Month: December 2006

We’ve always said that Perugia, known as Italy’s “university town,” is an eclectic and cosmopolitan city – and offers a great home for students wishing to study abroad in Italy.

But we’re not the only ones saying this! The recent release of MTV’s guidebook for travelers and students abroad gives Perugia some high honors. MTV Italy calls Perugia one of the “Best College Towns,” citing the “young, international vibe that reigns on the medieval streets of Perugia.”

In addition to that accolade, a Perugia landmark was included among the “Best Piazzas for Hanging Out.” Sure, everyone heads to St. Mark’s square in Venice, the Campo de Fiori in Rome, but MTV has included Perugia’s Piazza IV Novembre among the best places to observe Italian life.

“Perugia is a wonderful little world where cultures and countries collide and coexist in an enchanting city whose roots go back to Etruscan times.” We agree – and the city of Perugia provides the perfect backdrop to a semester of immersion into Italian culture.

To learn more about studying at the Umbra Institute in Perugia, visit our website or email us for more information, [email protected].

In photo, Italians relax on the steps leading to Perugia’s duomo, facing Piazza IV Novembre. Le scalette, as Perugians refer to them, are a central meeting point for students.

Every semester Umbra students protest that they have no talents, and yet every semester we of the staff are shocked at just how gifted they are. Last Thursday’s Spettacolo di Fine Corso (End of Semester Show, the talent show) was no different. Leading off the bill were Jen Dirviankis and Richella Hankins; the latter sang “The Light in the Piazza” while the former provided a beautiful musical accompaniment on the piano. After that was a riotous dance that had students cheering, featuring Jen Cacace, Caroline Hughes, Sam Patalano, and Mallory Miller. John Turns, Umbra’s own Eddie Vedder, was up next and wowed the crowd as he belted out a love song medley. Turns was followed by Melissa Smith Mallery, Lizzie Raymer, and Julia Behar, who sang a song to one of the friends they had made during the program.

The show wound up with some more institutional “acts,” which included awards for students in the Italian classes, as well as some staff-awarded “superlatives.” The show closed with a lively round of “Mauro The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” lead by staff member Mauro Renna (whose last name means “reindeer” in Italian).

Yesterday evening, December 5th, was the Umbra Institute’s thrice-annual Student Art Exposition. Refreshments were served while student artists talked about their pieces with other students, faculty, staff and (a pleasant surprise!) a respectable number of visitors from the community.
One room was dedicated to photography where the students explained the variety of techniques they had learned this semester (contact printing, sepia toning, hand-coloring).
The other large aula, on the other hand, was dedicated to painting and drawing, and had the standard still-lifes as well as a number of landscapes and other Perugia scenes. There was the cheery atmosphere of a Parisian vernissage inside, a perfect end to an enjoyable and artistic semester.