The Experiment: Italy - Language and Local Food Culture

Explore local foods and the Italian communities, traditions, and cultures to which they are connected during a month-long summer abroad program for high school students. Spend several days in a gorgeous Tuscan town, where you will take Italian language lessons and explore the art and landscape of the surrounding area. Focus on the Slow Food movement and the importance of seasonal, organic, and locally grown food of different regions. Spend eight days at a prestigious cooking school in Asti, preparing traditional Italian dishes under the guidance of a skilled chef. The program’s culinary excursions include visiting organic farms, the famous University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, and an agrigelateria to see how artisanal ice cream is made.Continue to practice your Italian language skills as you share daily life with an Italian family during the program’s homestay. Use your new language skills to buy fresh food in outdoor markets and to engage in daily interactions with host family members and other Italians. Discover the stories behind the unique foods of different regions of Italy while having hands-on culinary experiences. Whether you’re sampling homemade chocolates, conducting olive oil tastings, or making pizza, you’ll deepen your understanding of the intimate links between food, sustainability, and culture, within the context of Italy and beyond.Conclude the program with two days of exploration and reflection in Venice. Visits to Rome, with its beautiful fountains and monuments, Vatican City, Florence, Piedmont, and other areas of cultural and historic significance in Italy are incorporated into the program.