News and Blog

Students and Prof. Hoch in front of the Cenacolo, after having seen Pope Francis

Umbra’s AHST 371: Leonardo da Vinci: Artist, Genius, and Scientist students recently visited Florence and Milan for an art history tour led by Prof. Adrian S. Hoch. During a warm sunny weekend, the students visited the Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio in Florence before heading to Milan.

The visit to Milan started like any other, with a visit to Castello Sforzesco and the sculpture museum. However, the students were met with an unexpected surprise on their way to Santa Maria delle Grazie: the Pope passed by in the Pope-mobile. Students joined the cheering crowd full of waving white and yellow banners to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis.

Many students viewed seeing the Pope as the highlight of their trip, though the day in Milan did not slow down from there. The class went on to see Leonardo’s famous Cenacolo (the Last Supper), and to tour the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Milano Cathedral, and the Church of San Gottardo.

Click here to learn more about Art History courses at the Umbra Institute.

Dr. Edoardo Bressanelli presented Brexit: The End of Freedom of Movement?: Key Actors and Policy Choices before and after the Referendum

Last night, Dr. Edoardo Bressanelli, a lecturer in European Politics and Director of the BA in European Studies and European Politics at King’s College London, came to the Umbra Institute to present Brexit: The End of Freedom of Movement?: Key Actors and Policy Choices before and after the Referendum. The presentation was organized for students of HSEU 340: History and Politics of the European Union, by Professor Maximiliano Lorenzi, and was open to the entire Umbra community.

Dr. Bressanelli explained how Brexit was viewed by three political party actors: Conservative, Labour, and UKIP, leading up to the Brexit vote in 2016. He also went into details about the process of implementing the Brexit, through the British parliament and up to tomorrow’s (29 March) invocation of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. The presentation covered the issues of EU and refugee migration and the common market. Dr. Bressanelli delved into public opinion in the United Kingdom and how the importance of the topic of migration quickly surpassed that of the economy in public debate, after David Cameron was reelected in 2015.

The Umbra community has taken great interest in Brexit proceedings as a number of students and professors attended the event. They listened attentively as Dr. Bressanelli concluded by describing a hard-Brexit; the different models that Norway and Switzerland currently use to relate to the EU; the EU political perspective on the importance of upcoming elections in France, Germany, and Italy; and ideas about avoiding EU dis-integration. Those in attendance asked questions to understand why the British had been so concerned by the NHS (National Health Service) during the Brexit vote, and what Europeans living in the UK can expect after Article 50 is triggered.

Dr. Bressanelli’s presentation was the second Brexit-centered event this semester. On March 16, UNIPG Master’s candidate, Dario Ipakchi, also gave a presentation on Brexit and shared his thesis research on Brexit in the Media. Ipakchi presented the main political actors of the Brexit vote, the viewpoints presented by both the Leave and Remain campaigns, and the perspective illustrated through British and Italian media coverage leading up to the Brexit vote in June 2016. Students stuck around long after the presentation ended in order to ask questions about the announcement of the Scottish Referendum, media distribution, and various political and social factors that may have ultimately influenced the Brexit decision.

Click here to learn more about Political Science courses offered by the Umbra Institute.

Can you imagine speaking only in a foreign language for two days? That is exactly what 80% of the courageous Umbra student body did this week. These students voluntarily participated in the SoloItaliano Challenge, a linguistic immersion initiative offered at the mid-point of each semester to encourage students to use their ever-improving Italian language skills.

Participants took this solemn oath on Tuesday morning, swearing in front of peers, professors, and Dante’s imposing bust, and then they donned their SoloItaliano bracelets. That night, Umbra offered a chance for the American students and their Italian peers to mingle at a screening of the Italian film, Perfetti Sconosciuti.
 
The challenge culminated at an Umbra Tandem on Wednesday night, where participants voted anonymously for the winners, those students who participated most honorably and to the best of their ability. Helen Perham (Clark University) and Rachel Tchen (Trinity University), both beginner students in intensive Italian courses, were given this honor. 

 “Although I was nervous to not be able to just talk to my friends, and there were a lot of silences, I found that I knew more words than I thought I did,” Helen (Italian 110) stated.  According to her, the best part of the challenge was the knowledge that she could have a conversation in Italian, even if she wasn’t perfect.

Rachel (Italian 110) commented, “ The most interesting part was trying to describe the word I was looking for in Italian, even if I didn’t have a translation app available; finding ways around words.” Both winners and other participants discussed their initial anxiety and the boost of confidence they felt as the challenge continued. Though the challenge has concluded, this confidence may carry on for the rest of their time abroad!

The SoloItaliano Challenge is a prime example of Umbra’s commitment to education through extra- and co-curricular activities that promote immersion and community engagement. To learn more about Umbra’s many academic programs and initiatives, Click Here!

