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Study
Abroad in Urbino
U.S.C. IN ITALY
Summer II
STUDY
AND
TOURING
PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Prof. Faust Pauluzzi
CONTACT:
fausto@sc.edu ; (803) 777-4884
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
URBINO SUMMER ABROAD
PROGRAM
INTRODUCTION
STUDENTS' COMMENTS ON THE PROGRAM
SUMMARY
A DAY OF YOUR LIFE IN URBINO
The city of Urbino is a major university town located
on two hills at approximately 900 feet elevation between the Metauro and Foglia
River valleys. It is situated due east of Florence, slightly south of San Marino,
some thirty miles inland from the city of Pesaro and the Adriatic Sea. The city
is small and picturesque, with architecture dating mainly from the Middle Ages
and the Renaissance. Urbino is remote from mainline tourist traffic; you
will hear little English spoken there. It is only three hours from Florence, Venice,
and Bologna; Rome is five hours away; the beach at Pesaro a scant 45 minutes.
The climate is ideal for summer: days are warm and dry, skies are clear, and nights
are cool. The inhabitants, the Urbinati , take full advantage of their
pleasant evenings, and gather in their piazze to chat with friends, or
pass the time in an outdoor caffè to talk and do people watching.
For young people, there is a discotheque. The city is known as the birthplace
of the painter Raphael, whose native home is a Museum, and of the architect Bramante,
who was chiefly responsible for the design and construction of St. Peter's Basilica
in Rome. Urbino is also renowned for the palace of the Dukes of Montefeltro, called
"the most beautiful house of the Renaissance" by art critic Sir Kenneth Clarke.
The palace is associated with a famous book describing the social activities taking
place there in the Renaissance, The Book of the Courtier by Baldassare
Castiglione. The Palace today is one of the better Museums in Italy, housing works
by Raphael, Piero della Francesca, and Giovanni Bellini. The University of Urbino
is a major institution in Italy and dates from the 16th century. Urbino
is an ideal place for immersion into Italian life because it's sophisticated,
open to foreigners, easy to explore, and relatively safe to wander in. Nearly
25,000 people live there, and because of their friendliness it is easy to get
to know them. Most Urbinati , especially the young, are curious about Americans
and will seek them out. Social interaction strengthens language skills and promotes
cultural understanding. For this reason Urbino can be considered a living language
and culture laboratory, an excellent environment for practicing and learning.
Most students who've studied on the Program in Urbino have developed a measure
of linguistic self-sufficiency, cultural sensitivity, and are able to interact
easily with any Italians. The objective of the Program is to give students
a knowledge of Italy's language, culture, artistic achievements and way of life.
Much of the information is gathered in month of classroom study. However, testing
of what is gathered is done immediately after: in conversations with professors
and campus staff, in town with locals, and on excursions to Venice, Padua, Ravenna,
Assisi, Florence, Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri. Students enroll for six credits
and attend classes during the work week.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
URBINO 2000 SUMMER ABROAD PROGRAM
STUDENTS' COMMENTS ON THE PROGRAM
Kathy La Lima "No matter how much of a culture class you take,
no matter how much Italian you take in America, you never get a sense of what
the differences actually are until you are in this situation (the Summer Program).
After a month in Italy, I want to come back. It is a nice place. I never understood
what the feeling of home was like until I came here, because it feels so natural.
No matter what culture you're from, there's always a sense of comfort here, of
balance . . . between the amazing architecture and just human existence. It's
impossible to feel anything but gratitude for the world in a place like this."
Rachel Reed "I'm the kind of person who has a core group of
friends and I don't speak easily to other people. On this trip I met a lot of
nice people, both American and Italian, and I felt totally at home with them.
The quality I found in these Italians and Americans is that they're so easy to
talk to, they're so friendly. I would try to communicate with the Italians, and
they'd try to make it easy for me to speak my beginning language. If I couldn't
understand, they would try it in English, if they could. And that made it easy
for me to communicate with people I was trying to get to know on a friendship
level." My favorite excursion was to Venice. The architecture seemed so
perfectly situated for the city and the surroundings. When we came in on the ferry,
I was just struck by how beautiful Venice was. I was struck by St. Mark's Basilica,
and how the marble pieces of the façade were all different from each other--and
yet were so perfectly paired that they gave a feeling of randomness; but they
weren't random! It took my breath away. Shopping in Venice was amazing. Even if
you didn't go into any store, looking at windows was enough. Everything was so
well put together. In the glass stores the displays were beautiful: there were
all different kinds of jewelry, vases, sculptures of many different colors and
in all types of glass. I went to Versace boutiques, Prada boutiques--everything
was just so nice, and the salesladies were so helpful; they weren't pushy. It
was one of the better shopping experiences that I've had." Rebecca Lemmon
"For me, my time in Italy was important because it gave me a chance to slow-down
and think what was important to me in life. And it gave me a chance to practice
my Italian, and meet people, and be in a different environment than I was used
to. The Italian people have an appreciation for beauty, in little things and in
large things, that made me reflect on the beauty that's in my life, and it made
me change for the better. Urbino is a beautiful city set on hills. It has a wonderful
landscape, the Ducal palace is lovely--you can see that in the nighttime--and
the sun sets very beautifully behind the residence halls (so you can go out after
dinner and watch it set). It's just a beautiful city." Ashley Walters
"I've only had four semesters of Italian. Even though I can be crazy
at times about grammar being perfect and everything sounding the way I'd write
it, in Italy you stop worrying about this. You don't care any more. You try to
speak properly, but the important thing is communication--and trying out what
you've learned. In the beginning I was too shy, I never wanted to say anything;
I felt stupid. But after a while I realized that a lot of people in Italy don't
speak English, and the fact that I was trying to learn their language . . . I
think that impressed them. I think they were happy that someone cared enough to
try to speak. By now it doesn't matter to me whether I'm going to make mistakes:
I want to learn it, I want to go back, I want to perfect it. Culturally, there's
no better place in the world. It's so nice in Urbino when you walk into the "piazza"
and you see people you've met, and they say: "Ciao!" It's a nice comforting feeling,
and for someone who wants to study Italian and be fluent, this would be a wonderful
place. The people are friendly and they want to help you. It's all been wonderful.
