Description
An explorative travel study Summer Program led by St. Stephen’s faculty
Location
Rome, Italy
Date & Time
20 - 28 June 2025
PROGRAM COST
All registrants are requested to pay a non-refundable deposit of €500.
Premium - Boutique Hotel
€4,153 Single Traveler
€1,833 Companion
–includes a deluxe, double-capacity room on the Avetine with a matrimonial bed, wifi,
air conditioning, and daily continental breakfast, plus everything included in the Basic package.
Four Boutique Hotel rooms are available; each room may be single or double occupied.
Plus - Campus Boarding Room
€2,753 Single Traveler
€1,833 Companion
–includes double capacity room conveniently located in our Via Aventina 20 Boarding Facility,
with en-suite bathroom, wifi, air conditioning, daily continental breakfast, and housekeeping,
plus everything that’s included in the Basic package.
Four Campus Boarding rooms are available; each room may be single or double occupied.
Basic - no lodging
€1,833 Single Participant
–includes pre-departure materials, including suggested reading materials,travel information, and complete itinerary, services of our Summer Program Director to assist you throughout
the program, meals, tours, and excursions as described in the itinerary, and gratuities to guides and drivers for all
group activities, airport transfers, and baggage handling on designated arrival and departure days (please see the itinerary).
Click here to read our General Terms & Conditions.
Jubilees, Festivals, and Celebrations Throughout the Ages: A St. Stephen’s Jubilee Year Summer Program
What? An explorative travel study Summer Program led by St. Stephen’s faculty
Where? Rome, Italy
When? Friday 20 June - Saturday 28 June 2025
Who? Limited to 16 St. Stephen’s alumni, parents, and friends
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Throughout human history, celebrations and festivals have played a crucial role in societies. Feasts and rituals are a bridge
between ancient civilizations and contemporary societies, providing insight into the religious, cultural, and social contexts
of eras long past and offering a unique lens through which we can unravel the tapestry of human existence.
Taking the Roman Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee as a starting point, this very special St. Stephen’s
Summer Program explores the captivating history and cultural significance of celebrations and festivals across cultures,
delving into their origins,evolution, and enduring impact on humanity.
Over 8 days, we will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a Jubilee Year together,
where we will visit important historical sites in and around Rome, participate in stimulating lectures, and
embark on culinary adventures with faculty experts, special guests, and fellow travelers, with whom
we will gain unique perspectives as we take a deep dive into the themes of religion, pilgrimages,
politics, empire, economy, and cultural heritage to explore the fascinating topic of Jubilees,
Festivals, and Celebrations Throughout the Ages.
ITINERARY
Kindly note that the itinerary may change due to external factors beyond our control.
Day 1: Arrivals and Welcome Dinner
After arriving in Rome, taking your airport transfer, and checking into your accommodations, we will dine together on campus, where our program leader,
Inge Weustink, will give an overview of the week ahead, and Professor Cristiana Filippini will provide us a preview of the Catholic Rome tour on Day 2.Dinner on campus
Our first dinner together will be a summer truffle extravaganza with expertly prepared Umbrian dishes and delicious wine pairings by
La Chimera d’Albegna winery.
Day 2: The Catholic Jubilee
We dive into the Jubilee theme with Professor Cristiana Filippini as we experience the "Pilgrims of Hope" Jubilee 2025, a celebration rooted in biblical tradition and a time of spiritual renewal, penance, and pilgrimage, offering the faithful opportunities for plenary indulgences and special graces.
Afternoon and evening on your own
Day 3: Ancient Roman Religions
Inge Weustink takes us back to the time of pagan temples and Roman Gods to learn about our ancestors' rituals, beliefs, and superstitions with a morning
tour of the Mithraeum of Circus Maximus and an afternoon tour of the Mithraeums of Ostia Antica.
Evening on your own
Day 4: Jewish Rome
The Jewish ghetto, one of the most beautiful hidden treasures of Rome, is a unique cultural, religious, and
culinary experience where we will discover with Professor Daniele Garrone the origins of the Catholic Jubilee, a celebration traced to the
Book of Leviticus 25, 10-14, a year that was announced with a goat’s horn called Yobel in Hebrew, the etymology of the word jubilee.
We continue our exploration of the Jewish origins of the Jubilee over a Jewish-Roman feast with guest chef and historian Maureen Fant.
Day 5: The Augustan Empire
Professor Ulrich will lead us on an exploration of Augustan Rome's enduring legacy, which provides a historical backdrop that enriches
the spiritual journey of the 2025 Jubilee, offering visitors a unique blend of ancient history and religious tradition.
Afternoon on your own to relax before dinner
Over an ancient Roman Feast with guest chef Maureen Fant, Professor Ulrich continues the theme of Augustan Rome.
Day 6: Excursion to the Castelli Romani
Off we go with Inge Weustink to the Castelli Romani, where we will learn about the perpetual battles of power led by the most important Roman
feudatory families and visit important archaeological ruins amid the breathtaking beauty of the villages nestled around the crater of the Vulcano Laziale.
