News and Blog

Students work at the previous dig site

This weekend, the Umbra Institute excitedly welcomed participants to the third edition of its Archaeology Field School in beautiful Castiglione del Lago, on the shores of Lake Trasimeno, near Perugia. After the promising results of an extensive survey and digital mapping of a vast area, conducted in 2015, this year’s students will have the unique chance to experience an archaeological dig.

As a preliminary step, the site area has been delimited through geological investigations (geoprospection), that revealed hidden structures beneath the surface where field school students will be working. The first analysis seems to indicate the ruins of a Roman villa, but this is still a work in progress and the full extent and historical context of what lies beneath is not yet known.

The field school is run in cooperation with the Soprintrendenza Archeologia dell’Umbria (Archaeological Superintendency of the Region of Umbria) and the Comune di Castiglione del Lago (City Government of Castiglione del Lago). It guarantees an exceptional educational opportunity, that can only be offered through hands on, professional work experience.

Students arrived in Perugia on Saturday where, throughout the weekend, they got to know the city and the institute through a welcome dinner, guided tours, and orientation meetings. Yesterday morning, students were shown around their new home in Castiglione del Lago; as this week goes on, they will experience their first survey of the archaeological area and begin working on the excavation site, which will be their open-air classroom for the remaining five weeks of the program.  

Click here to read more about the Trasimeno Archaeology Field School.

Professor Burton presenting at the University of Perugia

On May 18^th, Umbra’s visiting Professor Leslie Burton (University of Connecticut) presented her study on “Gender and Personality”. A large number of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Perugia were in attendance, as well as Professor Burton’s students who took part in this summer’s Faculty-Led study abroad program at the Umbra Institute.

The study was meant to analyze “Gender differences in personality”, specifically aggression, in a sample of university students. Professor Burton pointed out that aggression has played a crucial role in human evolution, as in acquiring food and other resources and defending family members. In modern society, it appears in a number of different behaviors: not only physical aggression, but also competition, as well as verbal and relational aggression.

One student in attendance, Rachela Calvi, commented:

“The conclusion that I got from this is that men show more physical aggression than women and women are more verbally aggressive…Men showed more egocentricity and less pressure from social support than women, but, surprisingly, there were no significant gender differences when it came to relational aggression.”

Calvi then went on to describe the Big Five Model and the significance of openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism; all of which were discussed in detail during Professor Burton’s presentation.

Click here to learn more about faculty-led opportunities at the Umbra Institute.

The Mandatory Safety and Academic Info Meeting

This summer’s study abroad semester has kicked off to an exciting start here at the Umbra Institute!

Saturday: Umbra staff members waited eagerly at Rome’s Fiumicino airport for General Studies and Intensive Italian through Culture students to arrive. Students were then brought by private bus to a hotel just outside of Perugia, where they were welcomed with dinner and an evening of games, with a side of tea and cookies. Those who took part in the games got to know each other through questions about travel and tips regarding life in Italy.

Sunday: Students woke up bright and early so that they could be taken to their new homes in Perugia’s city center. Once they were settled in, General Studies students were given a tour of the city while Intensive Italian students took their Italian placement exams. The afternoon offered many opportunities to tour Umbra’s facilities and meet faculty and staff during the Institute’s open house and its Mandatory Safety and Academic Info Meeting. The day came to a close with a pizza night during which many learned that, in Italy, it is okay to eat an entire pizza by yourself!

Today, Umbra’s halls are once again full of excitement as students begin their first day of class. 

Students Mariah Noth and Derrick Newton, Jr. during their video interview with Luoghi Comuni

Umbra students have a habit of inspiring headlines during their study abroad experience. This semester, ARFP 210: Fresco Painting and ESUS 310: Placemaking: Creating Sustainable Urban Spaces and Communities students started simple by inspiring the Umbra blog with the concept of building community as they continued the terrace project that was begun by ESUS 310 participants during the Fall 2015 semester.

Now, that habit has branched out into the local media of Perugia.

A city-wide magazine, Luoghi Comuni, has recently worked with Umbra ESUS 310 students to create both a video and a blog series to publicize the students’ work within inBorgo Bello, an active and artistic neighborhood in the city center of Perugia where the terrace is located; all in order to encourage collaboration with local citizens and bring them closer to the urban planning and community revitalization project. Luoghi Comuni is a magazine dedicated to sharing the initiatives of organizations, associations, and locals who are committed to maintaining and bettering the districts of Perugia in which they live.

Click here to see the video.

Click here to read Luoghi Comuni’s article (in English).

Click here to read more on the Borgo Bello Association.

Yesterday, Spring 2016 Umbra students celebrated their achievements as the end of their study abroad experience in Perugia, Italy approaches. Students came together to share their semester experiences with the Umbra community through Community Engagement Presentations and Events, such as:

The Photography and Ceramics Art Show
The day began with an Art Show that presented a lovely display of semester experiences, throughout Europe, all captured by ARPH 210 Introduction to Photography students. Photographers shared amazing shots of locations such as Budapest, Pisa, and Perugia; of perspectives and candid moments otherwise lost in time.