The entire social structure is like nothing I've seen before. I've been to the
Bahamas and to Central America, but Italy wins hands down without a doubt. I've
fallen in love with Italy; that's all I can say." Mikel Johansen "I've
had two semesters of Italian. I was able to get my point across, which I found
very helpful in Urbino and in other parts of Italy. Coming up from the beach on
the bus one day, I met a group of Italian girls and we started talking about soccer
and other things. We kind of hit it off, and they invited me to come have coffee
at their house one day, in Urbino. A week later, after dinner, I went. Parents
were there, and they made me "espresso." From that point on we were all friends.
We spent time in the "piazza" at night and we talked--it was quite interesting.
One girl was able to get her points across in English like I could in Italian,
so it was fun to exchange ideas, and to understand what our backgrounds were like.
At times things got frustrating, because no one could say what he or she wanted
to. You wanted to say something funny, but often it wasn't possible. However,
it was means of driving you to want to learn more, so that when another time came
for saying something, you could--instead of keeping silent. If you don't
know much Italian, people in Urbino will be friendly to you. They're very willing
to open themselves to you, and you do the same. You can have a great time. I don't
think anyone judges you, and because of it you can be relaxed in this town, and
not worry about anything. You can just enjoy yourself. It's true."
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
URBINO 2001 SUMMER ABROAD PROGRAM
SUMMARY INFORMATION
WHAT COURSES TO REGISTER FOR AT U.S.C.If
you?ve never had Italian before: ITAL 101, 3 credits; Schedule Code Number:
561290 ITAL 350, 3 credits; Schedule Code Number: 561310 If you?ve had
Italian before: ITAL 350, 6 credits; Schedule Code Number: 561310
WHAT COURSES YOU?LL TAKE IN URBINO All students (choose one):
Italian History and Culture.Italian Art History.Students
With No Previous Italian Instruction: Italian I.Students
With Two Semesters of Italian: Italian III.Students
With Four Semesters of Italian: `
A DAY OF YOUR LIFE IN
URBINO
Morning. Scrub-a-dub; get dressed; look for light food, a coffee. Take a deep
breath: the air is clean, the sky a deep bright blue. Maybe you can hear chickens.
Go to class with a smile; it's a few minutes away. The teachers are teaching;
you ask questions, take notes, practice speaking, look around--it's really Italy
you're in. There's an echo to the classroom. The chalk on the board is too light
for easy reading. Well, at one point "a break" comes: you're out in the sun. You
stretch, talk to friends, laugh. Time for the next teacher. It's the echo again--but
you're in Italy. When class is dismissed, you run toward your dporm room to lay
down books and pens. You head for the cafeteria. You want food. Afternoon.
In LA MENSA (the cafeteria) there's a line. You get a tray and let the ladies
serve you. At the checkout, you show your I.D. These ladies are maternal; they've
seen it for years. It's loud here--many voices are competing; there are echoes
again: Italians build with concrete and sound does wild stuff as it bounces off
it. O.K., you've eaten. You head outside to loll around. The countryside's the
stuff of Renaissance paintings. Fields are manicured; every bit of land is put
to use; there are hills and little valleys all around; you yourself are on a slope,
and in the distance there's the profile of Italy's Apennines--they head down the
spine of the country. At sunset they'll blind you with light, as the watermelon
sun sinks behind them. By then, you'll have done your homework--at least in part--and
you'll have joked around with many people you like. Evening. You've eaten.
LA MENSA was less noisy. A look to the mountains stuns you; it's the variety of
colors: soft ones, contrasty ones, blue and red ones--how can this exist! A deep
breath takes you to your room, where you put on nice clothes for going to town.
Everyone who loves living will be there: the locals, the occasional tourist, other
students, the professors. What for?! For piazza-sitting, people-watching, coffee-sipping,
talking, laughing, exchanging stories, ice-cream eating, strolling, reading newspapers,
writing postcards, watching a bit of TV, trying out Italian, listening to Italian,
above all for feeling giddy and secure in an environment that's clearly "old"
and clearly on a healthy course. Naturally, there's the craziness of motorscooters,
with their loud exhausts, yet everything blends into a busy hum, like what you
hear from a beehive if you get close. Coffee-bar sitting is cheap, and you don't
have to order if a friend's already bought something. Waiters come to welcome
you, and they turn out to be friends when you keep on coming back. It's all sooooo
relaxed! At 11p.m. you have a decision to make: home to rest or forward to the
disco? The hardships of Italian life!! Back to top
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