The Cultural Program study trip to Rome offers students from two classes – Ancient Art and Architecture with Professor Anna Russakoff and Materials and Techniques of the Masters with Professor Jonathan Shimony – the chance to discover the rich layers of history that have contributed to the city’s status as a modern-day wonder.
Students head out into the streets of Rome to learn from the city itself, exploring photography and drawing techniques and concepts while engaging directly with the architecture around them. Whether it is the Baroque facade of the Church of the Gesù, the majestic gardens at Tivoli or Michaelangelo’s glorious Renaissance masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel, these monuments leave students with the lasting impression that they have had a unique learning experience – one that will stay with them long after they return home.
Anna made everything come alive. You can always see some popular tourist place and learn about it, but when you go with a teacher who tells you everything about the place, who is a real expert, it somehow makes everything more significant.
Practical fieldwork augments the classroom experience, putting theory into practice even as students appreciate the aesthetic beauty of the city’s monuments. Memorable moments include the chance to take a quiet sunset walk through Trastevere, one of the city’s charming medieval districts.
It's really beautiful with all these old houses in different colors – yellows, reds and oranges – and everything is tightly packed, right alongside these meandering cobblestone streets. It just had a homeyness to it and that's something special to feel so far away from home.
Like all AUP’s Cultural Program study trips, the Rome trip has a packed schedule. In just a few days, students explore the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, the Capitoline Museums, the Vatican and more. The study trip offers a unique experiential learning opportunity, letting students immerse themselves in art and architecture and contextualize their studies with real-world examples – while visiting beautiful, unexpected places that will leave a lasting memory.
This Giving Tuesday, AUP is uniting its entire community in support of our Coup de Pouce travel grant. Please support our #OneMoreJourney campaign to help students benefit from the lasting experience of an international study trip. When it comes to Coup de Pouce, a little help really does go a long way.