Roma Day Two

We are getting a great mix of culture, politics and social issues here in Rome. Which is a good thing because it’s very hard to not just want to be a tourist and take in the antiquities, drink wine and eat pasta and pizza all day. Somehow though, we have managed to do a little of all that in just 2 days, and I even got to watch a football game – Italy and Real Madrid from a small bar while eating an incredible pizza. When Rome won, we were cheering along with the locals!

We have had two dinners with alumni from GMF (German Marshall Fund) which is one of my favorite aspects of this Fellowship. There’s nothing like meeting local folks who not only want to talk politics and welcome you to their country, but they have also been in the US on the same program and have plenty of stories of their own to share. Today, we met with the Vice President of Foreign Affairs and toured parliament (incredible architecture, the “new” wing was added on in 1650). Yesterday, we tasted wine at the oldest estate in the country (where they also happen to make an incredible olive oil – the best I’ve ever had) and toured RAI TV, the state-run channels.

We also visited the 6-month old contemporary art museum. It sounded a bit strange when I saw on the agenda that we would tour modern art in this town, especially since our hotel is literally one block from the Pantheon, but I learned it is part of the story. Italy is busily re-claiming old buildings and re-purposing them for modern activities; the museum are all government owned as are all the antiquities. I also learned today that Italy has 75% of the UNESCO sites in the world.

A highlight for me was an opportunity to have lunch at a family shelter for domestic violence victims. I ate Palestinian food while hearing stories from women from around the world. The nonprofit I visited was unique in a few ways, one of which was they aren’t associated with the Catholic church. Instead they focus on the empowerment of women and put violence issues in the context of larger societal challenges such as the sex trade and human trafficking. They also often employ the very women who have been through the program. One of this NGO’s programs is in Palestine and the woman I met was here because she had literally snuck another woman out of the country to receive medical assistance in Italy. The victim is a Bedouin woman who fell in love with a Christian; when the men in her family found out, one held her down while the other shot her.

Italy is also campaigning for a moratorium on abortion, which has been legal here since the 70s. A small faction in the parliament is fighting for this but apparently the women of Rome are protesting. I heard about a case in Naples where a woman had an abortion and just minutes later while still at the medical facility, a policeman entered her room and interrogated her. Apparently this has been in the news. I’ve been surprised to learn the role of women in this country, especially compared to Denmark where the majority work and they really feel they have equal rights (short of some disparities in compensation). In Italy, only 30% of women work. I think I am finely adjusting to the machismo of Italy. It’s hard to get a word in often, but it’s entertaining to watch the men compete for the air in the room. Again, I think the style and gender roles has been particularly noticeable coming from Copenhagen where everyone is so much more reserved in general. I do believe I am for the first time appreciating that Europe is not a homogenous continent and the dangers of generalizing about such diverse nations.

All for now, off to have dinner with the Pope!