Less than an hour by train from Florence is the small, medieval village of Certaldo Alto, Italy. And for 53 ECU students this summer, that village was their home base as they discovered the architectural, artistic and awe-inspiring wonders of Venice, Volterra, Siena, Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii.
For 10 years, the ECU Tuscany program, originally called Italy Intensives, has been led by Linda Darty, faculty member in the School of Art and Design and Italy devotee. Stuart Watson is the assistant director, and Lucy Plato Clark is the coordinator of student services.
What started in 2008 as a summer abroad trip is now offered during fall and spring semesters and two summer sessions in Certaldo Alto, a walled medieval village that in the early 15th century was the political center of the Florentine Republic. During the 2017-18 academic year, 109 students lived and studied in Italy through the program.
Students travel independently throughout Italy and other European countries during fall and spring semester breaks. In the summer, visiting Venice and Florence were highlights for many of the students.
During fall and spring semesters, students take the train to Florence each week for art history classes, and it usually becomes one of their favorite cities, faculty said. Each group spends at least one night in Florence so they can experience the restaurants and nightlife.
In the classroom
Classes vary each term and include courses to earn general education requirements, including world history, art history, literature, Italian language, geology, digital photography, drawing, color and design, jewelry making and painting.
“ECU Tuscany provides a unique, full range of classes in a safe environment in the hill country of Tuscany. It’s on par with some of the most prestigious programs in the country. It’s a strong program that ECU alumni and students should be proud of.”
- Dr. Jon Rezek, assistant vice chancellor, Global Affairs
“Courses are chosen for the program that take advantage of our location in Tuscany. Geology students climb to the top of Mount Vesuvius and into the caves of Lucca; history students walk through the Roman Coliseum and ruins of Pompeii; and literature and art history students can walk in the footsteps of Plato, Da Vinci, Michelangelo and live next door to the writer Giovanni Boccaccio’s house.”
- Linda Darty, director, ECU Tuscany: Italy Intensives
On standing before a Michelangelo sculpture after years of studying his work:
“Those are things you kind of idolize, and then once it becomes right in front of you, it’s magnificent. You really don’t think it’s real until you see it.”
- Alison Moller, a senior from Cary, who is in the Honors College and majoring in chemistry, classical studies and great books
For more information about studying abroad in Italy, visit the ECU Tuscany program website.
Credits:
Words by Jeannine M. Hutson | Photos by Cliff Hollis and Stuart Watson | Video by Cliff Hollis