Notre Dame Rome Students Support Landmark Translation Project at the Parco Archeologico del Celio | News | Notre Dame Rome

group pic — From left to right: Dr. Caterina Papi, Sophia Bienko, Prof. Jim Schwarten, Ella Yates and Kaliana Stalboerger.

Four students studying abroad during the Fall 2025 at Notre Dame Rome, Ella Yates, Caroline Costigan, Sophia Bienko, and Kaliana Stalboerger, have been contributing their time and linguistic expertise to an ambitious translation initiative that brings ancient history to a broader audience in support of the collaboration between Notre Dame Rome and the Parco Archeologico del Celio and Forma Urbis Museum.

The partnership, formalized in 2024 between Notre Dame Rome and the Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali, centers on the Forma Urbis Museum and Parco Archeologico del Celio, located in Rome’s Celio district. The museum preserves the remaining fragments of the Forma Urbis Romae—a monumental marble map of ancient Rome engraved between 203 and 211 AD—as well as an important collection of epigraphic slabs and pillars from antiquity. In its first phase, the project focuses on producing new explanatory materials for the museum’s epigraphic collection. Students from the Department of Ancient Sciences at Sapienza University have been working on preparing the initial Italian texts under the supervision of archeologist-epigraphist Dr. Caterina Papi, one of Notre Dame Rome’s Rome Associates alongside Francesca de Caprariis.

From there, Notre Dame Rome students step in. Under the direction of Professor James Schwarten, the Notre Dame volunteers are translating the curated Italian texts into English. Their translations will support both the museum’s digital presence and a forthcoming print catalogue, ensuring that international visitors and scholars can access updated, high-quality content about the collection. Each participating student will be credited for their work when the materials are published.

“Working on the Forma Urbis translation project has been an incredibly unique opportunity,” comments Ella Yates from the Rome International Scholars program, “especially since we had the chance to visit the museum earlier in the semester as a part of our All Roads Lead to Rome course. Being able to contribute to the English translations for pieces in the museum has allowed me to see the practical value of my Latin knowledge and other foreign language skills in being able to connect ancient Rome to modern scholarship and make Rome's history more accessible for people today.”

“I translated four Latin inscriptions and their corresponding Italian descriptions into English, using the Italian knowledge I have gained in class both on campus and in Rome as well as previous Latin knowledge,” adds Kaliana Stalboerger from the School of Architecture. “I have been very glad to be involved in this project and to both participate in and contribute to the study of Rome's rich history more personally through my translations.”

The students’ contributions speak to Notre Dame Rome’s commitment to cultivating immersive, community-engaged learning experiences that strengthen ties between the university and the cultural institutions of the city. The collaboration also deepens Notre Dame’s involvement in advancing public scholarship on ancient Rome—an effort strengthened by the leadership of Rome Associates Francesca de Caprariis and Dr. Caterina Papi.

As the translation work progresses, the project promises not only to enhance the accessibility of the Forma Urbis Museum’s collections, but also to offer participating students a unique role in preserving and interpreting Rome’s ancient heritage.