New College's Old Members travel to Rome for alumni weekend

Last week, almost 150 Old Members of New College travelled to Rome to enjoy three days of classical history, Renaissance masterpieces, and sublime food.

The British Ambassador to Italy, The Rt Hon Lord Edward Llewellyn OBE (1984 Modern Languages), kindly hosted a drinks reception and dinner in the ballroom of his splendid Ambassador’s Residence to begin the weekend. The balmy Italian evening was perfect for enjoying a performance of Menotti’s The Telephone by Alaw Evans, Benjamin Gilchrist and Luke Mitchell of the New Chamber Opera, produced by Michael Burden. A delicious seasonal three-course dinner followed, including a main course of turbot, which was a delicacy of the Roman Empire.

Saturday began with tours of the Villa Medici, created in its current form by the powerful Medici banking family in the sixteenth century based on a small dwelling in a vineyard. That afternoon, everyone stepped even further back in time with a visit to the Domus Aurea, a vast complex created by Emperor Nero after a fire destroyed much of central Rome in 64 AD. The ‘Golden House’ was only rediscovered in the late 1400s, after Nero’s successors covered over the palace and grounds in embarrassment at its excess.

By the evening everyone had worked up a considerable appetite, and was eager to visit local restaurant Settimio All’Arancio, with its renowned traditional cooking. Particular highlights included the classics of Roman cuisine carciofi alla giudia and cacio e pepe, with a decadent tiramisù to pick everyone up at the end.  

The weekend rounded off on Sunday with guided tours of the Galleria Borghese, a jewel box filled with paintings, sculptures and antiques. The Bernini sculptures, displayed in the rooms for which they had been carved, were particularly striking.

Thank you to all Old Members who joined this wonderful trip. In autumn 2024 the New College Society and New College Development Office will be organising another European weekend, in Berlin. Alumni will be contacted with more information nearer the time.