Day 1 in Italy: June 11, 2025

From Dr. Cook:

Today, as we traversed the well-worn cobblestones between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, one of the students asked me, “Do you ever get bored coming to Rome?” 

In that moment, I was so far from bored that all I could do was laugh and say, “I haven’t yet!” – but I knew what was coming. We would soon reach the corner where a small street suddenly opens onto a stunning view of the facade of the Pantheon and, just as every time, a chorus of gasps and “oh… wow” would follow. 

This city is made new every time you see it and newer still when you see it with new people. It is more than great views and delicious food. It is the past made present and the present creating the past. It is beautiful, frustrating, and impossible to ever fully know. It is not seeing nor knowing that we chase on this trip, it is to make ourselves new through depth of experience here. 

While there is plenty of time for fun, this fieldwork trip is designed to offer AHI members and other interested students the opportunity to do the work of the humanities outside of the classroom, including in the very locales where humanism was first conceived. Students are expected to apply critical skills they have learned and to craft innovative responses to the works of the past and their legacy in the present. That is no easy task in Italy, where visitors are confronted with some of the greatest cultural achievements in history and where, since the time of ancient Rome, great writers, artists, philosophers, and more have repeatedly asked the question of how they might make an original contribution to their field. 

Moreover, for many students, the real work and the real outcome of this trip may not be tangible in the course of the next week. Instead, students will likely find that the tiniest embers of ideas and the bothersome questions they found here may bear fruit months, or even years, from now. What we look forward to are the revelations, transformations in thought, and sparks of true originality that will arise from this trip in as yet unforeseen ways. 

I do not yet know precisely how this trip will make me new, only that it is the company of these excellent scholars that shall do the greatest share of the work in my transformation. 

Lucie Holdman - impressions of the first day:

For many of us, we feel that we have already gotten to see so much of the beauty of Italy through only scratching the surface of Rome. The elegant designs, combined with its complexity and history of the Pantheon, left us all quite amazed, along with the unique architecture of all of the apartments and stores. A lot of us were still quite jet lagged from the late night plane, but the pick-me-ups from dinner, gelato, and fine Italian cuisine not only energized us, but allowed us to experience a rich part of Italian culture. Getting to be immersed within the way of life here was what made the day so special.

Calysta Williams - on the Pantheon:

Visiting the Pantheon was a powerful experience that combined both religious reverence and incredible architecture. As we walked inside, the massive dome with its open oculus made the space feel connected to the heavens, creating a sense of spiritual awe. The mixture of ancient Roman and later Christian elements showed how the building has been a sacred place for many beliefs over time. The tall Corinthian columns and detailed marble floors reflected the Romans’ skill and love for symmetry and beauty. Standing in such a grand and peaceful space made us feel the deep respect people have had for this place for centuries.