The Most Unusual Way I've Shared Passion for Italy

This post is a little out of the ordinary. I thought I’d share with you the most unusual (I won’t say most unique because that’s not a correct use of the word, but you know what I mean) way I have shared my passion for Italy. 

Guiding in Florence, or teaching Renaissance history in the US, is always fulfilling, but I think when I taught this topic in Qatar it was the most fulfilling. Certainly, the most unlikely. 

Let’s quickly look at a few Italy-obsessed aspects of my life that occurred before the unlikely event of teaching Renaissance history to young Qatari men in Qatar.

Italy first entranced me in the 1980s when I was a teen, backpacking around Europe. I returned to Italy the next year to attend school in Florence and to learn Italian.

In the 1990s I led teenagers on summer trips to Italy for an exchange organization, and then in 1998, I organized my wedding in Florence and that same year started planning trips for people traveling to Italy. Soon, a wedding planning fell into my lap.

Six years later, I got a master’s in Florentine Renaissance history, and after teaching at colleges in the US, I landed in Qatar.  

I had to mostly teach US history (not my thing) at the college in Qatar, but I convinced my boss to let me do a special topics class on the Renaissance for summer school. 

And these Qatari guys, who mostly couldn’t place Florence and Rome on a map (sorry guys, you have other qualities) and who had very little exposure to “the great liberal arts” of western civ, became converts.  

They started quoting the pope and Michelangelo:

“When will you finish?” 

“When I can.” 

And they showed up with desserts from a French bakery that they hoped were Italian, and with pizza.

The video is a nice microcosm of the macro scene in Qatar. Many speak English extremely well. Some are a little more halting. The vast majority opt for traditional attire. A few choose western clothes for college attendance or other outings but still must wear traditional attire for important functions.

The culture focuses on respect and these are the politest college students I’ve ever taught.

They are also the loveliest men I’ve ever met. No one believes me when I say this. Perhaps the video will demonstrate it better than my words. 

My travels have shown me that average people can be more successful at promoting goodwill across borders than governments can and that the more we set aside bias and truly get to know people around the world, the less chance there is of maligning them, and going to war against them.