News and Blog

Last night Umbra students and staff sat down at a café in Perugia’s main street, Corso Vannucci, and enjoyed that quintessential Italian evening activity, the aperitivo.An aperitivo is a small drink that is usually served to stimulate the appetite before a meal. It is often served with something small to eat, such as crackers, cheese, pâté, olives, and various kinds of finger food. Some records show that the aperitivo may have first appeared in 1786, when Antonio Benedetto Carpano invented though aperitivi were definitely widespread in the 19th century in Italy.

Nowadays the aperitivo is an opportunity to get together with friends for a drink, often in a streetside café, before dinner or going out. 
Students learned both the history of the aperitivo and the common drink selections. Some hadprosecco, the Italian version of champaigne, while others tried Campari Orange, a light cocktailmade with the famous red Italian bitter, Campari. A second Aperitivo 101 will be held next week. Il dolce far niente!

Seven hundred year birthdays are not uncommon in Italy, but yesterday was a special one for Perugia. The University of Perugia celebrated, with great pomp, its founding on September 8th, 1308. The University, the fifth-oldest in Italy, was originally chartered by the Pope but had as one of its lectors none other than Galileo Galilei. The festivities yesterday were in Perugia’s main square, where flagspeople in medieval garb and speeches in Latin (then translated into Italian) added to the mood. A number of Umbra students, in the piazza mostly by chance after their afternoon Italian lessons, looked on with their Italian counterparts and of course the Perugians. The Umbra Institute wishes a happy birthday to its Italian counterpart here in Perugia, and hopes to continue its tradition of cooperation and exchange. Buon compleanno, Uni!!!

This week the halls of the Umbra Institute are humming from early morning (early at least by college student standards) to late afternoon. You won’t hear “Where’s Classroom 2?” or “Wanna go for pizza?” but rather “Dov’è Aula 2?” and “Andiamo per una pizza?” Some of this semester’s student body have never had an Italian course, and given that they’re on a “crash course” with Italian culture, the first week of classes are all dedicated to “survival Italian.”

Multiple hours a day of lectures and interactive activities prepare students for a variety of situations. How do you read the schedule for the Perugian buses? How many grams of prosciutto do you need for two sandwiches? What size shoe do I wear? These basic concepts are the focus of this week’s lessons, aimed at developing grammar and vocabulary for practical use. Benvenuti!!!!

Yesterday’s Orientation for the Umbra Institute’s Fall semester was in the Oratory of Saint Cecilia, a beautiful chapel next to the just-renovated San Filippo Neri Church. In the Catholic tradition in Italy, an oratory was an unconsecrated building where the faithful gathered to concentrate themselves on prayer before the actual mass in the next-door church. It was somewhat appropriate today that students and staff met in such a building to center themselves and prepare for the important academic (and spiritual, in the larger sense) journey that they will have this semester.

The Orientation began with a greeting from the staff, after which each member introduced him or herself. Orientation is supposed to both energize the students for the semester and answer questions that may be common to all. Themes covered included academic policies, free time and extracurriculars, and travel. Special guest Chief Inspector Michele Caneschi of Florence was also present and talked at length to the student body about health and safety, and how to be streetsmart in Italy. The orientation concluded with an exhortation to study hard and learn both inside and outside of the classroom.

A new class of students will depart this Saturday for Italy to begin the Fall 2008 semester at the Umbra Institute. 

A few helpful tips to students before departure: 
1. Read the pre-departure handbook (again!) 
2. Call your bank to notify them of foreign charges
3. Charge your iPod, select a great book, and prepare for the long flight. 
4. Pack your suitcases, then leave half of the items in the US! 
5. Clear your mind for a semester of life-changing experiences. 

We are looking forward to welcoming each student to Perugia this weekend – safe travels!

Located just behind Perugia’s cathedral, Umbra’s newest building in Via Bartolo is open and ready for students. A full 7,000 square feet, the Via Bartolo Building occupies what in Italy is called the “piano nobile,” the floor where the nobles who owned the huge building would have lived. Located here are five classrooms, a brand-new digital photography lab, the Umbra library, a multimedia center, lounges for students and faculty, and a number of administrative offices. The only thing missing…is the student body – see you Sunday!

In the photo: Umbra’s flag flying in front of the Via Bartolo Building, with Perugia’s cathedral in the background.

The Umbra Institute has acquired a new facility for the Fall 2008 semester. The new facility is located on Via Bartolo – one of Perugia’s central thoroughfares – located directly behind the main duomo. Literally within steps from the palazzo’s doors, students will find the main cathedral of Perugia (duomo), an Etruscan well, a location mentioned in Dante’s Divine Comedy, a Roman-era aqueduct, and plenty of shops, cafes, and restaurants. 

The Via Bartolo facility includes 7 classrooms (including space for new studio art courses: a digital photography lab and buon fresco classroom/studio), an expanded library and study rooms, faculty and staff offices, and student lounge space. The entire building has wireless internet access for student use. 

The Via Bartolo facility is the second location for the Umbra Institute. Umbra students will also have access to the main facility located on Via dei Priori.

In photos: (top left) a view of the palazzo, at right, and the main duomo on Via Bartolo; the view of Piazza Danti from a Via Bartolo classroom. 

The Fall 2008 semester begins in less than one month. As staff members prepare for students’ arrival – ordering textbooks, planning excursions, finalizing housing assignments – students are preparing for a semester abroad in Perugia, Italy. We suggest students review the following links as they prepare for the Fall 2008 semester: 

Make plans according to the calendar for the fall semester. Review the calendar of important dates by clicking here. Please note that students will be informed of course-related excursions once they arrive in Perugia and are advised not to make plans before they learn of these mandatory dates. 

Watch UmbraViews on YouTube – videos of academic programs and student life at the Institute. Access the UmbraViews page by clicking here. 

Thinking about participating in the Optional Trip to Siena? If so, you may learn more and sign up for the trip by clicking here. 

If you have additional questions, please contact the Umbra Institute staff by emailing: [email protected]. We look forward to welcoming students to Perugia soon!