October 2012 – Page 2 – DEV – The Umbra Institute – Study Abroad in Italy

Over sangria and snacks, more than 50 Italians and Americans bonded over linguistic and cultural quirks during Umbra’s third successful Tandem of the fall semester at il Birraio Wednesday evening.

Tandem is a semimonthly event that brings Umbra Institute students and local Italians together to practice their respective languages, compare cultural practices, and forge friendships in an informal setting. From the very beginner to the very advanced, the language ability varies for both the Italian and American participants, making for an ideal exchange.

“(Tandem) is a great opportunity to practice my Italian, meet people from around here, and learn what it’s actually like to be Italian and to be immersed in the culture,” said Umbra student Genoveffa Morway, a frequent attendee of Tandem.

While students may have initially clung to their newly-formed American friend groups during the first Tandem on Sept. 12, by Wednesday, they were confidently mingling with their new Italian associates, chatting about last weekend– many students went to Oktoberfest – and making plans for the future.

Due to October’s full schedule with mid-term exams and fall break, the next Tandem will be held at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at il Birraio.

Umbra students participating in the UNICEF volunteer opportunity are well on their way to completing their handmade Pigotta dolls for adoption. Each doll that is adopted buys vaccinations for at risk children in other countries.

For two hours each Monday, students from the Umbra Insitute and Italian students from the Università di Perugia come together to sew their dolls and practice their Italian and English. Each doll takes on a unique personality with help from local Italian women heading the project. Students enjoy volunteering for a good cause and meeting members of the community. On Monday, October 1^st, everyone finished drawing faces on their dolls and began sewing on hair.

Each student makes one doll and later in the semester will help sell them during the Mercato di Natale (the Christmas Market).

The Pigotta Project was started in Milan in 1988 and continues to support UNICEF’s immunization program.

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

CLICK HERE TO APPLY NOW!

As college sophomores and juniors in the United States march deeper into the fall semester, they are narrowing down where to study abroad in the spring. The Umbra Institute has extended its application deadline for the spring 2013 semester. The sooner students apply, the sooner they can begin the visa application process and start preparing for an unforgettable semester in Italy with Umbra.

Located in the medieval hilltop city of Perugia, Italy, the Umbra Institute offers many courses on a variety of subjects, from authentic fresco painting to politics and economics of the European Union, in addition to academic internships, work Co-Ops, independent research, community engagement activities, and a Direct Enrollment program that allows students to immerse themselves fully in the Italian language.

For more information about the Umbra Institute, continue to browse the home page or email [email protected].

Food-Studies-Program--Dario-Cecchini Umbra Institute

“Sono Dario Cecchini, e ho duecentocinquant’anni (I’m Dario Cecchini, and I’m 250 years old),” joked Dario Cecchini, whom the LA Times calls “the most famous butcher in the world.” Students taking the course on Sustainable Food Production in Italy at the Umbra Institute students laughed at Cecchini’s depiction of the longevity of his family’s butcher business in Panzano in Chianti. The small town in the hills south of Florence is the home of Cecchini, who tries, with his butcher shops and two restaurants, to make meat that’s a little more sustainable. While “local” is the latest fashion in food, Cecchini has a more nuanced view: “We should raise animals where there’s pasture, not necessarily next to our houses. There’s a lot of energy wasted in transporting oats and corn to zero-kilometer cows, more than it would be to transport the meat afterwards. Every animal should have a good life, a death that’s as merciful as possible, and a butcher who knows how to use every scrap.”

Scrap hardly: students, after meeting Cecchini and going on a bracing two-mile hike, sat down to a sumptuous meal. Cecchini draws on peasant tradition–one that saw eating everything, “not just the tenderloin and steaks”–but feels free to reinterpret Tuscan food for today. The course, taught by Professor Zachary Nowak, is one of three that make up the Food Studies Program.

For more information, see the Program’s description or watch the video on the Food Study Program’s Chianti Field Trip.