Borromini Institute Rome Study & Intern Abroad

Yesterday our students got a needed break from the hustle and bustle of Rome with a group visit to Il Trattore, a social cooperative farm that promotes organic agriculture, environmental education, and the social integration of disadvantaged groups. We kicked off the day with a guided tour led by none other than one of our current University of Illinois students, Stephanie Lepak, who has been interning this semester with Il Trattore due to her strong interest in environmental education and sustainable food systems. From there, our students gathered vegetables, collaboratively prepared a group lunch made up exclusively of products grown on the farm, and all the while had a blast doing it!

AND ._
HWSAbroadHobart and William Smith CollegesLiberal Arts & Sciences at IllinoisUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

In Italy today is the national day of remembrance of victims of immigration, in particular commemorating the tragedy in Lampedusa 10 years ago in which 368 migrants were drowned at sea. This is particular relevant to us: our students just returned from the ports and villages of Calabria where they met with migrants and local officials working to welcome them to Italy and provide for their emergency needs.


.illinois

This Fall our archaeology day aimed at a deeper understanding of the presence of the past in the historic layers of the city. So instead of going right into the Forum and Colosseum we descended amongst the cats into the Sacred Area of Largo Argentina and then wound our way through the medieval streets of the former Ghetto and up to the slopes of the Capitoline Hill. Only then did we understand the context of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. @illinoisabroad

🚴🏽Biking is one of our favorite ways of experiencing the city🏛️ (and the country within the city). Yesterday the students and faculty (and faculty family) went for a ride on the Appian Way and into the Parco della Caffarella where we had a nice picnic lunch.
.illinois #🇮🇹

We held the welcome reception for our Fall Program in Rome last night🤩🎉, overlooking the domes, hills and rooftops of the historic center. A beautiful sunset greeted our wonderful cohort of students, faculty and staff.🇮🇹

.illinois

🎉They’re here! We are pleased to welcome our newest group of students to the Borromini Center where they will study sustainability♻️, food systems🌾, Italian Culture 🇮🇹, and more📚. Some will participate in engaging internships. But for now they needs some rest.

Benvenuti! 🌎🛬🏛️


Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois Hobart and William Smith Colleges
HWSAbroad University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

They’re starting to roll in to Rome! The first students in our Fall Rome Program in sustainability and Italian culture have landed and been greeted by our staff at the airport.

Rome in Boston this summer promoting Borromini Institute’s new academic clusters.

Thanks to Retake Rome for helping organize a great community service workshop today at Rome’s Mercato Trionfale. And thanks to the wonderful students from Australian Catholic University who chipped in to help fill planters and beautify the market area. Participation and experience is a huge part of learning 🌸🌼🌺

Students and faculty from Australian Catholic University enjoyed a natural wine tasting today with our friends at .One of our summer students from Illinois is interning there so she was able to help shape the experience and document it with her own images.

Merry Christmas #🎄 and Happy New Year🥰!

#🇮🇹

🇬🇧Dante said “Art🎨 imitates nature as well as it can, as a pupil follows his master” Visiting the studio with artist Corrado Veneziano the HWS students learned something about the production of these intense realities from an artistic master.

🇮🇹L'ARTE SEMPRE IMITA LA NATURA
Il grande Dante Alighieri ha detto: "L'Arte🎨 imita la natura come può, così come un discente segue il suo Maestro". Durante la loro visita allo studio gli studenti HWS di Borromini Institute e Scuola Leonardo Roma🏛 hanno imparato dall'artista ed amico Corrado Veneziano di come queste intensi momenti di verità vengano a prodursi nell'Arte stessa direttamente dalla voce e dall'analisi dei dipinti di chi Maestro dell'Arte è🥰. Grazie Corrado👏🏻! Chi scrive e la nostra scuola, noi tutti siamo onorati dalla nostra più che trentennale amicizia e collaborazione. Anche perché Corrado è anche docente universitario e per quanto riguarda la lingua italiana 📚🇮🇹e Dizione anche del prestigioso Conservatorio di S. Cecilia a Roma 🎶

Our students from HWS got to try their hand at movie-making in one of Europe’s most prestigious studios today: . Learning about the history of the trade, seeing the tools and locations and finally producing their own short drama—what better way to spend a day in Rome’s eastern outskirts? #🇮🇹

Tom Rankin Architect

🇺🇸Our dedicated students and their faculty arrived at the final destination fo their northern field excursion today, arriving in style on a comfortable and punctual high speed train (thanks )across the causeway right onto the historical islands of Venezia. 117 islands at last count, connected by over 400 bridges, we didn’t cross them all but it felt like it. Between tourists and commuters the daytime population is twice what it is at night! Thanks to Emanuela for sharing her knowledge and stories. Thanks to those few Venetians who have stayed on in the historic islands instead of moving to the mainland where 70% of the population lives. And thanks to all the workers, mostly immigrants, who keep the city going. It was a day the students will never forget.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Tom Rankin Architect

Always a pleasure to bring students to , aka , even if the weather isn't always great. HWS students and faculty found Renaissance splendor and contemporary design and are now off to taste Tuscan cuisine.

