The 2011 Brown Fellows travel to Italy!

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"The third class of Brown Fellows traveled to Italy and visited Rome, Villa d’Este di Tivoli, Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Florence, Siena, Pisa, Verona and Venice.

In addition to visiting cities and learning about the rich history and culture of Italy and each city that they explored, the Fellows had meetings at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), at the Camera dei deputati (one of the branches of the Italian Parliament), at the US Embassy as well as a private visit at the archaeological site of Herculaneum.

In particular the Brown Fellows:

1. Immersed themselves in the antique Rome and visited, inter alia, the Parthenon – built as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, the magnificent Colosseum, the Roman Forum andthe Arch of Constantine.
2. Walked on the streets of the Dolce Vita: Via Veneto, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Popolo and launched a coin in the Trevi Fountain!
3. Visited the Jewish Ghetto, the Teatro Marcello, the Portico d’Ottavia and crossed the Tiber to visit the busy area of Trastevere.
4. Visited many Basiliche, such as San Paolo Fuori le Mura, a patriarchal basilica dedicated to St. Paul, Santa Maria Maggiore as well as many churches!
5. Visited the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel where they admired the Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” and St Peter’s Basilica.
6. Walked in the medieval town of Siena where they explored narrow cobbled streets lined with palaces and patrician mansions.
7. Visited the beautiful Villa d’Este in Tivoli, one of the many UNESCO world heritage sites in Italy and a fine example of Renaissance architecture. Villa d’Este hosts the Museo Didattico del Libro Antico, a teaching museum for the study and conservation of antiquarian books.
8. Visited the beautiful Piazza del Pebliscito with the Basilica di San Francesco di Paola, the magnificent Galleria Umberto I, the Kingdom Palace, Castel dell’Ovo, Castel Capuano and the Castel Nuovo in Naples, a city founded by the Greeks over 2800 years ago known internationally for its rich history, art, culture, architecture, music, and gastronomy.
9. Walked in the busy streets of Naples where they saw a large number of churches, Duomi and Basiliche, such as the Gesu’ Nuovo, Il Duomo and San Lorenzo Maggiore and ruins of the antique Roman city.
10. Visited the fascinating Napoli Sotterranea – a labyrinth of tunnels, tanks, and cavities in the underground of Naples. The underground city spreads below the entire old town where its myths and legends are still alive in the imagination of the Neapolitans.
11. Visited, with Prof. Domenico Camardo – the head of the archaeological team – as private guide, the Roman city of Herculaneum that was hit by the Vesuvius’ eruption on AD79.
12. Indulged in the picturesque town of Sorrento where the Fellows learnt how to make the mozzarella and the limoncello and ate some tasty gelato.
13. Admired the beautiful bay of Naples and walked in the magnificent island of Capri, one of the most upscale and unique locations in the world.
14. Visited Florence, a jewel of the Renaissance, where they saw the Cathedral – its adjoining Baptistery adorned with the “Gates of Paradise”, Giotto’s 14^th century Campanile and Santa Croce Basilica, home of the tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo, Santa Maria Novella, the beautiful Piazza della Signoria and Ponte Vecchio.
15. Visited the Uffizi Gallery, one of the most famous museums in the world, that hosts works of art by Botticelli, Giotto, Cimabue, Michelangelo and Raffaello, just to name a few.
16. Were introduced to the Masters of the Italian Opera: Puccini, Donizetti, Verdi, Bellini, Rossini.
17. Visited the famous Leaning Tower in the ‘Field of Miracles’ and the XI century Cathedral and Baptistery in Pisa.
18. Visited the Roman Arena and Juliet’s Balcony – supposedly the location of the famous balcony love scene from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in Verona.
19. Walked in Venice and saw, inter alia, St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doges Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs, Rialto, the Basilica dei SS Giovanni and Paolo, La Fenice and the Jewish ghetto.
20. Cruised along the romantic bay of Venice and the Canal Grande.
21. Had meetings at the Food and Agriculture Organization – FAO in Rome where the Fellows learnt about the key role of this U.N. Organization in raising levels of nutrition, improving agricultural productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contributing to the growth of the world economy.
22. Visited Palazzo del Seminario and Palazzo Montecitorio, two beautiful buildings that host the Camera dei Deputati, one of the branches of the Italian Parliament, where they met and discussed with one of the key advisors of the Parliament about relationships between the U.S.A. and Italy.
23. Met with representatives of the US Embassy in Rome and learnt about relationships between the U.S.A. and Italy and what a work of a diplomat does involve.

In addition, the Fellows were divided in four groups, each composed by five Fellows. Each group was asked to develop a topic related to the trip and to write an article that will be published on the Gazzetta Italiana, a monthly paper of the Italian-American community published in Ohio. The four articles are: 1. Defining a People: The Italian Identity; 2. Il Sapore delle Memorie" (The Flavor of Memories); 3. Italian History and Tourism: A Great, Delicious Circle and 4. Italy and the United States: A Modern Relationship".