Kent alumna Julia Peters (Woolf 2013), a graduate from the MA in Roman History and Archaeology, will be walking 1,200 miles from Canterbury to Rome in less than 80 days.
Alongside conducting research on mobility in the Roman Empire, Julia hopes her journey will help promote the ‘Via Francigena’, the ancient pilgrim route running from France to Rome, and the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, whilst also connecting the University’s Canterbury campus with its Rome centre. Two years ago, Julia, who will begin a PhD in Classical and Archaeological Studies in September 2015, walked over 800 kilometers on the Camino Santiago pilgrimage in Spain: ‘It was such a wonderful experience that I’m now committed to spreading the word about these amazing Cultural Routes’.
Julia’s own research will be made in conjunction with the research of Professor Ray Laurence, from the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies.
She has been blogging about her journey, and aims to write about the history, architecture, food and art she encounters as she walks from England, across France, over the Swiss Alps, and then down Italy to Rome. Other Kent students and alumni from Kent’s European Centres will join Julia for sections of her walk, which will take place from 21 March to June, and will contribute to her blog, presenting their own experiences of the route.
Her project has received support from the Kent Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities (KIASH).