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# 62 • JUNE 12 , 2015
the beach. So, we skipped the
parade in the historic center to
meet with them before 11am
at the Roma Ostia Lido Train
Station. The train was packed
and it seemed like everyone in
Rome was headed to the coast. I had been to Ostia before,
but Eleonora took us to the last
stop of the train at Cristoforo
Colombo to avoid the huge
crowd that would gather at the
Lido. From there, we hopped
on a bus that took us further
south. The free beach of Ostia
is divided into 9 “cancelli”, or
gates that lead into the sandy
beaches. We stopped at Ostia
Cancello 3 and spent several
hours there celebrating Festa
della Repubblica right alongside of Italians.
So, these might be two different holidays, but much to my
Being in Italy on Festa della Re- surprise, they are celebrated
pubblica did not seem much much the same way.
different to me than being in
the United States on Indepen- Jared Famularo
dence Day. Eleonora and Do- Italian and Business Major
mizia, two full-time Italian JCU JCU Study Abroad Summer
students, guided a group of 2015
study abroad students, inclu- Florida State University
ding myself, to the beach. Ele- Class of 2017
onora told us that we would Alpha, New Jersey
need to leave early because
everyone would be going to
46 | WE THE ITALIANS
www.wetheitalians.com