ROME (AP) — For centuries, the Baths of Caracalla served as an ornate retreat where ancient Romans gathered for relaxation, healing, and social connection near the iconic Colosseum.
This past Sunday, the historic site offered a similar sanctuary to Palestinian children and their families who fled Gaza for life-saving medical treatment through Italy’s humanitarian corridor initiative.
“We brought families with children so they could experience visiting an ancient archaeological site,” Luisa delle Fratte, a tour guide in the group Guides for Gaza, told The Associated Press. “We also offered them a snack, some games and moments of social interaction and togetherness.”
Italian families wandered throughout the expansive ruins, many relaxing on the grass under the warm spring sunshine. The Palestinian families, all currently living in Rome, seamlessly joined the peaceful atmosphere — following their guide and interpreter, capturing photos against the ancient backdrop, and watching water fountains cascade from a modern reflecting pool. Event organizers designed the outing to offer relief from ongoing medical procedures and painful war memories.
“I was injured and lost my ability to speak, as well as mobility and normal function in my hand and leg,” 13-year-old Ahmed Skena said, struggling to string together his words. He haltingly added that he also lost his father and brother in the war.
Mariam Dawwas, 25, attended with her husband and four young children, one of whom is ill. They wound up in Italy after being displaced over 10 times.
“Thank God, I am still in a better situation than in Gaza, away from the bombing. At least I am safe, I have shelter, and there is light for my children,” she said.
Several families at Caracalla on Sunday had known each other back in Gaza but hadn’t reunited since their evacuation, explained Delle Fratte from Guides for Gaza, an organization established last year in Umbria and Tuscany that recently extended operations to Naples and Rome.
“It was very beautiful to see them there embracing again and meeting one another once more,” she said.
During the Palestinian families’ visit to the archaeological site, additional guides conducted tours for Italian visitors who made donations supporting Gazelle, a charity focused on child protection initiatives in the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza conflict started with a 2023 Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, during which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. More than 72,000 Palestinians have died since the war’s beginning, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between combatants and civilians. The ministry, operating under the Hamas-led government, keeps comprehensive casualty documentation that U.N. agencies and independent experts consider generally credible.
