Experience studying and living abroad in Todi, Italy, a unique opportunity for M.A.L.S. students to earn four credits in an intensive three-week course.

• When: July 21-August 11, 2008
• Where: Todi, Italy
• Living: Student-shared apartments within the ancient walls of Todi
• Study: One four-credit class, Drawing in Italy
• Travel: Day trips to Assisi, Orvieto, and Rome. Two-night stays in Rome and Florence
• Cultural activities: Visit to local art restorer, archeological tours of Todi, Italian cuisine preparation, and Raku ceramics inside a contemporary artist's studio.
• Eligibility: Hollins alumnae, M.A.L.S. students, 18 years or older, no course prerequisites or previous drawing experience required.
• Program fees: $3,400

Todi, Italy

Todi is a gracious medieval city with antique origins in the heart of the Umbrian valley halfway between Rome and Florence. It stands upon a hilltop, overlooking the Tevere River. The bustling piazza, where residents do their daily shopping and take their morning coffee, is the hub of the city's civil, economic, and social life. Filled with open-air cafés and art, antique, and clothing stores, the piazza is a great meeting place for residents and tourists alike. Todi offers the values of family, peace, and comfort. Its society is one of slow rhythms, which allow for reflection and the development of sincere and profound relationships. Todi is the perfect place to study Italian art and culture and to practice speaking Italian every day. For more information, visit www.bellaumbria.net/Todi/home_eng.htm.

Study

Art 550 Sp. Topic Drawing in Italy (4)
Professor Alison C. Hall
The focus of this course will be on methods, materials, and techniques of pictorial organization from observation, memory and Italian works of art, using drawing mediums. Classes will be held in plein-air, weather permitting. Outdoor work will include Todi and the surrounding area. Various readings will accompany studio sessions. We will explore ideas of cultural history, history of the landscape in art, and how landscapes are being transformed by the modern world.  Supporting activities to broaden students understanding of the contemporary culture in Italy as it relates to its past. Final portfolio of personal work for display is required. Visits to museums in Florence, Rome, Assisi, and Orvieto are a part of class work. No prerequisite. Course will be taught on an individual level, taking into consideration your experience and skill. Open to all graduate students.

Each day during the week you will spend mornings in the plein air drawing the landscape around Todi. Various readings will explore ideas of cultural history and the landscape in art, and how the modern world is transforming landscapes. Your work will include a small portfolio of personal work and a sketchbook done from our museum visits each week.

Intro to Italian language taught by native speakers at the Language Institute of Todi. Scheduled cultural activities enable you to practice your Italian. As your language skills progress you will be able to use Italian as you meet with Enzo Zoccoli, a native of Todi, to observe the process of restoring paintings from the 1600s to the 1800s inside a working bottega of restoration.

You will also be exploring the medieval, Etruscan, and Tuderti history of Todi with Alison Hall and Frederico Spiganti, a native who undertakes major archeological digs, conducts spelunking expeditions of the underground Roman water systems, and catalogs ancient fragments from pre-Christian churches in and around the town. Included are walking tours and hands-on activities with ancient artifacts.

You will be introduced to hand building ceramics using the raku process of firing in Buonfiglio's working studio, seeing what it means to be a modern-day artist in a country rich in tradition.

You will help Loretta Paolini prepare and eat a traditional Umbrian meal, joining her at the local markets to buy ingredients. Using recipes passed down through four generations, you will hand make pasta, while discussing the role women play in the modern Italian family.

Slideshow of Summer 2007 program

Travel

We will explore ideas of cultural history and see masterpieces of art and cathedrals as we travel for three days to Rome, spend two nights in Florence, and travel to Assisi and Orvieto. We will travel via public transportation. Museum entry fees are included.

Living

Housing is located within the medieval walls of Todi. Students live in shared apartments that are a short walk from the piazza and supermarket. One of the program's goals is to allow students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the society of Todi, participating in the culture by buying their groceries daily and hanging their laundry out to dry. Apartments are fully equipped with kitchen and laundry facilities (usually no dryers). Students may request roommates.

Housing is provided through the assistance of the Language Institute and consists of student shared apartments located within historic Todi.

Program Fees

The total fee of $3,400 includes tuition, language instruction, supplemental activities, accommodations in student-shared apartments, trips to Orvieto, Assisi, and Rome; two overnight accommodations in Florence; and three-day trips to Rome. It does not include round-trip airfare, drawing supplies, most meals, cell phones, and personal independent excursions.

