Il melting pot romano: pluralismo culturale nella città eterna - The Roman Melting Pot: Cultural Pluralism in the Eternal City

The aim of this essay is to emphasize the long-term tradition of Rome as a city that was open to foreigners. This is also a theme that recurs in the Bible and the works of mercy, one of the central aspects of which was lodging pilgrims/strangers. For example, the book of Leviticus emphasizes the duty of receiving foreigners in a fraternal way within the walls of one’s own city: “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:33–34, NRSV). The presence of foreigners had been sought by the Church since the High Middle Ages in order to create a strong link between itself and different ethnic groups, and in the modern age because it was thought the mere sight of holy Rome was enough to convert non-Catholic visitors.