February 2014 – DEV – The Umbra Institute – Study Abroad in Italy

Siena's Piazza del Campo, site of Il Palio. — Piazza del Campo, site of *Il Palio*.

While studying abroad, Umbra students have a multitude of opportunities to learn first-hand about the customs and traditions of Italy. To add historical context to some of these experiences, students enrolled in Umbra course SOIT 360: Contemporary Italy, Culture, Society, and Trends gain deeper insight into Italian culture by exploring events, trends and social phenomena.

Siena’s Palio is one such tradition studied in class. Il Palio, medieval in origins, is a bareback horse race that takes place twice yearly in Siena’s central piazza, Piazza del Campo. Participating riders represent 10 of Siena’s 17 contrade, or neighborhoods, each jockey wearing the colors of their contrada. While this event occurs only on July 2^nd and August 16^th, preparations last all year, and include discussion of strategies, commitments by jockeys, and the commissioning of the silk banner that will go to the winning contrada. It must follow specific iconography: a Madonna, the insignia of the city, and the colors or symbols of the participating contrade. During the week leading up to the event a lottery is held to determine the horse that will run for each contrada, preparations are made in the Piazza del Campo – including an addition of a layer of dirt to form the race track – and blessing of the horses and jockeys are held. After months of preparations and pageantry, the Palio begins- three laps around the piazza, typically lasting under 90 seconds.

While Contemporary Italy students won’t have an opportunity to witness the Palio during their semester with Umbra, they did have the chance to visit Siena earlier this month and see where it all takes place, including a rare, private tour of one of Siena’s historic contrade, L’Aquila, or the Eagle. Established in the Middle Ages to supply military troops to the city, the contrade have become the embodiments of local patriotism and civic pride. Each contains their own baptismal font, museum, and fountain, and additionally has allies and adversaries amongst the other contrade.

Visiting the Aquila museum, students were surrounded by yellow, trimmed with blue and black (the contrada colors) and representations of a double-headed black eagle holding a sword, orb and scepter. These displays of local pride included the silk banners that the Aquila contrada won through their 24 official victories, the oldest of which dates to 1719 and is also the oldest surviving banner of Siena. After walking its cobbled streets and speaking to local Sienese, Umbra’s students left with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the impact that the contrade and Palio have on the daily lives and traditions of Siena.

Students visit the contrada museum of L'Aquila. — Students visit the *contrada* museum of *L’Aquila*.

On an early Friday morning, 12 students braved the light rain and wind to walk in the footsteps of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. Led by Prof. Adrian Hoch, the students in HSWS 380: Saints, Sinners, and Harlots journeyed to Assisi to experience first-hand the art and history surrounding these important figures.

The trip started with a visit to the Porziuncola (a church within a church) at Santa Maria degli Angeli, where the Franciscan movement began when Saint Francis received his vocation. This was followed by a visit to the churches of San Damiano and Santa Chiara, which were important historical sites in the life of Saint Clare.

At San Rufino, a kindly nun invited the students and Prof. Hoch to view the oratory where St. Francis and his followers had prayed in the early days of the order. This was quite a unique experience as it was the first time that Prof. Hoch, in her many years as an instructor, had ever seen the oratory.

After an extended and well-deserved lunch, the students and Prof. Hoch were back in action at the last stop on the trip: the famous Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. Led through the fresco-covered lower basilica, down to the solemn crypt of Saint Francis, and concluding in the expansive upper basilica, the students saw the past come to life in one afternoon.

IMG_2038_LOGO — In front of the peaceful San Damiano monastery

The sun was shining this past Saturday on the picturesque village of Panzano-in-Chianti, as the Umbra Institute’s STFS 330: Sustainability and Food Production in Italy class, accompanied by Professor Elisa Ascione, enjoyed a stroll through the countryside and an astonishing twelve-course meal at Macelleria Cecchini, Dario Cecchini’s world-renowned butcher shop!

The Sustainability class pose with Dario in front of his "To Beef or Not To Beef" mural — The Sustainability class pose with Dario in front of his “To Beef or Not To Beef” mural

The day began with a hike through Chianti’s storied vineyards, throughout which Professor Ascione described the fascinating history of the region and its people.

After working up quite the appetite, the class entered Macelleria Cecchini to the sounds of Black Sabbath and the smell of freshly-baked bread. There they were met by the inimitable Dario Cecchini himself. A fourth-generation butcher, Dario’s family has had its shop in the same building for over 200 years.

Recently, Dario has taken it upon himself to bring more sustainable practices to his business, such as raising his cows in their natural habitat in Spain and serving his customers all cuts of meat – not just the “choice” ones.

