takeaways for me: I knew newspapers were struggling and Italians consume way too much TV, but Dr. Bini. But his explanation was amazing in the connections to the government, industry, banks and more. And how women are treated and objectified and sexualized is something we didn’t grasp or really cover. I knew about the sexy TV shows and participants, but Dr. Bini showed us part of a documentary, “Body of Women,” that illustrated beyond belief how awful this is and how it is truly beyond what Berlusconi did and does to attract viewers and serve his own prurient interests. And the emphasis on plastic surgery – plumping up lips and enlarging breasts – just beyond belief.
Spotty rain showers didn’t stop our planned tours of the Colosseum and Roman Forum – marvels of architecture and so important to Roman history. Loved every minute of both, and we didn’t get to see the Roman Forum last time. Everyone knows about the fights and awful spectacle the Colosseum housed, and we learned a great deal more about the idea of emperors being immortal and becoming godlike. I had forgotten about the immense cloth roof that could be erected above it. You just stand there and marvel that this amazing structure was built in eight years and part of it is still standing thousands of years later.
We wrapped up the tour learning about vestal virgins (buried alive if they strayed and stopped being chaste …..) and how the pope and Christians recycled all the marble pagan structures to build their churches. History is alive among those ruins.
Jan, Robin, Darlene and I hiked back across the Trastevere neighborhood in search of the Cornucopia, a restaurant recommended by Matteo. We waited a long time for an amazing meal. In the end, although we were exhausted, it was worth it. We had started a conversation with a table behind us, joking that we were going to take their food as we waited interminably it seemed for ours. One man asked us where we were from, and when we told him, he said, “No kidding! My cousin is on that trip, and I have been trying to reach her!” It was indeed Francesca Dabecco’s cousin. If we had given up or not walked that far, we never would have met him.
Then heading back to the hotel, we came across Francesca and about four other students. The coincidental meeting amazed all of us. We told her she had to find him – He lives with his wife in Trastevere. In fact, we had passed on the name of our hotel.
Robin and Darlene joined them on a gelato hunt. Jan and I went back to the hotel, way too full for more food. A great ending with such a remarkable twist to finish a wonderful day.