Kelly’s Blog Post Departure

 Before visiting Italy, our reading of Luigi Reale’s Mussolini’s Concentration Camps for Civilians reshaped how I understood Italian history. Reale revealed how Fascist racism and propaganda created systems of oppression that are often overlooked in discussions of Italy’s past. His work prepared me to see Rome not just as a city of monuments, but as a place marked by layers of power and resistance.

At the Colosseum, I was struck by how the ancient arena reflected similar themes of control and spectacle. Standing in the massive structure, I thought about how societies across centuries have used public display to assert authority, whether through gladiatorial combat or political propaganda. It was a reminder that even celebrated symbols of history can carry difficult meanings.

Visiting a World War II–era apartment prison made Reale’s writing painfully real. The cramped cells and personal artifacts of prisoners reminded me that Fascism’s violence was not distant—it happened here, to ordinary civilians whose only crime was their identity or beliefs.

My visit to the Vatican offered a powerful contrast. Surrounded by art and faith, I reflected on how Italy’s history intertwines both beauty and brutality. The Church’s grandeur and moral influence stood in stark contrast to the repression of the Fascist period.

Through these visits, I learned that Italy’s history cannot be separated into light and dark chapters—they coexist, shaping a deeper, more complex understanding of humanity itself.