News and Blog

It’s caffè shakerato season in Perugia again.

 Cafés have spilled out onto the cobblestone streets, serving classic Italian iced coffee under stretching umbrellas;  the central piazza’s steps ebb and flow with waves of people soaking in the sun; and Umbra staff and faculty are preparing for this year’s summer sessions.

On Friday, General Studies students will land in Rome, kicking off the short but full program. Students enrolled in Intensive Italian will soon follow suit, arriving May 31. Over the next two weeks, check your email for the Umbra handbook, which will answer questions you may have about what to pack or what to anticipate as you prepare for your stay in Italy.

Upon your arrival, expect a warm welcome at the airport, followed by a bus ride through Italian countryside and a dinner that will make you forget your jetlag. The next day, Umbra staff members will conduct a comprehensive orientation session detailing your stay in Perugia, an Umbrian city rich with culture, history, and adventure. Get excited for summer weeks packed with gelato nights, day trips to Umbrian and Tuscan villages, wine tastings, aperitivi (Italy’s much-improved version of happy hour), pizza workshops, historical walking tours, and more.

See you soon — arrivederci!

Champan University film student Stephen Doyle has combined his newly learned skills and exceptional talent to produce a moving video of the city and people of Perugia and his experience this spring at the Umbra Institute. Congratulations Stephen on this moving and artistic piece!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

Note: This video contains copyrighted material is for demonstration purposes and may not be used or sold in any manner without the express permission of its owner.

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Former Umbra Institute student Brad Jones recently announced the launch of the Graduate Journal of Food Studies, a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to academic writing on food studies. Jones, who was at the Umbra Institute in 2008 and took Umbra’s course on The History and Culture of Food in Italy, is currently pursuing an MA in Gastronomy at Boston University. According to the Journal‘s website, 

The Graduate Journal of Food Studies is an international student-run and refereed journal dedicated to encouraging and promoting interdisciplinary food scholarship at the graduate level. Published bi-yearly in digital form, the journal is a space for promising scholars to showcase their exceptional academic research. The Graduate Journal of Food Studies hopes to foster dialogue and engender debate among students across the academic community. It features food-centric articles from diverse disciplines including, but not limited to: anthropology, history, sociology, cultural studies, gender studies, economics, art, politics, pedagogy, nutrition, philosophy, and religion.

Also on the editorial board is Umbra’s Zachary Nowak, the assistant director for the Food Studies Program. The first issue of the Journal is expected at the end of 2013. 

Want to know who the residents of Pig Street were? Curious why Perugians fought only other Perugians in the meadow known as the “battlefield?” In 1504 a “flying machine” was launched off the Danti Palace roof — was it successful?

Drawing on his experience creating the beloved Nooks and Crannies Tour, Umbra Institute Food Studies Professor Zachary Nowak edited Home Street Home: Perugia’s History Told Through Its Streets. The book, an alphabetical list of all of Perugia’s streets, alleys, and piazzas, is a charming voyage through 23 centuries of social history. Morlacchi Editore published Home Street Home, which hit stands today.

Home Street Home avoids the typical “great-men-building-great-buildings-and-fighting history,” Nowak explained, by telling the story of Perugia through its streets.

Originally published in 1999, the book was written by Perugian author Maria Rita Zapelli. Nowak was drawn to the book early on in his 12-year sojourn in Perugia and began the project of publishing an English-language version in 2007.

“This book made me fall in love with Perugia, and I knew I had to finish it before I left,” Nowak said.

A staff member since 2005, Nowak began teaching at Umbra in 2010, and the translation project went on the back burner. When he was admitted to a doctoral program at Harvard University, he decided to finish the book before leaving Perugia, his home for more than a decade.

“It’s my parting gift to a city that hosted me as a ‘temporary citizen’ for years and where I had some of the best years of my life so far,” Nowak said. “What makes me happy, too, is that I’m not leaving permanently: Maybe I can use the book in a future summer course at Umbra.”

Already available on the shelves of Libreria Morlacchi, Home Street Home will soon be available on Amazon.com. Free previews of selected streets are available on the In Perugia website. The book was translated by Deborah Rim Moiso and Alan Whykes, and Matteo Brustenghi designed the cover and inside layout. All are long-time collaborators of Nowak, who ran a small publishing company, Green Door, known for its guide to Perugia, “The Little Blue What To Do.”

Want to know who the residents of Pig Street were? Curious why Perugians fought only other Perugians in the meadow known as the “battlefield?” In 1504 a “flying machine” was launched off the Danti Palace roof — was it successful?

Drawing on his experience creating the beloved Nooks and Crannies Tour, Umbra Institute Food Studies Professor Zachary Nowak edited Home Street Home: Perugia’s History Told Through Its Streets. The book, an alphabetical list of all of Perugia’s streets, alleys, and piazzas, is a charming voyage through 23 centuries of social history. Morlacchi Editore published Home Street Home, which hit stands today.

Home Street Home avoids the typical “great-men-building-great-buildings-and-fighting history,” Nowak explained, by telling the story of Perugia through its streets.

Originally published in 1999, the book was written by Perugian author Maria Rita Zapelli. Nowak was drawn to the book early on in his 12-year sojourn in Perugia and began the project of publishing an English-language version in 2007.

“This book made me fall in love with Perugia, and I knew I had to finish it before I left,” Nowak said.

A staff member since 2005, Nowak began teaching at Umbra in 2010, and the translation project went on the back burner. When he was admitted to a doctoral program at Harvard University, he decided to finish the book before leaving Perugia, his home for more than a decade.

“It’s my parting gift to a city that hosted me as a ‘temporary citizen’ for years and where I had some of the best years of my life so far,” Nowak said. “What makes me happy, too, is that I’m not leaving permanently: Maybe I can use the book in a future summer course at Umbra.”

Already available on the shelves of Libreria Morlacchi, Home Street Home will soon be available on Amazon.com. Free previews of selected streets are available on the In Perugia website. The book was translated by Deborah Rim Moiso and Alan Whykes, and Matteo Brustenghi designed  cover. All are long-time collaborators of Nowak, who ran a small publishing company, Green Door, known for its guide to Perugia, “The Little Blue What To Do.”

After you finish another final and before you take your last group picture on the steps, Umbra encourages you to attend some of the many events of the International Journalism Festival.

Leading figures from the journalism field are traveling from across the world to Perugia, home of the annual acclaimed festival.

The events will run Wednesday through Sunday and include panel discussions, workshops, and documentaries, all held throughout the center of Perugia.

Every event is free, open to the public, and offers English and Italian translations.

Visit the International Journalism Festival website for a history of the festival, location information, a schedule of events, and more.