Tandem Language Exchange

Students studying abroad in Italy can sometimes feel intimidated by the need to speak the Italian language. Knowing this, the Umbra Institute offers extra- and co-curricular activities to encourage students to engage with the community and practice their developing language skills throughout their semester abroad. Two of these cultural and linguistic immersion activities are the Tandem Language Exchange and the SoloItaliano Challenge.

What is Tandem?
Tandem is a bi-weekly event hosted specifically for American and Italian students in Perugia. At last night’s Tandem, students met at Umbrò to enjoy a light aperitivo while engaging in bilingual conversation. Discussions at these events often include comparisons of cultural practices, offering students an informal setting in which to forge friendships with their international peers.

What is the SoloItaliano Challenge?
The Spring 17 SoloItaliano Challenge will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday, March 21^st and 22^nd. Students of all Italian language levels will take a voluntary oath to speak only in Italian for two days. This immersive initiative is designed to push students to develop a deeper understanding of the local language and to step out of their comfort zone – without using English as a “fall-back” – as they learn to live and think in Italian. An Italian film night will coincide with this challenge, and the event will culminate with a Tandem at which students nominate the “winners,” or their peers who put forth the most effort during the challenge.

Click here to learn more about the Umbra Institute’s initiatives to encourage Italian language learning.

Representing Italy through Food is an intriguing collection of interdisciplinary essays that explores the significance of Italian food as a symbol of Italy. The book was recently published and was edited by Peter Naccarato (Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Marymount Manhattan College), Zachary Nowak (Associate Director of Umbra’s Food & Sustainability Studies Program), and Elgin K. Eckert (Professor at the Umbra Institute). It also features contributions from Umbra professors Antonella Valoroso and Ernesto Livorni. Additional contributors include Massimo Montanari and Ken Albala – keynote speakers for the 2012 edition of Food Conference Perugia, hosted by the Umbra Institute.

The book is separated into sections that address (re)presenting iconic Italy; representing Italy in literature and film; marketing, packaging, and advertising Italy; and global representations of Italy.

The Umbra Institute would like to congratulate those who contributed to Representing Italy through Food on an intriguing collection of international perspectives and their dedication to providing useful resources for understanding Italian food and foodways.

Click here to order your copy directly through Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Students were entranced by the stories shared by a Sicilian volunteer who had once been a close friend of anti-Mafia legend, Peppino Impastato

On Monday afternoon, the HSIT 380: Cosa Nostra: Cinema and History of the (Anti) Mafia class met with local Libera volunteers to learn about their personal encounters with the Mafia and work against the Mafia. Libera is an anti-Mafia organization that was established in 1995 with the purpose of involving and supporting those who were interested in the fight against mafias and organized crime.

During the in-class presentation, students were entranced by the stories shared by a Sicilian volunteer who had once been a close friend of anti-Mafia legend, Peppino Impastato. Volunteers contrasted the idea of the Mafia as a “delinquent group” with their view of organized crime as a “power system”; using as an example the Mafia’s switch from typical criminal activity to its modern entrepreneurial system through which it now maintains its power.

Another volunteer, a journalist from Umbria and active member of Libera, shared that the organization works primarily as an educational association that seeks to inform people about the history of the Mafia in order to keep history from repeating itself. Libera recognizes that Mafia-related topics are often sensitive and difficult to approach. For this reason, they educate the community with a specific focus on teaching professors and teachers of all grade levels about how to present the Mafia in a way that can be properly understood by young people. The association believes that knowledge is power and by informing the populace of the reality of who and how the Mafia are, they are able to combat and diminish the influence of organized crime.

At the end of the presentation, students were invited to ask questions and to take note of a local March in memory of Mafia victims. The Umbra community was then invited to attend the march that will take place throughout Perugia’s city center, on March 21, the National Day of Commitment to the Memory of Mafia Victims. 

The STFS 330: Sustainability and Food Production in Italy class visited the restaurant Nadir, for a lecture on Fair Trade commerce and ingredients, thanks to Ponte Solidale Fair Trade shop. Students were introduced to the main principles and ideals behind Fair Trade (market access for marginalized producers; sustainable and equitable trading relationships; capacity building and empowerment; consumer awareness raising and advocacy; fair trade as a “social contract”) and had the chance to talk to Chef Francesca Taticchi. Chef Francesca explained her job in the kitchen as a way to make small changes in the community through food, by promoting the local economy with its seasonal products, and supporting Fair Trade projects for products that cannot be sourced locally. At the end of the lecture, students had the chance to taste cous cous, produced by Palestinian women, with seasonal vegetables, chickpea flour fritters, and a vegan cake with Fair Trade chocolate and coconut milk. The excursion was an informative and delicious way to get behind the scenes of sustainable food cultures and food activism in Perugia!

The truffle hunt begins in full view of the countryside below

Last weekend, students in HSIT 350: The History and Culture of Food in Italy course went into the Umbrian hills in search of truffles at Matteo Bartolini’s agriturismo and truffle school, Ca’Solare, near Città di Castello.