Today the HWS students were privileged to visit the American Academy in Rome and learn about the valuable work being carried out there by the fellows and staff. In particular they learned about the Rome Sustainable Food Project, while visiting the gardens. Up on the Janiculum, the views over Rome continue to impress and astound. Thanks to in particular .

Napoli and the Campania region, three days of adventure and education in Italy’s south. Historic cities, sun, sea and sustainability🐃🌱🌊. And amazing food of course.

#🐃

😀Napoli and the Campania region, three days of adventure and education in Italy’s south. Historic cities, sun, sea and sustainability. And amazing food of course.

☀️We went to Rome's coast today🌊, the ancient coast that is. HWS Professor Ristow and 22 students joined Borromini Institute staff on an adventurous train ride and relaxing stroll amongst the ruins. 👣Perfect weather and a beautiful site to learn about cities.🏛🇮🇹🔍

🏛In the Forum with Borromini Director Tom Rankin, the HWS students learned about archaeology and how the city has evolved over time.✨

#🇮🇹

Evening exploration with 🟣🟢HWS students in Rome🏛. From Borromini Center to the Forum as the day turned to dusk. A special first glimpse of ancient Rome’s wonders.✨

HWS faculty are here, staff is ready, students are on their way. We're looking forward to an exiting and engaging semester studying Media, Writing, Food and Culture🍕,and of course, italiano 🇮🇹

Ciao a tutti! ✨✨✨
Oggi vi presentiamo il concorso estivo della Scuola Leonardo da Vinci📸📸 poiché sappiamo che i nostri studenti amano la dolce vita abbiamo deciso di mettere in palio per i vincitori premi come colazioni, aperitivi e gelati. Come partecipare? È molto semplice: scattate una foto della vostra borsa della scuola nel vostro posto preferito a Roma e taggateci e nelle vostre instagram stories o wechat. Se non avete ancora la vostra borsa, chiedetela!
I tre vincitori saranno selezionati dalla nostra giuria, avete tempo fino al 15 agosto per caricare la vostra foto, cosa state aspettando?

Hi everyone! ✨✨✨✨
Today we present the summer contest of Leonardo da Vinci School, since we know that our students love "la dolce vita" we ​​have decided to give away prizes such as breakfasts, aperitivi and ice creams to the winners. How to participate? It's very simple: take a photo of your school bag in your favorite place in Rome and tag us and in your instagram stories or wechat. If you don't have your bag yet, ask for it!
The three winners will be selected by our jury, you have until August 15th to upload your photo, what are you waiting for?

Call for Papers and Fermentation Workshops

Fermentation in Italy & Japan: Tradition and Innovation
A Symposium/ Workshop in Rome, Italy

Academic Presentations and Workshops: May 10 – 12, 2023
Optional Practicum: May 13 – May 15, 2023

The Borromini Institute seeks presentations for its inaugural Symposium/Workshop to be held in the spring of 2023. This Symposium, focusing on fermentation practices in Italy and Japan, extends Gustolab International’s long-term interest in food studies to include microbial fermentation. Recent advances in core sciences have provided us with new ways of understanding the roles of single-cell organisms in preserving food and, by drawing comparisons between Italy and Japan, we hope to build on the strengths of still viable fermentation communities in both of these cultural and environmental areas. It should be noted that while fermentation communities are experiencing a rebirth they have been placed at risk by the depopulation of rural areas in both Italy and Japan.

Organized by Borromini Institute, Gustolab International, and the Food Studies College of Japan

For more information and submission instructions: please visit https://www.gustolab.com/research/conferences-and-events/

Study & Intern Abroad with Gustolab International & Borromini Institute Gustolab International and the Borromini Institute offer students, faculty and independent scholars a base in the heart of Rome to pursue critical and interdisciplinary field studies of place, people, cities and technology. Our 4 clusters are Gustolab (Food systems and sustainability), Open Cities l...

Today we marked the end of the Summer 2022 program ☀️with a symposium. Students from U of Illinois and the Cornell CALS Global Fellow program presented on their academic internship which included placements at an Italian organization and related research projects. We would like to thank Retake Roma, Into the Food and Il Trattore Cooperativa Sociale Onlus for hosting our students. Congratulations everyone! 👏🏻👏🏻

Liberal Arts & Sciences at Illinois Illinois Abroad University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University Retake Roma Into the Food Cooperativa Il Trattore Elizabeth Simari Tom Rankin Architect

Director Tom Rankin greets a group of students from Texas A&M who are in Rome studying abroad.