Applications and Student Qualifications

Hollins students enrolled in the M.A.L.S. program may participate in the Summer Abroad trip in Italy, as well as Hollins alumnae. Spouses and or partners may also join this program but are required to pay the same fee as students on the trip, regardless of participation. The Study Abroad trip is open to students with a 2.5 cumulative grade point average. No children, and must be 18 years or older to attend. This program cannot accommodate disabilities due to the environment and rigorous nature of the trip. Unfortunately accommodations do not allow for disabilities. Tuition remission does not apply to this program. Application procedures and requirements will follow the guidelines of the Hollins Abroad office. Students are required to purchase supplemental insurance through their insurance carrier to cover emergency evacuation and emergency care during their stay. Proof of coverage is required to participate.

Qualifications of Faculty

A qualified Hollins faculty will teach the Art 550 Sp Topic course, translate, provide lectures, and readings to accompany all experiential components, excluding the introduction to Italian language. The Language Institute of Todi will supply students with classrooms, language instruction, necessary language handouts, and housing. Alison Hall has an MFA from American University in Washington D.C. She has taught at Hollins in the M.A.L.S. program for three years. In the academic year 2006-2007 she was the sabbatical replacement for Bill White. Hall has been periodically living and working in Todi for the past seven years.  She currently teaches Italian at Roanoke College. For more information, visit www.alisonchall.com.

Enrollment

• Minimum enrollment: 8 students
• Maximum enrollment: 15 students

Application Information and Dates to Remember

• March 23: Application forms due. Apply for passport if you do not have one.
  E-mail to achall@hollins.edu. You may fax forms (540) 362-6694.
• April 3: Notification of acceptance via e-mail, additional health report/release forms sent.
• April 13: $500 nonrefundable deposits due (counts toward total costs). We accept major credit card or checks made payable to Hollins University. Completed additional forms due: Health report/release forms, behavior contract, liability waiver, contact information, housing form. It is recommended that students purchase their plane tickets at this time. Travel itineraries should be sent to achall@hollins.edu immediately. 
• May 1: Final payment ($2,900) due. We accept major credit cards or checks made payable to Hollins University.  Confirmation and copy of personal travel insurance policy sent to achall@hollins.edu. Copy of passport due, along with final flight itinerary.
• July 21: Students arrive in Rome; airport code FCO.
• August 11: Students return home.

Required Forms

• Application Form (Word) (PDF)
• Letters of Recommendation (Word) (PDF)
• Contact Information Form (Word) (PDF)
• Housing Form (Word) (PDF)
• Health Report and Release Form (Word) (PDF)
• Behavior Contract Form (Word) (PDF)
  
  Return forms to:
  Alison C. Hall
  Hollins University
  P.O. Box 9583
  Roanoke, Virginia 24020-1583
  achall@hollins.edu
  

Itinerary Overview (subject to change)

• Day 1: Students arrive in Rome, bus ride to Todi, transportation to apartments.
• Day 2: First day in Todi, Two-hour tour of Todi, Welcome Dinner
• Day 3: Travel to Assisi, four hours in sketchbook
• Day 4: Drawing 8 am-12 pm, Language Instruction 4-6 pm
• Day 5: Drawing 8 am-12 pm, Raku 5-7 pm
• Day 6: Travel to Orvieto, four hours in sketchbook
• Day 7: Shopping with Loretta 9-10 am, Raku glazing 5-6 pm
• Day 8: Pasta Preparation 9 am-12 pm, free afternoon
• Day 9: Travel to Rome/Vatican, four hours in sketchbook
• Day 10: Lunch with Loretta 12-1 pm. Firing of Raku 6-8 pm
• Day 11: Drawing 8 am-12 pm
• Day 12: Visit to painting restorer 9-11 am
• Day 13: Travel to Florence, four hours in sketchbook
• Day 14: Florence Uffizi, four hours in sketchbook
• Day 15: Florence, four hours in sketchbook, return to Todi in afternoon
• Day 16: Drawing 8 am-12 pm
• Day 17: Drawing 8 am-12 pm
• Day 18: Free Day in Todi, Goodbye Dinner 
• Day 19: Journey to Rome
• Day 20: Rome - free day
• Day 21: Journey home/Breakfast at hotel
   

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