Those who took part in the ARCW 350: Introduction to Ceramics course shared their talents through the construction of many vases, oil lamps, and other clay creations. Throughout the semester, students learned about different periods of history and their relation to ceramics in order to acquire inspiration for their art. For example, one assignment was to research the significance of Etruscan Sarcophagi before creating a miniature version of their own.

Fresco Painting Presentation
Later that morning, community members made their way to the terrace on Via del Cortone, in Borgo Bello, to view the fresco painted by ARFP 210: Fresco Painting students. Devan Smith-Brown represented her class as she shared the significance of the three layers of a fresco piece, the arriccio, sandcoat, and intonaco layers. She also shared the complexities of fresco painting, how it needs to be painted one section at a time through a series of “giornata”, a day’s work. Those who attended the fresco presentation were then able to step out on the terrace and witness the breathtaking panoramic view that is featured in this semester’s fresco.
Click here to read more about this semester’s fresco project. 

Community Engagement Presentations
During the afternoon, students who participated in community-based courses or service-learning projects throughout their semester abroad were able to share their research and newly acquired knowledge through a series of presentations. Representatives from sixteen courses provided 15 minute presentations about everything from the influence of fascism on architecture to critical disabilities studies, and the marketing of Italian organic wineries.

At the end of the Community Engagement Presentations, those who attended were able to vote for the presentation that was the most informative and professional. Students from the Education in Italy Seminar and Practicum won the Best Presentation Award for their presentation on what they learned through their combined experiences teaching the English language and American culture to Italian youth.

Creative Writing Public Readings
After the multiple student-run Creative Works Nights that were organized during the last few months, it is safe to say that Umbra students were greatly looking forward to this event! Those who participated in LIIT 420: Il Racconto Italiano, ISLI 330: A Taste for Knowledge, and CWIT 340: Italian Tales and Stories were able to share their creative writing work from this semester. Readings included Il decollo by John Cortese, Deep Red Wine, by Anna Schwartzstein, Faces of Time, by Sophie Panetti, and many other riveting works of word art.

Click here to read more about Umbra’s Community Engagement initiatives.

Materials used for Fresco Painting – photo by Laura Kastner

Each semester, Umbra students enroll in ARFP 210: Fresco Painting, a course taught by Professor William Pettit, that focuses on the material procedures of fresco art as well as its historical context; thus combining art history and studio art within a context of ancient and modern fresco techniques.

In the past, fresco students would spend their semester designing a fresco for the Institute’s designated fresco room. However, in recent semesters, the fresco class has begun to bring their art into the Perugian community as a way of giving back to a city that they feel has given so much to them. Last fall, the class brought vibrant colors to the local Fontenuovo residence for the elderly. This spring, students designed a fresco for a city revival project, in collaboration with Umbra’s Placemaking students, in the city’s Borgo Bello district.

This project, directed toward the beautification of Borgo Bello, is currently focusing on the terrace on Via del Cortone that rests within the theater district of Borgo Bello, and therefore, locals requested that the fresco depict theatrical art. Fresco student, Devan Smith-Brown, explained that her class complied with this request with a design that shows Thalia, the goddess of theater, in center stage, surrounded by other mythical actors. The masks above depict the emotions of theater as a performance takes place in front of the terrace view of Perugia. The keys of Saint Peter decorate the bottom of the piece along a yellow ribbon; these symbols represent the golden fields of wheat that used to rest outside the gate of Borgo Bello, along the road that even now leads to Rome and the Vatican.

As the project concludes, fresco students share their experiences in anticipation of next week’s art show and Placemaking & Fresco Terrace Project Presentation. “It was actually really cool to learn because there are frescos everywhere and I can now recognize the technical side,” shared Laura Kastner. “I have definitely gained a much deeper appreciation for art and it is so cool that we will have our fresco hanging for years and years to come,” added Lindsay Egbers.

Click here to read more about Umbra’s Fresco Painting Course.

While some events have targeted international relations and political science communication studies, others have taken a more journalistic or business turn

Last night’s Corruption in the Media Workshop marked this spring’s final Umbra Voice event. The workshop was run in collaboration with Professor Marco Mazzoni, of the University of Perugia, who presented his research conducted with the European Union’s ANTICORRP project on Global Trends and European Responses to the Challenge of Corruption. Students were intrigued and participated in rigorous discussion as Prof. Mazzoni explained why tabloids are not as popular in Italy as they are in the UK or France, which words are most often associated with corruption in the media, and how media influences politics from one country to another. He also presented the CPI, Corruption Perception Index, as something based on cultural perception that does not always reflect a country’s sociopolitical reality.

Earlier this semester, The Umbra Voice collaborated with Umbra Professor Alberto Bitonti to host the Great European Disaster Movie film screening and a discussion on the future of the European Union.

While some events have targeting international relations and political science communication studies, others have taken a more journalistic or business turn. The first meeting of the semester presented the concept of Brand Journalism and the market for storytelling, while the second workshop invited locals from Radiophonica to present the role of WebRadio and WebTV in Italy. In addition, topics such as Writing for the Web and Gender in the Media were presented to students looking to spend their evenings learning about how Journalism and Communications topics are perceived in Italy.