The Sustainability class experienced this “waste nothing” philosophy in action as they dug into a meal Cecchini calls “La Vacca Interna” – “The Whole Cow,” a carnivorous extravaganza featuring 12 cuts of beef prepared in different ways, and finished with cake, coffee, and a question from Dario: “To beef or not to beef?”

Umbra’s BSFS 380: The Business of Wine: Italy and Beyond explores the business and marketing of wine, with particular focus on U.S. markets, combined with a service learning component that allows for real world experience through a partnership with a local Umbrian company.

This semester, Umbra will be continuing its partnership with Goretti Winery, a 3^rd and 4^th generation, family-run winery located in nearby Pila. From the cultivation of the grapes to production of their wines, the Goretti family is committed to creating the highest quality products for their customers. Their goal is to continue building their business in various markets abroad, especially within the United States.

Umbra's Business of Wine class poses with members of the Goretti family during their Community Engagement field trip to Goretti Vineyards. — Umbra’s Business of Wine class poses with members of the Goretti family during their field trip to Goretti Vineyards.

To assist Goretti in obtaining this goal, Umbra students will be completing a marketing analysis of Goretti competitors, potential pricing competition, selling points and communication strategies. Informed by classroom lectures, readings and a company visit, participants will develop marketing plans for Goretti’s Sagrantino di Montefalco wine; and will present their findings and recommendations to Goretti representatives at the end of the semester.

“Over the course of this semester, my goal with this service learning experience is to gain a more well-rounded understanding of a business,” commented Virginia Commonwealth University alumni, Ashley Patino. “Umbra’s partnership with Goretti will provide the perfect opportunity to gain that experience hands-on.”

“During our recent field trip to Goretti, we had the chance to see firsthand the work, tradition and care put into every single bottle,” added Connecticut College student Heather Rochford. “After that experience, I see more than just a bottle of wine, and that will impact my service learning projects link to the winery.”

The Umbra Institute is committed to creating innovative international education opportunities for students, allowing for immersion into the local community. Service learning at Umbra links critical thinking and academic coursework with personal reflection and collaboration with the local community. Participation allows students to become active participants in their learning, both in and outside of the classroom.

The Umbra Institute is proud to introduce the first edition of the Trasimeno Archaeology Field School, a curricular concentration which provides students with a comprehensive overview of up-to-date theories and methods of archaeological research and fieldwork, as applied to the civilizations that shaped the history and culture of central Italy.

The Trasimeno Archaeological Field School is based in the medieval town of Castiglione del Lago, on the southwestern shores of Lake Trasimeno, only a few miles from Perugia and on the border between Umbria and Tuscany. Recent surveys of the land have indicated the presence of a rich archaeological site encompassing a Roman building as well as Etruscan tombs.

The Field School consists of two courses held during the Umbra Institute’s General Studies Summer Session: an archeology practicum (ARFW 350: Archaeological Field Workshop) and an optional theoretical course on archeological campaigns in central Italy (ARCL 340: Archaeology in Central Italy: The Etruscan and Roman Legacy). The inaugural group of students will be trained by professional archaeological staff and attend lectures on the methods of excavating, recording, and interpreting. Field trips to other historic sites and museums will contribute to the overall learning experience.

Archaeology Field Workshop Professor Giampiero Bevagna explains the unique opportunity central Italy offers archaeology students: “We are exploring in chronological sequence almost 2000 years of cultural development. The excavation in Castiglione allows us to analyze layer by layer the most important civilizations that shaped the history of central Italy: from the mysterious Etruscans to the Romans, up to the medieval era. Digging in Castiglione will be just like reading a forgotten book of history.”

For more information visit the Archaeology Field School page

Accademia_agreement Umbra academic director dott. Burzacca and Accademia director dott. Belardi.

The Umbra Institute has signed an exchange agreement with Perugia’s school of fine arts, the Accademia di Belle Arti “Pietro Vannucci”. As a result, Umbra students will be able to enroll in courses covering an incredible variety of artistic disciplines, such as painting, drawing, industrial design, and even marble sculpture and metal working.

Accademia students will enjoy access to world-renown faculty as well as a majority Italian student body, allowing for the improvement of language skills in a practical setting. As part of the agreement, Italian students from the Accademia will also have the possibility of enrolling in Umbra courses to internationalize their curricula.

The Accademia is centrally-located just down the street from

s francesco 2 (6) copy — San Francesco al Prato, home of the Accademia di Belle Arti.

Umbra’s own photography, painting, and fresco facilities

in one of Perugia’s most famous buildings, San Francesco al Prato. The school was founded in 1573 as the Accademia del Disegno and is the second-oldest school of fine arts in Italy.