Evening on your own
Day 7: Excursion to Anagni
Traveling a bit further afield today with Inge Weustink, we explore the medieval gem, Anagni, a Latium historical and artistic center that served as the
Papal residence in the Middle Ages.
Day 8: Sino-Roman Relations
Morning on your own
In the afternoon, we will visit the beautiful Hua Yi Si Buddhist Temple, a place of prayer and worship that serves as a cultural bridge between East and West.
Over a Chinese feast prepared by guest chef Thiam Seong Yong, Professor Gabriele Tola will contribute to our understanding of the fascinating history of the
relationship between the Roman and Chinese empires that facilitated economic, cultural, and diplomatic relations for thousands of years that continue to the
present day.
Day 9: Departures
Today, we say ‘arrivederci’ to each other, taking home wonderful memories of our time together in the Eternal City.
Activity Details:
Walk 2-4 miles per day, often on unpaved, uneven, possibly muddy terrain and cobblestones, with numerous staircases and occasional
long walks from the motorcoach drop-off sites. Light hiking shoes are required for some excursions.
The average daily temperature in Rome in June ranges from 17°C (63°F) to 29°C (85°F), with cooler mornings and evenings and higher afternoon
temperatures with humidity. It rarely rains, but when it does, it pours, and we recommend an umbrella/rain poncho, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat for tours.
PROGRAM LEADERS & GUEST
Inge Weustink
Program Leader
Classicist, Jubilee Program Leader and
Micheline and Warren Myers Director of the Dr. Helen Pope Lyceum
Besides her interest in Greek and Latin literature, Inge has a special interest in archaeology, particularly in Roman wall painting and
speleoarchaeology. As a member of Sotterranei di Roma, she loves to explore tunnels, cisterns, aqueducts, quarries, and other man-made
underground spaces. Inge came to Rome in 2002, where she first taught Greek and Latin at Trinity College Rome Campus and the University of California.
Since 2013, she has worked at St Stephen's School as a Classics teacher. She is also Director of the Dr. Helen Pope Lyceum,
the St Stephen's Institute for Greek and Roman Culture.
Maureen B. Fant
Author, historian, chef
A New York City native living in Rome, Maureen is an internationally recognized cookbook author, food writer, translator, and published classicist.
Her Sauces & Shapes: Pasta the Italian Way won an International Association of Culinary Professionals award and was a James Beard Foundation
award finalist. Encyclopedia of Pasta, which she translated, won a James Beard for research. Cognoscenti regards Dictionary of Italian Cuisine as the
authoritative book on the subject. Her articles have appeared in The NY Times, The Times of London, Gourmet, and Saveur, among others. She wrote
the Rome volume in Williams-Sonoma’s Foods of the World Series and authored the classic sourcebook Women’s Life in Greece and Rome.
Professor Cristiana Filippini
Art Historian
Professor Filippini is an art historian specializing in medieval art. She earned her PhD andMA from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore,
and her Italian degree (Laurea in Lettere in History of Art) from the University of Florence, Italy. Her primary field of research is
medieval art in Rome, while her research and teaching interests also include 17th-century art in Rome, women’s presence in the art
of Rome, and museum history in Rome. She has given several papers and published articles on the subject of Roman art of the Middle
Ages. Her current project is a book on narrative strategies in hagiographic painting of the medieval Papal city. Cristiana
currently teaches art history at Trinity College, Rome Campus.
Professor Daniele Garrone
Pastor, Old Testament Scholar
Professor Garrone is an Italian Waldensian Protestant biblical scholar and pastor. He is one of the leading experts on the Old Testament in Italy.
He has been president of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy (FCEI) since October 2021.
Professor Roger B. Ulrich
Archaeologist
Professor Ulrich taught Roman Archaeology and Latin at Dartmouth for thirty-five years and directed the Classics Department's Rome Foreign Study Program
in Italy from 1991 to 2022. His research interests have focused on Roman architecture and the technologies of ancient Greece and Rome. In addition to scholarly
articles, his published books include Roman Woodworking (Yale 2007) and A Companion to Roman Architecture (editor and contributor, Blackwell 2014).
He is currently working on a book about the Roman port city of Ostia Antica. He has consulted for the Department of Defense on devising training strategies
and materials for troops in the Middle East to help avoid damage to archaeological sites. He maintains a website on the history and sculptural program of the
Column of Trajan in Rome (www.trajans-column.org) and online image databases of Roman portraiture and Roman building techniques.
Professor Gabriele Tola
Sinologist
Gabriele Tola, Ph.D. (2016), formerly JSPS postdoctoral fellow at Kansai University, is a research associate at the Istituto Italiano Di Studi Orientali,
Sapienza University of Rome. He has published articles on Chinese lexicography and missionary linguistics in international journals, such as Monumenta Serica.
Thiam Seong Yong
Restaurateur
Mr. Yong, of Malaysian-Chinese descent, is a longtime restaurateur and the owner of Ristorante Court Delicati on Viale Aventino in Rome.
He is also the proud father of two St. Stephen’s graduates, Michelle (Class of 2013) and Giorgio (Class of 2019)
