Fall in love with the flavors of Italy as you take in the historic sites of Rome, learn to cook in Asti, and wander along the enchanting canals of Venice. Receive language and culinary training from renowned institutions.
Prepare for bold flavors and aromas as you embark on an Italian culinary adventure and learn about the communities, traditions, and cultures that produce the country’s legendary cuisine. This culinary Experiment explores the importance of seasonal, organic, and locally grown foods in different regions. Explore the food cultures of the different regions of Italy as you make your way from Rome, to Florence, to Asti. Whether you’re making pasta, tasting olive oil, or sampling homemade desserts, you will deepen your understanding of the intimate connections between food, culture, and sustainability within the context of Italy and beyond.
Begin with an orientation in Rome where you will receive basic language training and visit ancient sites such as the Colosseum. Next, travel to gorgeous Tuscany, where you will take an introductory Italian class, explore medieval towns. In Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, you can see the many famous works of art and historic landmarks throughout the city. Continue practicing your Italian as you share daily life with a local family during your homestay and buy fresh food in outdoor markets.
Travel to Asti and spend eight days at Agenzia di Formazione Professionale delle Colline Astigiane, the prestigious cooking school, where you will learn to prepare traditional Italian dishes including risotto, focaccia, and tiramisu, as well as regional Piedmont specialties like taglierini, agnolotti del plin, and baci di dama cookies, under the guidance of a professional chef. The program’s culinary excursions include a visit to the famous University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, agritourism visits to local farms, and an agrigelateria to see how real artisanal gelato is made.
The Experiment’s programs are designed to build skills that will help you succeed. In Italy, you will learn:
Technical Skills
Interpersonal Skills
The culture is so vibrant and everything in Italy is gorgeous! However, Italy wasn’t about its aesthetic, but rather what it allowed me to learn. For the first time in my life, I was taught, that even with a language barrier, people are all interconnected.
This itinerary is only a sample and is subject to change. Because of factors such as group size and availability of in-country offerings such as festivals, your experience — including sites visited and the number of days spent in each location — may differ somewhat from the one presented below.
Orientation in Rome
During the orientation period, you and your group will stay in a centrally located hotel.
Thematic Focus in Cortona
During this period, you and your group will stay in a centrally located hotel.
Homestay
During this period, you will stay in the home of a family. Sample host communities: Cosenza, Ascoli Piceno, San Sebastiano al Vesuvio.
Thematic Focus in Asti
During this period, you and your group will stay in a centrally located hotel.
Program Reflection and Wrap-up in Venice
During the reflection period, you and your group will stay in a centrally located hotel.
Departure
The Experiment’s group leaders go through a rigorous selection process and have extensive experience with youth education, local expertise in the country or region of their program, language abilities, knowledge in their program theme, travel logistics and management know-how, and experience with health, safety and risk management.
Hometown: Concord, Massachusetts
Education: Brown University
Experience in: Italy
Alison grew up in Concord, Massachusetts, and loved foreign languages from a young age. After first studying French, she developed a love for all things Italy when she started taking Italian during her freshman year at Brown University. She studied abroad in Bologna, Italy, where she loved the language, culture, food, and people so much that she extended her one semester into two. Her go-to meal is pasta, and her favorite Italian word is “tiramisu,” which literally means “pick me up.” While in Italy, she tutored English to Italian children, an experience that solidified her desire to pursue teaching upon graduating from college. At Brown, she majored in Comparative Literature and Italian Studies, after which she stayed for a fifth year to complete a Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary English program. She spent her first year as a teacher back in Italy, teaching English as a foreign language at a prestigious classical high school in Bergamo. Now she is close to home, in her fifth year teaching English at her own high school’s rival – Acton Boxborough Regional High School. She is an advisor for the student-led book club and class leadership, and she enjoys tutoring students one-on-one in writing college essays. Outside of school, Alison loves listening to audiobooks, cooking, running, and planning future adventures!
The Experiment's programs are led by accomplished and experienced faculty and staff who typically live in the country of study. Program leaders are responsible for instructional content, classroom and field experiences, and daily program operations.
Carlo Petrini is an Italian journalist and founder of the international Slow Food movement, which has grown globally and today includes millions of people in 160 countries working to ensure that everyone has access to good, clean, fairly raised food.
Signor Carlo, as his colleagues call him, was born in the Piedmont region of Italy, where Slow Food International is headquartered. In 2004, he founded the University of Gastronomic Science, which promotes biodiversity and permaculture. The university is housed in a castle that formerly belonged to the Italian royal family and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The university follows the mission of the Slow Food movement and has students from all over the world.
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