Study Abroad Program
Italy
Sustainable Agriculture, Food, and Justice
“Unpack the Slow Food movement’s motto of ‘good, clean, and fair’ in its Italian birthplace. Explore how the business of food affects the health and wealth of farmers, workers, families, and communities.”
- Location
- Greve in Chianti, Italy
- Program Terms
- Fall 2021 and Spring 2022
- Fall Dates
- August 30 – December 10, 2021
- Spring Dates
- January 31 – May 13, 2022
- Credits
- 16 credits
- Language
- Italian language instruction included
Historical application information: The supplied application notice refers to Spring 2022 and the 2022–2023 academic year. These dates are in the past. Verify current program availability, application status, and term dates before publication.
Program Overview
Discover Sustainable Agriculture in Italy
Explore the relationship between sustainable agriculture, food production, environmental responsibility, and social justice in Tuscany. Through classroom seminars, field experiences, language instruction, and a local internship, students examine how food systems influence farmers, workers, families, and communities.
In much of the world, industrial food systems provide plentiful and relatively cheap food, a convenience that comes with significant environmental and social costs. HECUA’s exploration of culinary culture and food production in Italy offers an alternative, taking students behind the scenes in the Chianti region, an area known for innovative organic farming and organic wine production.
Students see how Italian and European agricultural policy, business practices, and financial structures affect workers and their communities.
Students live and study in Greve in Chianti, a town located 31 kilometers south of Florence, in Tuscany. Students observe how Tuscans define sustainability and work toward it.
Students gain direct experience with food systems, rural Italian culture, and policy through an internship at a nearby farm, school, or other local organization.
Students live together in shared apartment-style housing and receive a food stipend to prepare their own meals. In addition to immersive coursework and a concurrent internship, students complete a guided individual study project.
Weekly Italian language instruction accommodates all proficiency levels. Students also have the option to participate in the ‘Cucina for English’ program, a language and cooking exchange opportunity with local Italian families.
Throughout the semester, students are immersed in sustainable agriculture culture through classroom seminars, visits to innovative agricultural initiatives, and internships.
Students receive Italian language instruction each week to build functional language ability. Internships begin during the fifth week of the program, with students spending approximately 15–20 hours per week at their internship site.
Students live and study in Greve in Chianti, Tuscany, approximately 31 kilometers south of Florence. The program provides opportunities to explore rural Italian culture, local food systems, sustainable farming initiatives, and agricultural communities.
Students live in shared apartment-style housing operated by Italian families and prepare meals using a food stipend.
Staff and Faculty
Meet the Program Team
Learn from faculty and program staff with experience in agricultural sustainability, rural development, economics, Italian language, and program coordination.
Filippo Randelli is the Program Co-Director and is responsible for the program as a whole. He teaches Agriculture and Sustainability in Tuscany, guides students in internships, and supervises the Independent Study Project.
Filippo holds a Ph.D. in Economic Geography from the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza.’ He is a tenure-track researcher and lecturer in the Department of Economic Science at the University of Florence.
He has conducted extensive research on sustainable tourism, geographical economics, and environmental economics. He has delivered lectures and seminars on these themes and participated in numerous international conferences and workshops.
He serves on the board of the Società di Studi Geografici and has been an invited scholar at Utrecht, Cambridge, and Zurich universities.
Filippo is also an agricultural entrepreneur. He moved from the city to a small farm in Greve in Chianti, where he produces wine and olive oil and participates in a bed-and-breakfast business.
Riccardo Simoncini teaches Economics of Sustainable Food Production in Contemporary Europe.
He holds a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of Parma. He has conducted research and taught agri-environmental policy in the Department of Economic Sciences at the University of Florence.
He conducts research on rural development, agricultural economics, and ecological economics through projects in Italy and the European Union.
Riccardo is a member of the Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy of the IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
At the time represented by the supplied program information, he was one of the Lead Authors for the Europe and Central Asia assessment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), administered by UNEP.
Elena Monami teaches the Italian language and culture course for Sustainable Agriculture, Food, and Justice in Italy.
She holds a Ph.D. in applied linguistics from the Università per Stranieri di Siena, Italy, as well as a master’s degree in Italian literature and cinema from the University of Siena.
She has led the Siena Abroad semester for the University of Massachusetts since 2002 and has extensive experience teaching Italian language to learners in Italy, Spain, Japan, Argentina, and Indonesia.
Camilla Catellacci works closely with the Program Directors to support the day-to-day delivery of the program. She began working with HECUA in 2019 in an administrative capacity to support the program.
She is a mother of three teenagers and has experience working for Nike as a sales representative. She also has nearly 15 years of experience in the Italian fashion business, working as an assistant buyer, showroom vice manager, area manager, divisional manager, and sales manager for several brands, including Giorgio Armani and Dolce & Gabbana.
She has also taught scuba diving in Kenya as a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) and worked as a PADI Medic First Aid instructor.
Academic Experience
Courses and Academic Experience
The 16-credit semester combines academic study, sustainability-focused field experiences, Italian language instruction, a practical internship, and an individually guided research project.
The aim of this course is to provide students with tools to analyze, in an integrated manner, the transition toward sustainable agriculture.
Sustainability is treated as an ongoing process rather than a final target. Selected theoretical tools illuminate mechanisms that may hinder or foster the transition. Each tool is tested and used to analyze different issues and case studies within the agricultural system.
Italy is a leading country in the transition toward sustainable agriculture, and the course presents many different ongoing processes and issues.
