Summer Sustainability Program with Dr. Woods in Siena Tuscany: Nature, Culture, and Sustainability

Summer 2024

Medieval hill towns, ancient castles, iconic cuisine, and stunning landscape are part of the charms of Italy’s Tuscan region. The home of Michelangelo’s David and the birthplace of gelato, Tuscany boasts many treasures—chief among them the millennia-old relationship between nature and culture. This 6-unit program explores that relationship as it’s embodied in Tuscany’s art, architecture, agriculture, and cuisine. Together we will study environmental and cultural sustainability from the ancient Etruscan Federation to the contemporary European Union. Students will live and study in the beautiful medieval walled city of Siena. There, we will investigate the city’s natural heritage and centuries-old cultural traditions. Beyond Siena, field trips to Florence, Pisa, and Tuscan hill towns will provide deep understanding of the ways Tuscans build, remember the past, and imagine the future.  By the end of this interdisciplinary program, students will be able define, describe, and apply aspects of sustainability relative to Tuscan life now and through the ages. You will learn by doing: visit monuments, museums, and markets; enjoy food-tastings and food-making workshops; explore agricultural estates and gardens; and walk an ancient pilgrim’s road.