Umbra staff member Marco Bagli relates an amusing (in retrospect) Ryanair moment during Monday’s Travel Workshop.
Umbra’s largest classroom overflowed with students eager to attend the Travel Workshop on Monday evening. Led by Umbra SIT intern Julia Bourque and staff members Marco Bagli and Caitlin Addlesperger, the workshop offered tips and tricks for traveling independently around Italy and internationally on a student budget.
After advice ranging from what to do if your passport is lost or stolen to how to avoid Ryanair’s infamous hidden fees to Couchsurfing anecdotes, students left the workshop well-versed on what to pack (or not), modes of transportation (check out this in-depth site about trains!), and inexpensive lodging options.
If you missed the Travel Workshop, stop by the front desk and pick up an Umbra packet of useful travel information and the “Almost All You Need To Know While Abroad Pocketbook,” a handy pocket-sized guide to student travel from Weekend Student Adventures, the company of travel writer Rick Steves’ son, Andy Steves.
Buon viaggio!
This weekend saw a flurry of Umbra activities to further orient the recently-arrived students.
Flavio Orsini demonstrates how to weave a basket at his countryside Slow Food farm on Saturday.
Saturday morning, students enrolled through Arcadia University visited the Umbrian countryside farm run by Flavio Orsini and his family. The farm, located near Lake Trasimeno, is a Slow Food establishment: Everything served was harvested, raised, and prepared on the farm. After a tour, Umbra students learned to make pasta from scratch before sitting down to their meal.
The remaining enrolled through other universities and colleges met Umbra staff members at the Osteria a Priori in the center of Perugia, where they ate a long, multi-course lunch, Italian style.
Umbra Professor Zach Nowak points to a nook — or was it a cranny? — on one of the two Nooks and Crannies tours on Sunday afternoon.
Finally, Food Studies Program Assistant Director and Professor Zach Nowak led two groups of students on the Nooks and Crannies tour – “35 percent nooks, 65 percent crannies” – on Sunday afternoon.
The brave souls who faced the intermittent icy rain showers agreed that it was worth their chilly toes to learn fun “facts” about their new temporary home of Perugia. From knowing where the medieval stocks were located to the legends of the battles with the Perugians v. the Goths, students are now equipped to lead visiting friends and family – or classmates who missed it – on the tour of a lifetime.
Today ends the orientation activities and launches the first day of elective classes at the Umbra Institute. Buona lezione!
Umbra students enjoy refreshments during the Welcome Aperitivo at il Birraio Wednesday evening.
Umbra students, staff, and faculty gathered at Perugia’s il Birraio for the Welcome Aperitivo, a favorite semester tradition, Wednesday evening. Sitting on plush cushions or under exotic umbrellas, students enjoyed refreshments while sharing stories and plans for the semester.
The event was a success, according to Umbra staff member Marco Bagli, who organizes student events.
“We had a really high participation rate,” Bagli said. “It was the real first time when students could meet after they had already settled into their apartments. They could get to know each other in a less serious situation and meet the staff when we’re wearing ‘other hats.’”
Students will return to il Birraio at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, to mingle with Italians for the first Tandem of the semester.
A recent survey completed by more than 75 percent of Umbra Fall 2012 students revealed that the average student ultimately decided to study at the Umbra Institute to practice Italian in a smaller, more affordable city, enroll in the Food Studies Program, and still earn credits that will be counted toward their major – essentially, to have the “Italian experience.”
Umbra Institute staff member Mauro Renna created a word cloud that demonstrates the most prominent terms students used to explain why they chose Umbra in an end-of-the-semester survey.
General Studies and Direct Enrollment students filled out the survey during the last two weeks of the semester, reflecting on why they selected the program and what they gained from the experience.
Here are some comments from students on why after all their research they decided for Umbra.
“Perugia seemed to be the perfect location for me–big enough to not be boring, and small enough that I would actually get the chance to use Italian in my everyday life (unlike in Florence or Rome, for example). Also, the university atmosphere of the city, and the large number of Italian and international (not just American)students.”
