Ciao Italy

Sage Warner
On our last night in Rome, I spoke with Alessio about how everywhere in Italy has been touched by people. With people living there, at least in a way we can trace, for at least 4 thousand years, anywhere you go was occupied by people at one time or another, even if it does not appear that way. It is so interesting to be somewhere and feel like you’re totally by yourself, and then you see some building that was maybe built 800 years ago and realize that there has been so much happening that I can’t even fathom. Especially visiting Orvieto and Fontecchio, which have changed over the millennia but with many ancient elements remaining intact, there is a sense of a place that has fused with the "natural" environment.
Caves in Orvieto
Cave in Orvieto

An old church I saw on a walk outside of Fontecchio





One of the things I like most about history is how people have always been people, which I think is evident in the artwork or architecture of a region. In Pompeii, there is loads of ancient graffiti, which mirrors the silly and inappropriate graffiti people would make today. Then there are the caves in Orvieto, used for making wine and breeding pigeons to eat and are still used by homeowners as pantries, even while they are archeological sites. Visiting Italy provided a concrete example of the patterns of humans as memorialized in historical artifacts. Things have changed, but there is still evidence of the layers upon layers of culture and personality that contribute to the way things are today.

I did not take pictures of the graffiti, but this is in Pompeii at the bathhouse
In conclusion, I love history and Italy.

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