All-School Field Studies Destinations (Fall/Spring)

The objective of the All-School Field Studies Program is to offer students the opportunity to travel to cities throughout Italy under the guidance of an experienced professor or lecturer.

Each semester the All-School Field Studies Program includes day trips to Assisi, the Gori collection, a special Insider’s Florence day, Ravenna, and a two-day trip to Rome.

Trips are open to all students (except Architecture majors) and are repeated many times during the semester to accommodate the student’s schedules. Please sign up in the Student Life Office.


Assisi
Travel south to the beautiful region of Umbria where you will spend a full day exploring the lovely hill town Assisi. Art history lecturers will explain the important complex of San Francesco, analyzing the frescoes by Cimabue, Giotto and Simoni Martini. After a short break for lunch, step back in time to the late middle ages with a walk through Assisi pausing to admire the civic and ecclesiastical architecture. During free time, students may want to climb up Monte Subasio to the Rocca for a fabulous view of the Umbrian countryside.


Gori Collection
Experience modern art in a classic Tuscan setting. Travel to the Gori Collection near the provincial center of Pistoia. The group will be restricted to 30 and lead through the premises by a docent of the Gori collection. Students will stroll through the expansive park surrounding the villa, where you will encounter sculptural works by some of the world’s leading contemporary artists. This trip is especially designed for returning students.


Insider’s Florence
Take this opportunity to explore the little known monuments of Florence. After a semester in Florence looking at the famous and popular monuments, such as the Uffizi, Accademia, and Santa Croce, discover hidden Florence. A field study lecturer will accompany a small group though the backstreets to discover architectural and artistic gems of the Renaissance.


Pisa and Lucca
This day trip begins in Pisa where the lecture covers the rise of the city-state of Pisa in the 11th century. Includes lectures and discussion of the construction of the leaning tower, the Cathedral and its pulpit by Giovanni Pisano, a visit to the Baptistry, and a stop at the graveyard (Campo Santo) where the influence of the Black Death in painting is explored.

The group moves on to Lucca where students are free for lunch. The afternoon includes a walking tour through the city and on the 16th century walls. Students also visit the remains of the Roman Amphitheatre and the Cathedral of Lucca which houses the relics of the Volto Santo and Jacopo della Quercia’s Ilaria del Carretto from the 15th century.


Ravenna
Travel by bus over the Apennines to the eastern coast province of Emilia-Romagna for a day in Ravenna, once the Western capital of the Roman Empire, to study the monuments and mosaics of the Early Christian period. A day trip to Ravenna offers the students an opportunity imagine stepping back to the twilight of the roman empire and understand influence of Byzantium on art and architecture of the 5th and 6th centuries.


Rome
Devote two full days in Rome investigating the art and culture of Ancient Rome to Baroque Rome. Art history lecturers, faculty and guest speakers lead in-depth tours through the Vatican museums, including the Sistine Chapel and Raphael’s Stanze. The afternoon is spent at St. Peter’s Basilica investigating the history of the Papacy and the architecture, and Michelangelo’s Pieta.

The next morning is devoted to ancient Rome where faculty lead students through an in-depth tour of the Roman Forum, Coliseum, Capitoline and Pantheon. That afternoon students will be given a choice of a visit to the Borghese Gallery, Early Christian catacombs, or an insider’s view of Rome.


Siena and San Gimignano
Siena trip features visits and discussions at the Palazza Pubblico, show casing a controversial methodological analysis of Simoni Martini’s great frescoes in the Council Chamber. A guided tour of the Cathedral Complex includes discussion of the history of the construction of the Gothic Cathedral, visit to the Piccolomini Library, Michelangelo’s Piccolomini Altar, Nicola Pisano’s Pulpit, Duccio’s famous Maesta in the Museum of the Cathedral and lastly a climb to the top of the Facciatone, the abandoned Cathedral project from 1330.

After lunch on your own, the group moves on to San Gimignano. Students walk through town, explore the construction of towers, and learn about the rise of medieval cities, the tower towns, and their rise to prominence. Another lecture delves into the Plague of 1348 and analyzes its impact on San Gimignano.