Well my semester abroad has come to an end. The last four and a half months have been eventful that is for sure. I have savored Roman life, seen all the sites, learned to navigate the often confusing city, and have truly made Rome my home away from home. Besides the Eternal City, I have seen a lot of the rest of Italy, from scaling il Duomo in Florence, to masquerading in Venice, to relaxing on the beaches of the Amalfi coast, every place I have gone to has been amazing in its own way. Outside Italy, I have had the chance to see Paris and London, and had a sweet taste of the Rhineland. Europe has been all I could have asked for, yet I have probably seen about 1%. I will have to return very soon.

My experience in Rome has also exceeded cultural encounters and tourist attractions. Rome has gone through some historic events in 2005 all of which I had the opportunity to witness firsthand. The kidnapping of Giuliana Sgrena, the tragic death of hostage negotiator Calipari, the passing of Pope John Paul II, the subsequent conclave, and the election of Benedict XVI, and the decline of the majority Berlusconi government; all of this has occurred since January. I have been exposed to history in a way that I never could have imagined, but that is just the way things are in Rome. You can’t escape it. Around every corner whispers the heroes, legends, villains, triumphs, and tragedies of the past. Some were cemented in time thousands of years ago, others just last week.

The current events in Rome are simply examples of the times we live. Things change today at amazing speeds. As information exchanges quicker than the blink of an eye and transportation becomes more affordable, the world is transforming itself, in many places, faster than ever. From global markets, global networks, global alliances, and a global war on terror, single events shape the entire planet like never before. A global perspective is very necessary to understand these changes. So my final suggestion to my readers is to go out and get this worldly view, even if it’s only one other country and fraction of a continent like I have been able to do. The world is an amazing place. See as much of it as you can firsthand.

Ciao da Roma, la citta belissima,

DON FILIPPO