This blog documents the experiences of students currently studying at the Umbra Institute in Perugia, Italy, offering an account of their day-to-day experiences, extra- and co-curricular activities, and special events. We hope you gain some insight into what adventures Umbra students find outside the classroom during their semester in Perugia, a medieval town in the mountains of Umbria. Cheers!
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!
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.
After taking final group photographs in front of the picturesque view behind il Birraio, students, staff, and faculty reminisced about memorable Umbra moments in and outside the classroom over drinks and appetizers at last night’s Farewell Aperitivo.
The last few weeks have seen Umbra students bustling about school and city, cramming for finals, purchasing token Italian gifts, and soaking up their remaining time in Perugia. Early this morning, Umbra staff members loaded students and their bursting bags onto buses to the Rome Fiumicino Airport.
“I can’t believe it’s actually over,” said student Lauren O’Boyle before boarding the 4 a.m. bus, surrounded by teary-eyed classmates.
“We’ll be back!” a group next to her chorused.
Thanks for a great semester, Umbra Spring 2013. Have a good summer!
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.
On Monday, April 22nd, Italian high school students in Perugia’s Montessori High School came to the Umbra Institute to give presentations in English to fellow classmates and Umbra staff, faculty, and students. Their English teacher and the Montessori high school principal also attended. The students were well-prepared after spending the semester in English Workshops given by Anna Savoie and Frida Lundgren, two Umbra students in the INIT 350: Internship and Seminar – Education course. The Italian students discussed a wide range of topics including Italian vs. American high school culture, food and diet, sports, and an upcoming trip to Israel. Umbra staff was impressed with their English skills and confidence in speaking. At the end of the presentations, Anna and Frida presented each of their Italian students with certificates to commemorate their semester together.
From frescoes spanning walls to internship projects, students presented their labors of the past semester at today’s Special Academic Events.
The day began with coffee and croissants for the Fresco and Photography Art Show at Umbra’s Via dei Priori building. One room’s walls were decked out in authentic frescoes that Professor Bill Pettit’s students have worked on all semester; the next was decorated with stunning photographs taken around Europe by students in Professor Philippa Stannard’s Digital Photography course.
This afternoon, the Umbra library buzzed with faculty, staff, and students as they enjoyed sandwiches and fruit and discussed the Community Engagement presentations. All students who participated in the
internships presented projects in classrooms two and three, describing
what they learned throughout the semester and how their work related to the community engagement mission. The turnout was impressive. The majority of the student body, faculty members, and staff showed up to support their peers.
Finally, the Umbrans convened at the local restaurant Cactus Cafe to hear students from Professor Antonella Valoroso’s Creative Writing class read aloud their works of creative nonfiction after studying American and Italian writers. With a taste of home — the Cactus Cafe caters after the American Southwest — the audience was captivated by the voices of Umbra students.
Sunhats in hand and sunscreen applied, 35 Umbra students and three staff members boarded a bus Friday morning, ready for the Optional Trip to the South of Italy.
“I just had so much fun,” said Umbra student Leah Saraceni. “The trip couldn’t have been better!”
The first stop was a guided tour of the ruins of Pompei. Led by experts Giorgio and Enzo, students walked through excavated villas and shivered at the bodies of the ancient Pompeiians, forever encased in lava from Mt. Vesuvius’s great eruption in 79 A.D.
One windy but scenic bus ride along the Amalfi Coast later, the group checked into rooms at Hotel Michelangelo in Sorrento and were free to relax or explore the small, vibrant city before a multi-course dinner at the hotel.
Saturday morning, the group trooped to the port to catch a ferry to Capri. Students took full advantage of their free day: They took boat rides around the island, swam in the Tyrrhenian Sea, took the funicular up Anacapri, enjoyed the area’s typical seafood, and sipped Capri’s famous lemonade. After a (slightly more sunburned) dinner at the hotel, another full day was over.
Sunday was dedicated to Naples. Two vivacious Neopolitan guides led the group on a bus and walking tour of the city, neatly wrapping up thousands of years of history, pointing out places for the most authentic margarita pizza, and warning students to watch their wallets all at once.
By Sunday evening, the group was sleepily riding the bus through the hills of Campania, Lazio, and Umbria, happy to be headed home to Perugia.
Sponsored by the Umbra Institute, University of Texas: San Antonio Professor Kolleen Guy presented “Eating Landscape,” a talk about the intersection of typical products and marketing, in the frescoed hall of the Uguccione Ranieri di Sorbello Foundation on Wednesday evening.
The public lecture dealt with the marketing technique of terroir, a French word that follows the idea that foods’ tastes have an intimate connection with their place of origin. Guy described and questioned the European laws that spring from this idea and protect traditional foods and products from being produced in other countries. She noted better-known products, such as Italy’s Parmesan cheese produced only in the Parma region or France’s sparkling wine produced only in the Champagne region; however, Guy focused on the products that had not made the cut.
Umbra Institute Food Studies Program coordinator Zachary Nowak organized Guy’s guest lecture, the first of the semester. Attended by many of Nowak’s students, the event was a success, he said.
“Kolleen’s lecture reinforced themes we’ve talked about in the classroom,” Nowak said. “Terroir is a hot topic both for the local food movement and for marketing typical products outside of where they are well-known.”
Umbra’s next guest lecture will be “Green Eating for a Healthy Future” with the Florentine professor Nick Daikin Elliott. The lecture will be at 5 p.m. April 17 in Umbra’s Via Bartolo classroom 3, with an aperitivo to follow.
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