When you step out of the metro into the EUR region of Rome, it’s the complete opposite of what you expect from Roma. The Eternal City is all cobblestone alleys, narrow streets, and centuries-old buildings. But the EUR has none of that. It is the kind of white that glares at you in the sun, perfectly geometric, and unnaturally beautiful. I’d been before, for a class, and my friend had remarked that the EUR felt like leaving Rome and stepping into a fascist fantasy.
Yet, hidden inside the district built to showcase fascist Italy to the world (EUR literally stands for Esposizione Universale Roma, or the Universal Exposition Rome), in one of the buildings that is beautiful the way a porcelain doll is, is the Museo della Civiltà. The Museum has two sides: one hosts artifacts from cultures around the world, and the other showcases the thousand different pieces of Italian culture. The museum is a celebration of folk Italian culture, ranging from the colorful and agriculture-based South to the glamorous and ornate religion-based festivities around the country. Unlike the building that houses it, there is no lack of humanity in the museum. It brims with it.
Being a theater lover, though, I was drawn immediately to the vivid traditions of theater Italy had. Starting with the shows, performed for everyone, to the puppets and marionettes that showed the intensity of Italian storytelling, Italy’s stages and puppets reflected a people fluent in spectacle and narrative. Even the religious processions and festivals, from the Feast of Sant’Agata to Carnevale celebrations in Venice, testify to the endurance of ritual and narrative. If you’re in Rome the few weeks before Lent and see confetti on the streets, join in the festivities of the Carnevale! Adults and children all dress up in costumes and masks, with music and confetti.
Our tour guide also shared traditions and stories from her home region, Calabria. She talked about the intersection between religion and folklore, and how it is common for both religious iconography and traditional symbols of folklore to be displayed, sometimes even on the same doorway. She also shared her own experiences with regional dialects. For instance, in Calabria, the word for boy/young man is carusu, while in standard Italian it is ragazzo. Like Italy, China also has an abundance of regional dialects that are not always understandable to a person who speaks standard Mandarin. In Hangzhou’s dialect, for example, the word for boy is xiaoyaer or nanxiaonen in the Xiaoshan district, while in Mandarin it is xiaohai. Italy, like home, contains multitudes within a single language, and for a moment, was less foreign.
Stepping from the warmth of the Museo della Civiltà back out onto the wide streets of the EUR is almost like returning to a dream. The EUR is a marble-constructed fantasy, fascinating to look at but not a reflection of what Italian culture looks like. The museum is reality, a reflection of a thousand Italies – dialect-filled, confetti-strewn, theatrical, and human. At times, I think it’s easy to forget that living in the Eternal City is, quite literally, living on top of a country with an incredibly varied culture and history. So if you can, take a day trip to the museums of Rome. Go to and maybe even start with the Museo della Civiltà (because I’m biased and love culture). Visit the galleries. Read the signage on the street. Look closely, because beneath the white marble, Italy is waiting to surprise you.
Being able to explore the EUR has been an incredible experience. If you’re interested in European history and culture, check out the Temple Rome program page to learn more about the study abroad opportunities you could be apart of!