Click here to read more from the Umbra Voice.

Students from Umbra’s ANFS 370: Anthropology of Food course, in collaboration with SapereFood, a locally run magazine with a focus on Umbrian agriculture, explored the world of Food Journalism as they visited local cheese and wine producers this semester. The overall goal of the course is to approach cultural differences, in their relevance to food, as a method of understanding personal and intercultural identities.

Read what the students had to say about their experiences by following the links below:

Real Italian Cheese: A Look at Fattoria Montelupo and Caseificio Brocatelli

“Forget the industrial model, eliminate distance: here everything happens in front of your eyes,” shares Elena Serafini, as she describes Fattoria Montelupo in her article about the cheese production process and the difference between an industrial and an artisan product.  

Gina Cassara, on the other hand, shared her impression of Caseificio Broccatelli in Assisi where she observed a mix of tradition and modernity that had been started by now 92-year-old Enrico Gambini upon his return from fighting in World War II. In her article, as she describes her visit, she shares that viewing the Caseificio makes it “clear just how important this business and its traditions are”.

“The contrasting environments of these two factories play a huge role in their respective commercial-feels,” adds Sara Balte in her article that compares and contrasts both cheese producers and their approach/culture. She then continues to comment on the value of tradition and present questions and analysis of the futures of both producers.

Of Wine and Patience: Inside the Carapace Tenuta Castelbuono and Fongoli Wineries

“Not only will your eyes be greeted with contemporary sculptures lining the green hillsides, but your taste buds will also be invigorated with the quality of the wine,” noted Megan Davidow in her article about the vineyard and wine production process at Carapace Tenuta Castelbuono which highlights the winery’s knowledge, experience, and passion.

When it came to the Fongoli Winery, Chapin Graham wrote her article with a focus on sustainability, quality, and that which is Made in Umbria. “Angelo [the 4^th generation owner] says that more work in the vineyard and less work in the cellar leads to a better and more authentic wine,” adds Chapin as an introduction to the values found in each bottle of Fongoli Wine.

Click here to read more about Umbra’s Food & Sustainability Studies Program and Community Engagement initiatives.

Prof. Alberto Bitonti introduces the Great European Disaster Movie with the question: “Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the European Union?”

“Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the European Union?” asked Umbra Professor Alberto Bitonti before a room of 26 Europeans and Americans, students and professors. More than half of those in attendance, mostly Americans, claimed to be optimistic; while the minority, all of which were European, shared a more pessimistic outlook. This question set the stage of the event as the lights dimmed and the Great European Disaster Movie began.

The film, by former editor of The Economist, Bill Emmott, and Italian director Annalisa Piras, exposed five main issues currently ravaging the European Union: economic integration, social welfare, the freedom of movement, equality and democracy, and the realities of peace and war. The film showed the lives of both immigrant and native-born individuals living in Spain, Croatia, Germany, the UK, and Sweden as they confront and express their concern for the current and future state of Europe.

After the screen darkened and the lights came on in Umbra’s Aula Magna, discussion ensued. An audience consisting of Dutch, English, Italian, and American citizens commented on diversity in the EU and debated whether or not terrorism is a dividing or a uniting factor relative to Europe’s current situation. They discussed the issue of complex information and how the average European does not seem to be well-informed of the actions of European Union Organizations. It was acknowledged that the EU institutions are not to blame for all of Europe’s problems and proposed that things could be incredibly worse, as Europe competes with countries like China and Brazil, were it not for the EU’s attempted unity. Other issues such as aging population and welfare were touched upon before participants were asked to consider the exit question: “Now that we have acknowledged numerous issues, what can we do to help fix the problems currently being confronted by EU citizens?”

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The film screening was organized by Alberto Bitonti, Umbra’s professor of the History and Politics of the European Union course, along with the Umbra Voice, the Institute’s Journalism and Communications club. Collaboration with RENA (the Network for National Excellence), the University of Perugia, the University for Foreigners, and, of course, Wake Up Europe, led to the overall success of the event.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella Photo from quirinale.it

Today, Italy’s President of the Republic and Head of State, Sergio Mattarella, will be visiting Perugia for the first time since his election into office, at the beginning of 2015. His brief tour of the city will start at 11 AM on Corso Garibaldi, bring him to the Chianelli Residence, and to a children’s home. He will be accompanied by the House Vice President, Marina Sereni, and the Minister of Cultural Affairs, Dario Franceschini.

While on Corso Garibaldi, he will attend an inauguration ceremony for tomorrow’s opening of the Police [Carabinieri] Center for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, in memory of Colonel Valerio Gildoni.

At the Chianelli Residence, the President will meet with children who suffer from cancer, and their families, starting at around noon today. The Mayor of Perugia and the President of the Region of Umbria will also be present.

The visit will end in a children’s home to which the president has previously donated in support of the Creo Research Project, relative to cancer studies.

To read more about the President and other symbols of Italian Government, in English, click here.
To read about the President’s visit, in Italian, click here.