Umbra Blog – Page 47 – DEV – The Umbra Institute – Study Abroad in Italy

The following post was written by current Umbra student Maria Papapietro, who is currently studying in Perugia through CIS. We also recommend highly that you read her entire blog, La Vita è Bella, which gives a honest and positive perspective on the study abroad experience.

I’m realizing that a lot of my writing in the coming weeks will be more for me than anyone else.

I’m in a funk today. At first, I thought it was just the cloudy, drizzly day (I shouldn’t be complaining, this is the first time I’ve seen rain in over a month). But it’s not the weather. It’s something else entirely…

I do not want to leave this place.

Today in my 3:30 class, the brief flash of leaving prompted tears that I actually had to wipe away. I don’t know what caused me to think, “the end.” Maybe it was receiving our predeparture handbook in my email yesterday. Maybe it’s the fact that people are starting to confirm their flights home. What I do know is that three weeks from tomorrow, I will be leaving Perugia.

And that’s scary.

(more…)

Once a year, the Italian government drops all entrance fees for state-owned museums in celebration of Italian Culture Week! While lines might be a bit longer at larger museums because of bigger crowds, this is a great opportunity to check out that museum or photography exhibit that you’ve been eyeing but haven’t wanted to pay for. It begins this Friday, April 9^th and goes for nine days until Sunday, April 22.

This is true for the major museums and exhibits in Florence and Rome as well:

The Accademia
Via Ricasoli, 58-60 – Open: Tue-Sun, 8:15a-6.50p
Phone: 055 238 8609 – Map

The big sight here is Michelangelo’s David. A trick that they frequently pull at the Accademia – although they do the same thing at the Uffizi – is to create a special, limited-time exhibit, and then to extend it. So, if you’re trying to see something and the end date is in the near future, don’t hurry too much; it’ll likely still be there when you’re really trying to go. Also, watch out for the famous Accademia “shriekers” – the guards will happily yell at you if you try to take a picture of the David. Discretion helps, but they’re very observant.
The Uffizi
Loggiato degli Uffizi, 6 – Open: Tue-Sun, 8:15a-6.50p
Phone: 055 238 8683 – Map

One of the most famous museums in the world – but they’re known for loaning out some of their most famous works very suddenly. If you’re fixed on seeing one particular work, call ahead and make sure that it’s still there. Also, please remember: no liquids! They do have a x-ray machine and will make you dump it out.
Palatine Gallery / Palazzo Pitti
Piazza Pitti, 1 – Open: Sun-Fri 8.30a -6.50p (inc. holidays); Saturdays 8.30a-10.00p
Phone: 055 238 8614 – Map

Palazzo Pitti, a converted private collection, is well worth seeing. Also notable are the attached Boboli gardens, which are a destination in themselves. Think about doing the €11 complete ticket, which permits you to see both the palace and the gardens – the price for that drops to €9 after 4.30.

But there are also plenty of museums in Perugia:

If you’re too warm from sitting on the steps of the duomo, cool down by heading into the Etruscan well or into the San Severo chapel to see a Raphael fresco. Also, if you haven’t gone into the Museo Nazionale or the Nobile Collegio del Cambio on Corso Vannucci, you can just pop in – perhaps with a gelato!

And last — but decidedly not least — don’t forget about the National Archaeological Museum of Umbria, which is found in Corso Cavour, a beautiful and up-and-coming area of the city which is only about a seven-minute walk from downtown.

Do you have any recommendations for the best museums in Perugia or in Italy?

This past weekend, Umbra students from HSRC 330: Roman Civilization and Daily Life trekked through the ancient, and once buried, cities of Pompei, Herculaneum and the Oplontis Villa. Professor Giampiero Bevagna took his students through family homes, stores, arenas, public bath houses, and more. As a special treat, students spent an afternoon along the breathtaking Italian coast in Almafi, laying on the beach while trying their famous lemon sorbet. The fun, informative class field trip wrapped up in Naples at the National Archaeological Museum to see the excavated remains of Pompei. The museum has has the world’s largest collection which included pottery, sculptures, frescoes, and many other artifacts. No trip to Naples would have be complete though without a classic Neapolitan pizza and pastries which received rave reviews by the students before heading home to Perugia.

