Il Sacro e Il Profano

 

"Profanity is the treatment of the sacred with contempt"

 

Italy is a country in which the sacred and profane constantly interact. Piazzas dedicated to martyrs and saints fill with foreign drunkards on the weekends and graffiti cover the intricate and ancient architecture.  This dual aspect of Italy is thoroughly endearing. Well…almost. Today as we lay on Ostia beach with the sun massaging our backs and the ocean serenading us, my trance was broken by “Ayy Americana, Bella, Coconut, Acqua, Birra?” to which we politely refused. However a few minutes later we realized we would never escape the continuous hollers of “Sunglasses? Two for 5?” “Towel! 10 Euro!” “Bracelets!” Finally our group was so tired of this that one of the girls did the Jenna Marbles pterodactyl...you know, the move you do to freak people out enough so that they’ll leave you alone? It begins with a SCREEEEEEEECH and is accompanied by floppy arm movements and hisses. She did this for about 20 seconds until the guy just ended up smiling and walking away very confused.

While this might be a funny story, there is a tragic undertone to it all. It was heartbreaking to see the young Indonesian men trudging through the scalding sand to make a few euros. It was even more gut-wrenching to see them mocked and yelled at by the annoyed tourists bathing in the sun. This image jolted my memory of similar encounters with immigrants in Italy. After a night of partying, I remember dark-skinned mothers with their babies sleeping outside churches. I remember the exhausted night bus drivers and passengers going home after work at 3 a.m. It was a big awakening to see the same struggles, discrimination, and prejudice that are present in the ghettos of Orlando. Even in a country of pleasure, beauty, aesthetic overflow, and history, we must not forget those cleaning its streets, wiping its toilets, cooking in the kitchen, and running its transportation. Let's pray that this sacred country stops treating its own hallowed inhabitants with contempt; let's hope that Italy will continue the mission set out by the saints and apostles commemorated in every street corner, piazza, and building.