Harvard Summer Program in Abruzzo, Italy
At a Glance
Dates:
ITAL S-52 (Vasto/Chieti, Abruzzo):
June 27–July 31
ITAL S-96r
(Monsummano Terme/Pistoia, Tuscany):
June 6–July 7, 2010
(Vasto/Chieti, Abruzzo):
July 11–July 31, 2010
Application deadline for both programs:
February 5
Cost:
ITAL S-52: $7,300
ITAL S-96r: $7,500
Accommodations:
Hotel
Slideshow
Contact
- Elvira Di Fabio, e-mail
Harvard College students can attend the study abroad fair to learn more about this program.
Italian language study amid the scenic and culinary pleasures of Abruzzo
Faculty: Elvira G. Di Fabio
On-site facilitators:
Vasto, Abruzzo: Consortium of Italian Teachers Teaching Abroad
Monsummano Terme, Tuscany: Carla Rossi Academy
Intermediate and advanced students live different Italian realities, converging as 1 class in the seaside resort of Vasto, Abruzzo. The program includes intense grammar review and emphasis on reading and conversation skills. Beyond the classroom, students enjoy the majesty of Italy’s dramatic landscape and, while focusing on food culture, cultivate interaction with the local population (“living labs”).
Activities based on blogs and living labs are intended to encourage students to observe and contextualize their immersion experience by describing products, interpreting practices, evaluating perspectives, and documenting through photographs and video.
A twice-weekly diction workshop is shared by Vasto students (16–18 years old), and is an excellent opportunity for interaction and cultural exchange.
Class time—whether in a traditional classroom or in the living lab of the community—is supplemented by special seminars on varying topics of relevance to the geographical location, including the sociology of local cuisine.
Course of study
Mapping the cultures of Italy—food for thought, and Italian and the community
Sapore, which means “taste” in Italian, shares the same root as sapere, which means “to know.” This program offers 2 courses of language and culture immersion, unified outside the classroom in their examination of food culture and community interaction, and converging as 1 class during the last 3 weeks of the program.
Students enroll in 1 of the following.
ITAL S-52 Study Abroad in Abruzzo, Italy: Food for Thought (31824)
Elvira G. Di Fabio.
(8 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
This 5-week course is intended for students who seek an intermediate level of intense grammar review, with emphasis on reading and conversation skills. Students are invited to participate in a special arts laboratory for Vasto children (4–12 years old), where fables come to life through interrelated reading hours at the Bottega delle Storie and ceramic workshops at the Laboratorio Creta Rossa.
Prerequisites: at least 2 semesters of college-level Italian or the equivalent.
ITAL S-96r Study Abroad in Abruzzo, Italy: Academic Workshops in Language and Culture (32402)
Elvira G. Di Fabio.
(8 credits: UN, GR) Limited enrollment
This 8-week workshop is intended for students who seek an advanced immersion in language and culture while engaging in arts workshops. During the first weeks of the course, the faculty at the Carla Rossi Academy in Monsummano Terme (Pistoia, Tuscany), guide students in close readings of selected literary and visual texts; next, working with professionals in the arts—painters, poets, photographers, dancers, videographers, musicians, etc.—the students then "translate" these texts into another interpretive art form, ranging from visual to performing arts. These projects are then expanded and reworked for public exhibition in Vasto.
Prerequisites: at least 3 semesters of college-level Italian or the equivalent, or permission of the program director.
Course credit
See Study Abroad Credit Information.
Faculty
Elvira G. Di Fabio, PhD, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
Guest lecturers on Romance languages and literatures to be announced.
Application
Students must be at least 18 years old, have completed at least 1 year of college or be a first-year student, and be in good academic standing to apply.
The application materials, outlined below, are due February 5 for either program:
- A completed online application (available in early December) that includes:
- A $50 nonrefundable application fee
- A supplementary statement describing interest in the program, coursework in Italian, and travel experience abroad (previous travel is not a prerequisite)
- Official transcripts (sent directly to the address below; unofficial transcripts are accepted for Harvard College students only)
Transcripts should be addressed as follows:
Matilda West
Study Abroad Coordinator
Harvard Summer School
51 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Students will be notified of admission decisions by late February or early March.
Cost
The cost of the program is $7,350 for students who enroll in ITAL S-52 or $7,500 for students who enroll in ITAL S-96r, and a nonrefundable $50 application fee. This covers the following:
- Tuition
- Room and some meals
- Excursions (including meals when appropriate)
In addition to the program fee, students are responsible for:
- A health insurance fee ($175; waived if students have US insurance that provides coverage outside the United States)
- Transportation to and from Abruzzo
- The cost of passports and visas (if the latter is needed)
- Any immunizations
Program directors will advise students of likely additional expenses. A sample budget to estimate expenses for each track will be available soon.
How to pay and funding options
See How to Pay for payment deadlines, deposit amounts, and more information including funding options for Harvard College students.
Harvard students are encouraged to apply for a Diaco Memorial Grant.
Accommodations
While in Vasto, Abruzzo, students are housed in a hotel in Vasto Centro, a 5-minute walk to the classroom and a 10-minute bus ride to the beach in Vasto Marina. The comfortably furnished rooms are double or triple occupancy and have private bathrooms with showers, secure entrances, and access to wireless Internet. Single rooms are available upon request for an additional fee.
For ITAL S-96r students, housing in Monsummano Terme is in a family-run bed and breakfast, double or triple-occupancy with access to a kitchen, landscaped garden, and swimming pool.
Additional information
Contact Dr. Elvira Di Fabio, edifabio@fas.harvard.edu; (617) 495-5478; fax (617) 496-4682.
Students with disabilities should contact the disability services coordinator as soon as possible. See Students with Disabilities for more information.