Todi, Italy


When: June 2 – July 14, 2008
Where: Todi, Italy
Living: Student-shared apartments within the ancient walls of Todi
Study: Two four-credit classes, Drawing and Painting the Landscape, Italian Culture and Language
Travel: Three day trips to Rome, two nights in Florence, day trips to Assisi, Orvieto, Arezzo, and Perugia
Cultural activities: Art restoration, archeological tours of Todi, Italian cuisine preparation, and Raku ceramics inside a contemporary artist’s studio
Eligibility: Open to all female college students 18 years of age or older, with a 2.5 GPA. No course prerequisites.


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.

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. 

Study
Each day during the week you will spend mornings in the plein air painting and 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.
   After lunch you will be in language classes 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 restore 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 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. 

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, Orvieto, Arezzo, and Perugia. We will travel via public transportation. Museum entry fees are included.

Eligibility and credits
Students earn eight credits. The program is open to all female college students, 18 years of age or older, and nontraditional students who choose to attend for credit or personal enrichment. Students should verify with their home institution that credits are transferable. Courses count toward graduation, but not toward Hollins art major or language requirements.

Faculty
Professor Alison C. Hall is a visiting assistant professor of art at Hollins University. For the past six years she has divided her time between the United States and Todi, Italy. Hall has an M.F.A. in painting from American University in Washington, D.C. Her work has been shown internationally.

Program fees
The total fee of $6,280 includes tuition, language instruction, supplemental activities, accommodations in student-shared apartments, trips to Orvieto, Assisi, Florence, Perugia, Arezzo; two overnight accommodations in Florence; and three-day trips to Rome. It does not include round-trip airfare, painting/drawing supplies, most meals, cell phones, and personal independent excursions, or ISIC travel card fee.

Flights to Italy
Students are required to arrive at the Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome on the morning of June 2. The program director will be at the airport awaiting all students as they arrive.


Application information and dates to remember:

March 25: Application forms due.
E-mail to achall@hollins.edu, or jknipe@hollins.edu (additional forms will be sent via e-mail). Or, you may fax forms (540) 362-6694. Apply for passport if you do not have one.

March 26: Notification of acceptance via e-mail.

March 30: $500 nonrefundable deposits due (counts toward total costs). We accept major credit card or checks made payable to Hollins University. Completed additional forms due: transcript release, behavior contract, liability waiver, contact information, ISIC application, housing form, health report/release forms.

April 5: Final payment ($5,780) due. We accept major credit cards or checks made payable to Hollins University.

June 2: Students arrive in Rome; airport code FCO.

July 14: Students return home.

Return forms to:
Alison C. Hall
Hollins University
P.O. Box 9583
Roanoke, Virginia 24020-1583

For questions or more information, contact:
Alison C. Hall
Program Director
achall@hollins.edu
(540) 362-6518

Jan Knipe
Professor of Art
jknipe@hollins.edu
(540) 362-6522
Fax: (540) 362-6694