Alexandra Moran on Starting JYAN in Italy

I am studying abroad at the Villa le Balze in Florence, Italy this fall. I have studied Italian for two years and am living with a host family downtown, while taking classes at the Villa. Florence is in Tuscany, right in the middle of Italy, and my host parents both come from a Catholic upbringing. However, they don't regularly attend church and wouldn't call themselves particularly religious, at least not in terms of organized religion. Today, in a country of 60.6 million people, Catholics make up 87.8% of the population. However, only 36.8% of Italians consider themselves practicing Catholics and only 30.8% attend Church every Sunday. Organized religion is also far stronger in the South or rural areas of Italy than in the North or urban areas. As the capital of the Roman Empire, Rome became the new capital of the Catholic Church after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Since then, Italy has been a major center for Christian pilgrimage. However, there's a notable contrast between the beautiful churches that line the streets of Florence and the motos ridden by young people that zip around these churches. This semester, I will explore what religion means to everyday Italians, taking into account the influence of recent North African and Eastern European immigration. I will discuss Berlusconi's relationship with the pope, the extraordinary church art in Italy, the sovereignty of the Vatican, superstitions in Italy, different religious festivals and various holy places throughout the country.