This upcoming Summer, The Italian Studies program will be hosting a new study abroad program to Perugia, Italy. Assistant Teaching Professor of French & Italian, Irina Markina, will be leading the program as the director. This program is intended for students who have taken ITAL 101 to explore Perugia while continuing their Italian studies.
Nestled around a medieval piazza perched on the green hills of Umbria, Perugia is the region’s capital city boasting a rich history and a vibrant present. One of the twelve confederate cities of the ancient Etruscans, Perugia later became a center for Renaissance art where Raphael spent his formative years. Today, it is a lively university city, home to the host institution, the Università per Stranieri. Equidistant from both Florence and Rome, Perugia is well connected to all that Italy has to offer without being overwhelmed by summer tourism, offering a culturally rich setting as well as many opportunities to engage with locals in Italian.
Students will take two 5-credit courses in the Università’s eighteenth-century palazzo situated at the foot of the millennia-old Etruscan Arch. The first (ITAL 199 / ITAL 299), offered by the Università, will be an Italian language course on the theme of Italian food. The class will feature readings and conversations on the theme of Italian cuisine tailored to students who have completed ITAL 101, 102, 103, or equivalent. On Fridays, the group will attend field trips where you will have the opportunity to meet chefs and local farmers.
The second course (ITAL 399), led by the UW Program Director in English, will take students from the classroom and across the city to introduce students to Italian art and architecture. Classes will often take place outside, in museums and city streets. Together, the class will discuss how ancient Rome expanded its rule over the Italian peninsula before Perugia's ancient defensive walls and will gather around the artworks of Giotto, Raphael, Piero della Francesca and others to grasp what constituted the artistic revolution of the Renaissance.
The second half of our program will coincide with one of the most important jazz festivals in the world, Umbria Jazz, which has electrified Perugia since 1973 and attracted artists like Miles Davis, Lady Gaga, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
To learn more about the program, please visit the study abroad website for more information, including program details and financial aid availability. For program specific questions, please reach out to the program director Irina Markina via email at imarkina@uw.edu.