“The variety of courses brought me here as well as the cultural experience.”
“The course offered I heard was outstanding and that they and the town provided a phenomenal study abroad experience that was completely unique to any others I had research. I also heard the staff at umbra was amazing which was important in my decision as well.”
“I chose Umbra (for) the chance to study at an actual Italian university,” one student enrolling directly at Università di Perugia through umbra wrote. “I really wanted to study with Italians the way that they studied, and Umbra was the only option I could find for that.”
“I chose Umbra because of the location. I wanted to experience Italy as a local, not as a tourist and it is exactly what I wanted out of my study abroad experience. Perugia is a great city, and Umbra is a great school with amazing professors and activities.”
“(I chose Umbra) because I knew that studying abroad in Perugia would give me the best experience in Italy because I would be able to be fully immersed into the Italian culture rather than living among other American students in larger cities like Rome or Milan.”
“It had the best option for me to go to a city that was small enough that I could learn the language and culture the best but also a city that was not too small that there would be nothing fun to do,” another DE student wrote.
“I’m happy I chose Umbra/Perugia,” agreed a DE student. “I loved being able to speak a lot of Italian in the city, and the professors were really wonderful, which is one of the things that originally appealed to me on the website.”
Freshly arrived from the U.S., Umbra Spring 2013 students smile from the Perugian steps before an orientation meeting on Sunday.
Umbra Spring 2013 students flew into Fiumicino Airport in Rome on Friday and have barely stopped moving since. After a whirlwind orientation weekend, the new students are equipped with furnished apartments, a guide to the many amenities of Perugia, and a full class schedule. Last night saw students wandering through the city center, enjoying the last night of Christmas lights and preparing for the official start of the semester.
This morning kicked off the General Studies Intensive Italian week, wherein students, after testing into the appropriate level, learn survival Italian phrases, visit the grocery store as a class, and tour the city. Elective courses commence next Monday.
The new students enjoyed the last night of Christmas lights before today’s official start of the semester (couresty of inperugia.com).
Direct Enrollment students met at the University for Foreigners early this morning to take their placement exams alongside other international students; their classes – held completely in Italian for the rest of the semester – begin tomorrow.
All Umbra students will come together Wednesday night for the favorite Welcome Aperitivo at 7:30 p.m. at il Birraio. See you there!
While the world hovers on the brink of 2013, Umbra faculty and staff members are preparing for the incoming students, who will be met by Umbra staff at the Rome airport, Fiumicino, starting Friday morning. Upon their arrival, students will be whisked away to Perugia on a private bus, and receive orientation packets full of the weekend’s plans before eating an authentic Italian dinner (read: many courses) with their new classmates at the favorite Hotel Gio.
Enjoy the last few hours of 2012, and we look forward to meeting you, new students!
The world did not end yesterday, but the Umbra Institute Fall 2012 semester did.
The last few weeks have seen Umbra students bustling about school and city, cramming for finals, purchasing token Italian gifts, and soaking in their remaining time in Perugia.
Students were offered the opportunity to share what they learned during their semester abroad.
On Dec. 3, Creative Writing students read aloud the stories they labored over all semester before an applauding audience in the Umbra library. Fresco and Digital Photography students displayed their semester’s work at the art show in the Via dei Priori building on Dec. 11. The artists — some of whom had not taken an art class since elementary school — explained their techniques over appetizers and drinks to Umbra faculty, staff, and fellow students. The following day, students who participated in Umbra’s Community Engagement programs presented their experiences to a packed auditorium at the Baroque-style Santa Cecilia Oratorio.
To celebrate all students’ accomplishments, Umbra hosted a farewell aperitivo at the favorite Birraio last Thursday. After taking final group photos in front of the picturesque view behind the local brewery, Umbra students, staff, and faculty reminisced over drinks and appetizers.
