AUR Students and Staff Visit Russia
By: Paul Scaglia, Class of 2006

This April The American University of Rome had the opportunity to visit the old Soviet Union cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow. The trip was organized by Stefano Stoppaccioli from AUR Student Services, Nicoletta Cicconi from AUR administration, and along with the help of Maria Anisimova, a Russian AUR student, we had a great time in Russia.

Before we left Italy, we (23 in all) had to get two passport photos taken, fill out a two page visa application and send our passports off to the Russian consulate here in Rome. The Visa application had questions like if we had military experience, ever been in combat, and to list all the countries we had visited in the last ten years.

Upon arrival in St. Petersburg we visited the city at night and then the next morning we went to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ - also known as the Savior on the Spilled Blood. The church has over 7,000 square meters of mosaics by 32 different artists and was erected on the very spot where Alexander II, the Emperor of Russia, was mortally wounded on 1 March, 1881.The building is modeled on the style of the famous Cathedral of St. Basil’s in Red Square in Moscow which we also visited.

Later we visited The Hermitage Museum which is located next to the Neva River and is also known as the Winter Palace, which was the home of the Russian Tsars. To me, the Winter Palace is a good example of the uneven distribution of wealth in Russian society, as also can be found with many other countries, present and past.

The next night the group departed on an overnight train to Moscow. The trains were comfortable and the journey to Moscow on an overnight train to Moscow was very exciting. Upon arrival in Moscow we traveled through the beautiful and ornately decorated Metro stops of the Moscow subway system. With marble staircases and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, it was one of if not the most beautiful subway systems I have been on.

During our stay in Moscow we visited the Kremlin Museum and toured Red Square. It was very interesting to be in the same spot that I had seen on TV so many times while growing up during the cold war. One of the best things about studying at The American University of Rome is the ability to see first-hand the historical places that you read about.

After touring Red Square and the Kremlin, the next day I visited the tomb of Lenin and saw his embalmed body. It was a surreal experience to see a man that looked like a mannequin being surrounded by several soldiers of the Russian military.

From the beautiful canals and cathedrals of St. Petersburg, to the magnificent squares and monuments in the capital of the former Soviet Union, the trip to Russia was one of the best trips I have taken while here at AUR.

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