From Study Halls to Concert Halls

Campus Life Update

While the school year marches on alongside the seasons, students continue to find ways to relax from academia and grow a flourishing community life! While the week was markedly mellow, with the drumbeat of classes and the steady flow of homework keeping the students in rigorous rhythm, some found creative and intrepid ways to both experience the silent grandeur of the region and crunch down on intellectual matters. Friday was a regional holiday, and therefore the students enjoyed a relaxing day off; the night culminated with long movie nights and jolly times.

Over the weekend, some students ventured into Rome for their Saturday, trying out new cafes and visiting new parts of the city. Unlike in America, it is very uncommon and frowned upon to work on a laptop in a coffee shop here in Italy. Missing this American college experience, one student went searching for laptop-friendly spaces in Rome, and found a charming cafe (with free wifi) overlooking a park that makes a great study space. The excursion proved worthwhile, with STEM-heavy workloads being eased by a good coffee and a pleasant view.

At the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, pilgrims from all over the world visited for the Jubilee of Marian devotions. There was one group that students saw of pilgrimages from Poland leading a procession of Our Lady of Czestochowa, singing hymns through the streets of Rome. Time and time again, especially during this jubilee year, Rome proves itself most truly to be the “Caput Mundi,” the head of the world; on any given day, one can find tourists of all kinds, vendors selling all sorts of things, and people buzzing about from across the world in the Eternal City.

Hardly a week goes by without some kind of festival or event to attend nearby! There were several musical events happening on Sunday – some students went to an organ concert at Santa Cecilia in Trastervere, others went to a concert a little closer to campus in the Chigi Palace in Aricia. Only a 15-minute bus ride away, the Palace has a beautiful space where concerts are commonly held. The European Philharmonic Orchestra did a performance of pieces by Mozart and the Italian composer Salieri. The enchanting evening of classical music refreshed them for the start of their midterms this week.

In all, while the halfway hump of the fall semester is approaching, CatholicTech’s community is thriving in every way. Meals are always filled with hearty laughs and great discussions, students struggle to stay quiet in the halls and dorms, and lasting friendships are growing in Castel Gandolfo!