Before the hunt, Matteo gave a presentation that covered the history, techniques, and peculiarities of truffle hunting. Though there are thirty different truffle species, Matteo focused primarily on the varieties that can be found on his property. He explained the economic difficulties and benefits of being a truffle hunter, as some days may lead to the discovery of a truffle worth over a thousand euros, and other days can lead to none at all. He also described how pigs were once used to hunt truffles but have since gone out of style due to their habit of eating the truffles or destroying the plant’s roots. Now truffle hunters rely on the importance of a skilled truffle-hunting dog, as dogs of any species can be trained to sniff out truffles.

Matteo has worked with the University of Perugia’s agronomy school and explained how he has contributed to the understanding of the cultivation of truffles. As of now, it is difficult to understand the life cycle of truffles due to their underground location and the fact that they can be discovered only by an animal’s keen sense of smell, for the brief period when it is fully mature. Once a truffle is no longer perfectly ripe for consumption, it can no longer be found underground. Studies are currently being conducted to understand a truffle’s full lifecycle and optimal cultivation environment.

After a lecture about what makes a truffle so unique and sought after that it can be referred to as an “Italian diamond”, students were invited to walk the woods on the hunt for truffles with Matteo and his father. Throughout the hunt, Matteo pointed out unique characteristics of a good truffle hunt, such as how truffles can often be found where grass is patchy, as they consume minerals that the grass would require to grow. The class excitedly asked detailed questions as they trudged up and down the Umbrian countryside, ending with a discussion about how to preserve and prepare both white and black truffles.

After a successful hunt that lead to the discovery of various truffle species, a hungry class made their way back to Ca’Solare for lunch. The first few dishes were delicately laced with truffle sauces and creams and dessert was a homemade tiramisu.

Matteo currently works to lobby the European Agricultural Commission for sustainable agricultural reform, primarily in the organic sector. This topic intrigued a number of students and lead to an extended discussion on sustainable agriculture after lunch.

Click here to read more about the Food & Sustainability Studies Program and its many hands-on learning experiences. 

Registration Opens on Friday, February 24th at 10 PM EST (US)
– Only on Linkedin

Details: 

The competition is open only to Umbra Alumni!

We are offering 3 apartments for an Umbra Alumni Summer 2017 Reunion during the Umbria Jazz Festival. The dates will be from July 7th to July 12th, and there will be four spots in each apartment; please choose 1 representative for your group of 2 or 4 people to enter, and clearly state all group-members’ names.

In order to be fair, we want to let you know ahead of time when, exactly, we are opening the reunion registration: Friday, February 24th, at 10 pm EST (US). Sign-up will be first-come, first-served, and we will notify you within a couple of days if you have won! The link to the registration form will ONLY be posted on our LinkedIn Alumni page (your request to join the group will only be approved if you have studied abroad through Umbra).

Once winners have been notified, we will give them two weeks to buy plane tickets to Italy; if a winner is unable to do so, their apartment space will go to the next participant on the waiting list, that will be set in chronological order. If you don’t win the apartments for this summer, we would still love to see you in Perugia!

So reconnect with your Umbra community and start making your plans for this summer!

If you have any question please send an email to Aimée at [email protected].

Click here to check out information about past Alumni Reunions. 

IBST 380 students create their own Deruta ceramics IBST 380 students create their own Deruta ceramics

This past Friday, IBST 380: International Business Strategy students visited Bettini Deruta, specialized producers of artisan Deruta ceramics. The tour began in the Bettini production facility where students observed artisans who had been creating Deruta ceramic pieces for 20 to 40 years. The artists invited students to make their own Deruta ceramics out of locally sourced clay in order to familiarize themselves with the production process. As students created their pottery, they asked questions about production costs, the type of clay that was being used, the longevity of the machinery, the firing process, and the production cost versus the sales revenue.

Next, the class was brought to Bettini’s showroom where they learned about how international markets differ not only in design selection, but also in utility preferences. For example, northern Europeans prefer practical, simple objects for daily use, while Italians prefer detailed pottery to display in their homes, and Americans lean towards blue peacock feather design plates. At this time, students took the opportunity to ask about online sales, retail connections and potential for distributors, social media and marketing strategies, and more.

During this visit, Bettini owners were completely engaged in discussion with the IBST 380 class and have already begun reviewing student advice by opening an Instagram account and reactivating Facebook in order to experiment with a new online marketing strategy.

Throughout the semester, the IBST 380 course will learn various elements of constructing a clear business strategy for globalizing companies. In class, students learn about the relative theory and then apply their newfound knowledge to their service learning project where they will analyze Bettini’s business strategy. At the end of the semester, students will formally present their recommended tangible strategies to the owners of Bettini.

To learn more about Umbra’s business courses, click here.