UGA Cortona Studies Abroad

On the way to Rome, our 2026 Maymester Business and Image students stopped at Orvieto to see the spectacular frescos by Luca Signorelli in the Ca****la San Brizio, inside the city's 13th-century Duomo. UGA Cortona's Director, Chris Robinson, also told them about the city's Etruscan foundations, and its importance as a center of ceramic ware production in the middle ages.

On their final excursion, our 2026 Business and Image Maymester students visited the headquarters of the Banca d’Italia in Rome, where they met with Dott. Riccardo Finozzi and learned about currency and banking in Italy, the Italian economy, and Italy’s place in the European market. The students also had a walking tour of historic Rome, and the opportunity to visit the Museo Nazionale delle arti e tradizioni popolari - a museum that preserves the folk arts and traditions of the widely varied cultures that came together to form modern Italy.

The final days of our 2026 Science and Art History program took place in Rome, where art historian Dr. D’Antonio led students to major sites - the Vatican, the Roman Forum, Trajan’s Column, the Campidoglio — as well as some lesser-known treasures of the Eternal City, such as the churches of Santa Prassede and Santa Pudenziana, the Campo de’ Fiori, and the charming neighborhood of Trastevere.

It was a wonderful end to an equally wonderful program, and we are grateful to the students who participated on this UGA Cortona Maymester!

The students in our Business & Image Maymester program had a full-day excursion to the city of Florence as part of their course. They began with an early visit to the Galleria dell’Accademia to see Michelangelo's famous sculpture of David, then took a walking tour of the historic city center, followed by free time for lunch and exploration on their own.

The Viticulture and Enology Maymester program recently made an excursion into the territory of Montalcino, famous for its Rosso and Brunello wines. We started by exploring the city of Montalcino itself, which boasts a fine 14th-century fortress in the form of a pentagonal castle with towers at each corner which can be climbed to overlook the surrounding valleys and vineyards. We then stopped at the Abbazia di Sant’Antimo, a stunningly beautiful abbey located along the historic pilgrimage route to Rome. The rest of our day was spent at Tenuta Fanti, where we were given a tour of the winery by its enologist before sitting down to a guided tasting of the producer’s wines and olive oil. Over glasses of wine and plates of Tuscan delicacies, students asked questions, shared observations, and enjoyed their final excursion together.

Our Science and Art History Maymester program recently spent three busy days in Florence, immersed in Renaissance art and history!

Our first day began with a guided walking tour of the city led by Dr. D'Antonio, and ended with a visit to the Uffizi Galleries, where some of the most famous works of the Renaissance are displayed.

The following day, our group visited the Bargello Museum to see Donatello’s sculptures of David and Saint George, then visited the Medici Chapels and the Galleria dell’Accademia to view masterpieces by Michelangelo.

On our last day in Florence, we admired the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella’s remarkable architecture and fresco paintings, from the Gothic and Renaissance periods.

Our Science and Art History Maymester students got out of the classroom and into the vineyard last week, for a change of pace! During a visit to Baldetti Winery in the valley below Cortona, students learned firsthand about the process of making wine: from the grapes growing on the vines, to their fermentation in tanks, to barrel-aging and bottling - and, of course, at the end, the tasting! Experiences like this allow students to gain a deeper understanding of the complex scientific processes behind winemaking, as well as its deep roots in traditional Italian culture.

Our 2026 Maymester Science and Art History class braved a rainy day in Siena to visit some of the city’s most historically important and artistically brilliant sites. After years of being under restoration, Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s frescoes in Palazzo Pubblico are on view, and our class visited them to learn about their political (and astrological!) importance from Dr. Aurelia D’Antonio. Students also saw the cathedral, a masterpiece of gothic architecture which contains mosaics that Giorgio Vasari called “the most magnificent floors ever made,” as well as the dramatic early 16th-century frescoes in the church’s Piccolomini Library. As the sun came out in the afternoon, our dawgs walked to the Ospedale di Santa Maria Della Scala, and learned from Dr. D’Antonio about the frescoes of Domenico di Bartolo that depict the Sienese devotion to helping orphans and impoverished pilgrims. No visit to Siena would be complete without a visit to the city’s crowning achievement in painting: Duccio’s 1308 altarpiece, the Maestà. Standing in front of the glittering golden panels, the students learned about Siena’s deep devotion to the Virgin, who the city has claimed as their protectress since their miraculous defeat of Florence in the 1260 Battle of Monteperti. To this day, the Sienese shout “Monteperti!!” when they play Florence in football, an energy that Bulldog fans can certainly relate to!!

The students in UGA Cortona's Business & Image program experienced an exciting blend of commerce and culture during their two-day stay in Bologna. First stop: the Ducati motorcycle factory and museum, to learn about a company that embodies Italian design, innovation, and performance. That evening, students toured the historic center of Bologna with a guide, hearing the long history of this important university city. The next day was spent at the Bologna Business School, studying the characteristics of the Italian luxury goods market with BBS professor and industry expert Alberto Festa.

When the Maymester program in Viticulture and Enology visited the Avignonesi winery, the students learned about a different approach to winemaking: biodynamism. Biodynamic wines are certified to have been grown using a holistic, regenerative approach that treats the vineyard as a contained, self-sustaining ecosystem aligned with lunar and astrological cycles. Going beyond the standards required for “organic” labeling, biodynamic labeling forbids synthetic chemicals, instead utilizing specific herbal and compost preparations to stimulate soil health and plant vitality.

After observing in the vineyard Avignonesi’s unique circular and star-shaped planting layouts, and learning about the “potentization” of collected rainwater, we toured the building where Avignonesi’s exceptional vinsanto is aged in small barrels. Then we entered the tasting room to sample the fine results of this alternative agricultural philosophy!