When History Meets The Present

Reflection on my trip to Rome

Sam Shames
Positive Peer Pressure

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Dear michael saminsky,

When I did my summer abroad in between sophomore and junior year of college, I decided to spend three weeks travel after I finished up my internship in Spain. Part of that time was spent in Rome with my sister Lisa, and the trip changed the way I thought about history.

I wrote a short vignette on the trip that I want to share this morning. I was thinking about it recently because that trip made history real. In the age where people try to make you doubt the veracity of history and the objective truth, I found that walking through ancient ruins shreds any doubt you may have. Experience trumps all.

I wonder where else we can encourage people to see and feel something for themselves as opposed to just relying on what other people tell them. I wonder how people would change if they had this experience.

Love,
Sam

Visiting the Coliseum in Rome suddenly made all the years of Roman History leap of the page and become real.

Rome

It’s a place that is dripping with history. Where else can you find the heart of the ancient worlds most powerful empire next a pair of beautiful Renaissance buildings designed by one of the world’s most artists? And did I mention that around the block is the spot where Julius Caesar was murdered?

Then there’s the Vatican. I thought all the cathedrals and religious paintings had given me a sense of the power of Christianity. The Vatican blew me away. We spent hours there looking at Roman sculpture, centuries of art, and some of the most amazing frescos I’d ever seen.

There’s something really special about seeing a painting in person that you learned about in ninth grade. I’d completely forgotten that we studied specific paintings in our Renaissance unit, but when I saw School of Athens I remembered that Rafael had painted himself in it. Seeing the original Rafael after haven seen the copy in the Prado was just as special. What was more amazing though was that I feel like we only glimpsed the surface of the art the Vatican has to offer.

I may have only got a rushed glimpse, but I could sense the sisteen chapel was special. Maybe it’s the sheer size of the building — every inch covered with some of the most finely detailed paintings I’d seen. It seems like two much for one man to do in one lifetime. Trying to take it in with all the people surrounding me and with my companions wanting to leave was a fool’s errand.

And of course, there is the food. Do the Italian’s realize how luck they are to be surrounded by Good Eats. Around every corner is a place to stop for some pizza. The pastas were spectacular and the sauces divine. The fried treats were scrumptious. Indulging was a treat.

In Rome, it seems like a treasure awaits you around every corner. It could be a glorious Renaissance fountain, a site of Roman ruins, a run down church with a famous frescos, or perhaps a perfect meal. Either way, it makes for a memorable trip.

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