A few short hours later, the first wave of students boarded the 1 a.m. bus to the airport in Rome, teary-eyed but happy. The final group of students left Perugia, their temporary home, in similar fashion early this morning.
Thanks for a great semester, Umbra Fall 2012. We wish you happy holidays!
After watching his work in “La Meglio Gioventù” for an Umbra Institute class, students attended a lecture by Italy’s beloved actor Luigi Lo Cascio at l’Università per Stranieri di Perugia last week.
Umbra Institute student Effie Morway poses with famous Italian actor Luigi Lo Cascio at the University for Foreigners in Perugia.
“I stayed the whole time and was able to go get a picture and chat with Luigi a little bit — it was great,” said Effie Morway. “We just finished ‘La Meglio Gioventù’ the day before, so it was amazing to be able to see this famous actor in person right afterwards. He has been in a few of the movies we watched, and we really enjoy his work — he seems quite big in the Italian film world now.”
Morway and her classmates watched the film for Dr. Elgin Eckert’s course, “Blockbusters and Bestsellers: Italian Cinema and Literature of the Twenty-First Century.”
“It was great to see that the Italian cinema and literature course inspired several of my students to move out of their ‘comfort zone’ and attend an academic lecture held in Italian, a language several of them have only begun to study here at Umbra this semester, at an Italian university out of their own initiative,” Eckert said. “Perugia and its two Italian universities offer a lot of great opportunities of this type, and because of its manageable size and the frequent interactions of Umbra Institute’s students with local students, partaking in university classes and special lectures is a distinct possibility.”
During the afternoon on Thanksgiving, the Urban Engagement class worked up an appetite by helping the Borgo Bello Neighborhood Association clean street numbers along Corso Cavour. Alongside Italian volunteers, students took turns climbing the small ladder to scrape the numbered stones clean before applying soap and paint. The Borgo Bello Neighborhood Association taught them how to properly use the tools and the techniques needed to keep from scratching the stones.
Emily Martin paints house numbers on Corso Cavour.
The Borgo Bello Neighborhood Association and Umbra students had met before to discuss the regeneration of the neighborhood and the problems and opportunities in such an undertaking. Helping to paint the house numbers brought students even closer to the community and their time volunteered to improving the appearance of Corso Cavour was much appreciated. Even mayor Nilo Arcudi came to thank them!
This Urban Engagement Academic Seminar is led by Professor Giampiero Bevagna and urban planner Raymond Lorenzo. In this course, students focus on urban planning and exploration to understand the relationships between people, places, and values.
While their friends and family ate turkey back home, the Umbra History and Culture of Food course students celebrated Thanksgiving weekend by eating prosciutto and parmigiano reggiano in the celebrated food capital of Parma, Italy.
“Going to Parma during Thanksgiving
weekend made me forget about being away from my family and home,” said Lauren Cudney of the University of Denver. “And what else could you want during Thanksgiving but food galore?”
Through hands-on tours of family owned factories and cooperatives, the Food Studies students learned about the traditional and complex processes involved in creating some of Italy’s most famed food products.
“This trip was the ultimate foodie experience,” said DePauw University student Madeline Vering. “It’s one thing to hear abou the production of food, but it’s really incredible to see it in action!”
The trip was not complete without a tasting at each of the factories. Students could finally put into practice the curriculum from the classroom and the information they learned on the tours and actually experience the food. The favorite part of the trip was tasting aged parmigiano reggiano and the unfamiliar but decadent treat of balsamic vinegar on top of vanilla ice cream.
“Like the other co-curricular trips, the goal was to learn about the production of these important food products but with a historical-cultural context,” said Food Studies Program Director Zachary Nowak, adding: “And it doesn’t hurt to try some great cheese, prosciutto, and vinegar!”
For more information about the Umbra Institute or its Food Studies Program, contact Nowak. You may also watch a short overview of the program on YouTube.
Editor’s note: This story is by University of Denver student Marisa Pooley, a Food Studies Program student.
Location 