Our summer students enjoying a learning-filled weekend in Sardegna.

Urban Foraging with Zappata Romana. Hot day on the Appian Way, our interns joined local kids to learn about local plants. 🌱
Zappata Romana investigates shared gardens in Rome, as a collective appropriation of the urban public space and the development of innovative practices!

We recently visited Giardini di Torricola, an urban garden in Appian Park managed by a team of people interested in biodiversity. The projects at the urban farm include an olive grove, apiary, vineyard, fruit trees, vegetable garden, a wood-burning oven and ecological buildings.

Urban gardens are natural spaces that can contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation. Some of their many benefits include the improvement of urban biodiversity and reducing the "heat island" effect in cities.

With Marco Maldera, we learned about Giardini di Torricola’s vision of a community garden including how they employ horticulture, beekeeping and regenerative agriculture as a means of social aggregation and cultural sharing.




Thanks to for the photos.

Thanks to our staff Teona, Erica and Salem, as well as Pier AlbertoLaura and especially Alessandro who all helped put together the short Tuscia Trip attended by enthusiastic students of the UIUC and Cornell summer programs these days.

Orvieto is one of our favorite towns in the vicinity of Rome. Amazing art, skilled artisans, great food, landscapes, and above all a treasure chest of medieval urbanism. Tom Rankin Architect

This monday we donned our PPE (personal protective equipment) to descend into the construction site of Rome’s newest subway line, Metro C. With expert guidance from the engineers and archaeologists tasked with carrying out the project we entered the site, learned about the phasing, the overall layout and the archaeological discoveries which have delayed the construction for years. “A highlight of the program” we heard students say.

.illinois

This Saturday, the Illinois Global Leadership in Construction Management students headed down to the Bay of Naples to experience an urban density they could only imagine. The day was filled with contrasts: the heat of the city and frequent descents into the tunnels of the most beautiful subway stations in the world. The chaos of Spaccanapoli, and the peaceful gardens of the convent of San Gregorio Armeno. Sfogliatelle and Pizza. 
After the morning in Naples we caught the local train to Pozzuoli and explored the Roman archaeological site of Rione Terra, ending the day with a delicious pizza dinner overlooking the port. 
.Illinois

Rome’s Flaminio neighborhood boasts some of the world’s most interesting Contemporary structures and the GLCM program was privileged to visit them. We even got to attend a concert in one, Renzo Piano’s Parco della Musica auditorium. Our walk took us from the Ponte della Musica over the Tiber, to works by Pier Luigi Nervi for the 1960 Olympics. At MAXXI we met with architectural curator Pippo Ciorra and enjoyed the fantastic exhibition about .

.Illinois

This morning the Illinois Global Leadership in Construction Management students were privileged to be able to visit the construction site of the Mausoleum of Augustus under the guidance of , theSovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali,  and archaeologist Caterina Coletti. We learned about the project by architect Francesco Cellini to render the ancient piazza again accessible to the public with a set of monumental stairs, and about the challenges of archaeology in modern construction. 

.Illinois

Full day and lots of walking today as the Illinois Global Leadership in Construction Management students followed the Aqua Cluadia aqueduct from where it emerges from the ground back toward Rome.
Later we headed for the hills, the Alban Hills (aka Castelli Romani) to see the volcanic lakes where ancient Romans retreated to escape the heat. We did the same, enjoying a walk in the quaint town of Castelgandolfo.

.Illinois

Global Leadership in Construction Management program off to a great start with a few days of intensive exploration. Pantheon, Campidoglio, movie shoots, water fountains, Michelangelo, Borromini, picnic on the Palatine, Colosseo, Sapienza class, and more.
.illinois

We are happy to welcome the University of Illinois Global Leaders in Construction Management (GLCM) program group today. Led by Prof. Ignacio, this short program will focus on the different construction methods, techniques at sites in Rome and Naples.

.Illinois

HWS Spring 2022 students in the figure sculpture class "La Bella Figura" in Rome presented their work during the semester end event last week.

We celebrated student achievements during the Illinois in Rome Spring 2022 Program symposium last week. Three students presented on their academic internship which included placements at an Italian organization and research projects. Additionally, we screened three videos, the result of student teams working with their video instructors to storyboard, film, and edit videos for the Food & Digital Media class. Congratulations to all!

Belgian native Sebastien Samoye worked for years in international finance and hotel development before discovering his love for Italy, and for natural wine. He now lives between Bruxelles (where his newest venture is the Italian restaurant Frasca) and Proceno where he grows and produces natural wines. The students of the the University of Illinois Rome Program at Borromini Institute were fortunate to catch up with him in his vineyard and taste his latest creations.