Just in time for gorgeous spring weather, the kind people at the newly-renovated and -expanded San Francesco d’Assisi International Airport (also known as the Perugia airport) have decided to grace us with an enormous number of new destinations. Most of these will run until either the end of August or the end of October, depending on popularity:

Barcelona, Spain
London, England
Brussels, Belgium
Milan, Italy
Trapani, Italy (Sicily)
Calgary, Italy (Sardegna)
Bergamo, Italy
Olbia, Italy (Sardegna)
Full List and Schedule: Translated into English — Original Italian

The beauty of the Perugia airport is that it’s fifteen minutes away by shuttle (navetta), which has the following fixed schedule:

From Perugia:
Departure Piazza Italia: 6.15-12.50-16.50
Departure Train Station: 6.30-13.00-17.05
Arrival Airporto: 6.45-13.30-17.25

Departures from Airport:
Departure: 14.40-17.50-21.50
Arrival Train Station.: 15.10-18.20-22.20
Arrival Perugia Piazza Italia: 15.15-18.30-22.30

It also has departures from Piazza Italia and from the airport that are timed to coincide with the flights. I’ve personally never waited more than 15 minutes for a shuttle after landing, but to check the departure times the best thing to do is to call their hotline (numero verde): 800 099 661. The best way to ask is “quando parte la navetta per l’aeroporto da Piazza Italia?” (When does the airport shuttle leave from Piazza Italia?)

This week all the Italian classes are visiting the famous Perugina chocolate factory right here in Perugia. During the tour, students learn about the process of chocolate making, the history of Perugina and the origins of the chocolate, the cocoa bean..in Italian! The enticing aroma of chocolate greet them as they enter the tasting room where everyone samples the freshest Baci chocolates they will even have, straight from the factory floor. At the end of the tour, students to do a little souvenir shopping for lucky family and friends. Umbra students even took a photo in front of the replica of the world’s largest chocolate candy ever made according to the Guiness Book of World Records (13,000+ pounds!).

Interesting fact: Perugina produces over 1,400 per minute for a whopping total of over 1,000,000 per day.

Two members of the Medical Ethics Committee of the Region of Umbria were at the Umbra Institute yesterday to discuss the ethical issues surrounding the definition of life and to present current Italian legislation on living wills. Doctors Linda Richieri and Antonio Perelli were invited by Professor Michael Chiariello, professor of philosophy for St. Bonaventure University, Franciscan Heritage Semester Study Abroad Program, and senior Umbra faculty member, organized the encounter as part of his course “Medicine, Ethics and Law: An International Perspective.”

Medical ethics Umbra Institute (Small) — In the photo: Antonio Perelli, Francesco Gardenghi, Michael Chiariello, and Linda Richieri.

The course familiarizes students with the outstanding ethical and legal problems facing medicine today, as well as giving them a broad, international perspective on questions of medical ethics. Students grapple with end-of-life issues, using real-life examples like the Terry Schiavo case, as well as similar Italian cases like the “caso Englaro.” Dr.Chiariello’s guests gave an overview of the Italian viewpoint on the current debate about whether brain death should still be the legal definition of death. The two doctors also had an animated discussion with students about living wills and whom should vested with the decision of when life (or quality of life) ends.

Participants in the discussion included Ms.Judy Chiariello, assistant director of the Program, as well as dottor Francesco Gardenghi, Umbra’s Assistant Director for Italian Institutional and Community Relations, who coordinated the visit. Professor Chiariello commented later that “the course is intended for students interested in law or medicine. My hope is that it will help them become professionals with a greater awareness of ethical issues and their philosophical foundations, and a more global intercultural appreciation of their practical reality.”

