The Eternal City of Rome

Hello, world!

Just a few weeks back, I made the once-in-a-lifetime trip: to see the eternal city of Rome and tour the trove of art in Vatican City. Rome, founded back in 753 BC has a history of millennia: including places such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Saint Peter’s Basilica. Annually, the Giuseppe Sciacca Award Foundation invites those who have exemplified excellence to Vatican City and Rome to celebrate their achievements. This year, I was invited to receive this amazing award.

My mother and I departed from the PDX airport; I had been to the domestic flight areas many times before, however, this was one of the first times that we walked all the way to the end of the airport -- the international gates. The travel to Rome had a total flight time of around fourteen hours! It was a long journey but I was far too excited, and the time passed relatively quickly.

Our flight had a connection in Amsterdam, which was very beautiful from the skies! I observed lots of waterways and canals and it seemed very tranquil. When finally landing in Rome, and exiting the airplane, the first thing I noticed was the humidity. Although it was a cool temperature, and a bright day, I had already begun perspiring terribly; everything felt sticky!

In our drive to the hotel, though, the windows were open and I saw the wonderful palm trees, chirping birds, and beautiful buildings. The air ‘tasted’ different, a combination of wonderful things. It was amazing and I was really looking forward to the next four days. The time zone difference was harsh, but we tried to get as much sleep as possible.

Out of my four days in Rome, the main highlight was when I received ‘Premio Assoluto’ from the Giuseppe Sciacca Award Foundation.

I was honored by the foundation for my research on pancreatic cancer and artificial intelligence. One day, I want to cure pancreatic cancer. This recognition personally motivates me to work harder, and achieve my goals. 

Upon arriving at Pontifical Urbaniana University, I was amazed at the sight of it all, especially the people. There were Italian military officials, bishops and priests, journalists, and the awardees. At this point, I was interviewed by Greek and Italian press about my thoughts on receiving the prize.

I do have to say, the people had thick Italian accent and I was quite surprised to hear that almost all of them were trilingual!

The award ceremony itself was primarily held in Italian. I had been taking Spanish classes for the last two years now and I found that I was able to understand a few words here and there, such as “Su Eminencia”, translating to “His Eminence”. When it was time for my award, I was very nervous, yet excited at the same time. It was an amazing experience and inspiring to meet His Eminence, Ramyond Leo Cardinal Burke. 

Besides this main event, exploring Rome was amazing. I got to visit a variety of places on a bus tour, and it was fascinating to see the things I had studied and learned about. My three favorite places were Saint Angelo’s Castle, the Colosseum, and Saint Peter’s Basilica. I’ll briefly tell you about my experiences in these places, and what I found most interesting.

Saint Angelo’s Castle, or better known as Castel Sant’Angelo, was a large mausoleum that dates back to 135 AD. It was designed as a final resting place for Hadrian (an emperor of Rome) and his family. The castle is positioned on the Tiber River and was once the tallest building in Rome.

Personally, the reason why I enjoyed this structure was the fact that it hadn’t yet been restored. The old walls and details were very interesting to me.

We spent almost half a day in Vatican City. There were a lot of things to see and observe, and some really awesome places to check out. One of these was Saint Peter’s Basilica: considered the most beautiful church in the world. This massive church is known for its Renaissance style as it was originally made by architects like Michelangelo and Raphael. 

Next, was the Colosseum. The Colosseum has a far more interesting history, which has also contributed to making it one of Rome’s most iconic landmarks. It dates back to almost 70 CE, when Roman gladiators fought for the entertainment of the people. This landmark had by far, the most people. The line to enter the Colosseum spanned almost three times around the structure itself! It was a bright, yet cold day in Rome, and it was perfect for pictures. We took many.

Finally, Saint Peter’s Basilica, the most grand and beautiful place I have ever seen. Saint Peter’s Basilica is just like any other church, except for the fact that it has literally 163,200 square feet of interior space. Walls are built with gold and have been preserved for the many visitors that come every day.

The arches and pillars were humongous, and paintings of the Christian faith made sure that you had something to look at… for every single inch of the place! It made me look photogenic, and this is a place that I feel like I would never get bored of.

In addition to the structures honoring Christ, there were many busts of former Popes and Catholic Emperors. It is very surreal to see these preserved and restored almost perfectly!

My mother and I decided to go on the bus tour once more, except it was now dark. We got to see the amazing lighting that all of these attractions featured.

This sums up my trip to Rome. I do wish that I get to visit Italy again, and experience more of Rome, perhaps for a longer period. As they say, it truly is eternal -- and you will never forget it. This trip has made me very fond of travel in general, and I do hope I get to travel some more, and experience new cultures soon.

Until next time,

Rishab Jain