Braden Slavens ’19 — Today’s schedule was lighter than usual. No orders to wake up at 7:30am were given and the kilometers expected to be traveled were much shorter than in the previous days. Instead we were given an informational packet containing the names of 3 different churches, each located about 20 minutes south of our hotel. The first of which was the Basilica di Sabina. This church was the largest of the three churches we had planned to visit. It was surprisingly surrounded by three orange tree gardens, each providing an amazing view of Rome. The church itself contained the oldest known portrayal of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. After finishing our full tour of the Church of Sabina we ventured further up the street in an attempt to find the famous “keyhole” the Dr. Nelson had informed us of. After a short search, we found what we believed to be the keyhole and after taking a quick glance through the small hole in a large green door we were more than sure that this was the place we were looking for. The keyhole provided a view unlike any other. It looked down a long pathway defined by tall green trees. At the end of the path appeared St. Peter’s in the Vatican. This image that was seen through the keyhole was one that reminded us of just how much preparation and planning went into the construction of each and every structure in the beautiful city of Rome. This place was not a city built one unbelievable structure at a time, but built as one living body where each construction introduced a structure that added something to the one before it.
On a less serious note; today was our seventh and last full day in Rome. Not to my surprise, today was also the day that an entire squadron of American girls showed up at the check in desk of our hotel to enjoy their own week in Rome. I never would have guessed that the capabilities of our all male campus would still apply even after flying over the Atlantic Ocean… That did not stop us though from standing at the highest point in Rome and chanting Old Wabash for all of Italy to hear. This trip has been one that I will surely never forget and it has provided me with yet another group of Wabash brothers I will forever be thankful for.
WAF