This post is guest-written by Roberto, an Italian engineering and architecture student who studied at Umbra in the spring of 2011 and then spent the following fall in New York.

I spent four months in NYC as a guest of Baruch College (CUNY University) to write my masters thesis. It was a wonderful experience, not only regarding my studies or life, but also and especially because I could visit some of my best American friends: Gabriel, Laura, Lindsay and Chelsea. I knew them the last year at Umbra Institute, in fact, I attended the class of Italian Cinema with Prof. F. Burzacca. I think it was the best experience of my life: I spent one day with Chelsea in Washington D.C., Thanksgiving with Gabriel and his beautiful family, Christmas Holidays and more days with Laura, her sweet family, and Lindsay. (more…)

An Umbra alum on her return after her experience abroad in Italy creates a blog for her Global Interpersonal Communication class, to talk about her experience studying in Perugia, Italy and to help current and prospective students that make the decision to study here.

Here is her introduction to the blog:

” My name is Marie Galetto and I was a student at the Umbra Institute in the fall of 2011. Upon my return home, I took a course entitled Global Interpersonal Communication in which we discussed as a class the ways we succeeded and failed to be interculturally competent during our abroad experiences. This blog was an assignment for that class and combines much of the research and topics discussed over the course of the quarter.

Although it started as an assignment for the class, this blog has evolved into something more personal and meaningful for me. In this blog I share some of my experiences, struggles and growth that happened during my months abroad. I hope that this blog can help those who are considering Perugia as their study abroad destination. I hope that it can be interesting for those who are currently living in Perugia to read about my experiences and see similarities and differences from theirown. I hope that this blog can also be enlightening for those who have already returned home because, for me, that was the part of my experience for which I was least prepared. I am still discovering new things about how my experience abroad has shaped me and I hope that this blog stimulates those who read it to do some reflecting of their own. Happy reading and happy traveling! ”

Check her blog at: http://lifeinperugia.wordpress.com

Students from BSEU 390: Business in Europe and BSIM 390: International Marketing have joined forces with the Umbria regional government’s Office of Internationalization for an exciting service learning project. The project is based on helping the regional government preserve and promote the region’s traditional, high-quality handcrafted artisan products (ceramics, textiles and furniture) in Italy and abroad.

Both classes met with the Office of Internationalization’s director and manager and last Friday, students visited several artisan companies in Città di Castello, a picturesque town near Perugia. Having interviewed company managers, students now have a better understanding of the products’ rich history and their business operations’ strengths and weaknesses.

Now, the real service begins. In class, students will brainstorm and strategize how to promote these incredible artisan goods in the United States. As innovative young Americans, students will apply theories from class and their own creativity to preserve truly old Italian traditions. This real-life case study has practical benefits for everyone involved and is a great example of collaboration between different generations, languages, cultures and countries.

trattoria-tortilla-mexican-food-in-perugia — Even George is coming down from Como for some Tex-Mex

If you’ve every tried to find Mexican food in Italy — and especially in Perugia — you’ll know that the offerings are sorely lacking. The students from The Business of Food in Italy are aiming to change that by running Trattoria Tortilla, a small Mexican restaurant, as their capstone project!

For just €10 (or €9 if you reserve as an eight-person table), you get to dig into a four-course meal — served, of course, all’italiana:

Antipasto: Chips and homemade salsa

Primo: Chili-roasted Sweet Potatoes

Secondo: Beef or Veggie Burritos

Dessert: Sopapillas (fried pastry served with honey)

They will be selling tickets at Umbra in the library this Wednesday, Thursday, as well as next Monday and Tuesday from 10 am to 2 pm.

TICKETS WILL NOT BE SOLD AT THE DOOR, SO BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!

RSVP at the Facebook event page

This is a student run project for the BUFS 380 – The Business of Food: Italy and Beyond class which is a part of the Food Studies Program