Students discuss sustainability, the historical roots of regional diversification, organic farming, biodynamic farming, and permaculture in Tuscany, as well as the effects of practices and policies on farmers, workers, and communities.
The course also examines Slow Food and other food movements.
This course addresses the economics of sustainable food production in rural areas.
Its overall objective is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of sustainable development theories and concepts related to the agricultural sector and the economic instruments and tools used to move toward sustainability.
A major focus of inquiry and critique is the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy.
Many economists are now using ‘true cost accounting’ to examine the costs of global food systems. International organizations are also seeking to calculate the benefits that the natural world provides, whether land is being cultivated or not.
New methods of measuring ecosystem services, including pollination, carbon storage, and water purification, have brought renewed appreciation for smaller-scale farming and land use.
Students learn how economic instruments and tools can be used in rural areas to achieve development that delivers economic, social, and environmental benefits.
This interdisciplinary course integrates economics, political economy, ecology, sociology, and the history of environmental economic thought. A background in economics is not expected or required.
Students learn to understand and analyze theories of agricultural food production and rural development. The course includes related field experiences showing how theories and concepts are implemented through the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy in Tuscany.
Italian Language
Weekly Italian language instruction takes place in context and aims to help students break down barriers to participation in and understanding of Tuscan culture.
Sustainable Italy Internship
The internship is a practical, hands-on opportunity for students to develop skills and gain insights into how different parts of society in Tuscany are working toward sustainability.
Students work approximately 125–150 hours during the internship. They reflect on their experiences during two seminar sessions, which facilitate deeper self-awareness and a critical understanding of their internship site.
Reflection journals support seminar discussions, and students give a final presentation on their internship site's role in sustainability.
The Independent Study Project (ISP) allows students to tailor the program to individual learning and career objectives.
Students can pursue a research question about a particular issue relevant to the program, using academic resources accessible through their home campuses’ online library systems and other print and human resources in Greve or Florence.
The Program Director must approve the topic. Because the ISP corresponds to a full course credit, assignments are arranged in structured stages to build progress and depth over the semester.
For further information about the Independent Study Project process, students should refer to the program syllabus.
Syllabus Agriculture Food and Justice in Italy Fall 2021
Internship Opportunities
Explore Sustainable Agriculture Through Internships
Students gain hands-on experience at an organic farm, a school-based site, or another local organization. These experiences offer insight into sustainable food production, organic wine, olive oil, rural development, and local environmental initiatives.
The listed sites are examples from supplied historical program information and are not guaranteed current placements.
Fattoria Le Fonti is a small boutique winery producing approximately 40,000–50,000 bottles per year. Since 1994, the winery has been operated by the Scmitt-Vitali family.
Fattoria Le Fonti believes that the roots of great wine are found in the vineyard. The farm strives to use sustainable, organic farming practices.
Students have the opportunity to work on the farm and learn about organic wine production.
Drawing on traditional Italian winemaking and Swedish innovation, the Ruhne family from Sweden operates Azienda Agricola Terreno.
The property is located in the Chianti Classico wine district. Archaeological research on the property has revealed evidence of viticulture and olive farming dating back to 46 AD.
Students have the opportunity to learn about historical and contemporary wine-production practices.
Castello di Verrazzano is located in Greve in Chianti, in the heart of the Chianti Classico area, between Florence and Siena.
The castle site was initially an Etruscan settlement and later a Roman settlement. The estate has a history extending over more than 1,000 years. The vineyards at Verrazzano are mentioned in a manuscript dating from 1150.
Sustainability is a general standard at Verrazzano. Its wines are organically certified, and its vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, and honey are cultivated using organic techniques.
Students have the opportunity to work alongside farmers and learn firsthand about organic farming.
Biodistretto del Chianti is an organization that works to develop and promote innovative forms of sustainable production and management while protecting the environment.
Students work with the organization on a specific project related to organic agricultural production.
Historical Fee Information
Program Costs
Review the supplied program fee information, included expenses, and potential additional costs. All listed prices refer to historical program information and should be verified before current publication.
The program fee includes group transportation to field sites, planned group excursions, lodging, meals, local transportation, medical insurance, and administrative costs.
Students are housed in apartments.
A Note on Costs
The program costs listed are what HECUA charges for participation in its programs. The final amount that a student pays may be higher and can vary from college to college.
Many colleges assess additional fees or charge their own tuition for off-campus programs. Some colleges also have specific financial-aid rules for off-campus programs.
Students should check with their home institution’s off-campus study office and financial aid office to confirm their final cost for a HECUA program.
A full and comprehensive fee breakdown can be found on the Program Costs page.
Member schools are schools that are part of the HECUA consortium. The supplied historical program information lists a cost of $21,100 for students from member schools.
Students should verify their institution’s membership status and confirm the applicable current program fee.
Non-member schools are schools that are not part of the HECUA consortium. The supplied historical program information lists a cost of $21,900 for students from non-member schools.
Students should confirm their school’s status and verify the applicable current program fee before making financial decisions.
HECUA distributes three scholarships to students from consortium member schools:
- Scholarship for Racial Justice: up to $4,000.
- Scholarship for Social Justice: up to $1,500.
- Scholarship for Community Engagement: up to $750 for semester-long programs and $500 for short-term programs.
Students should verify current scholarship availability, eligibility requirements, award amounts, and application deadlines before applying.
Good to Know
Practical Information
Learn about housing, Italian language instruction, and the academic partnership supporting the program.
Students live in shared apartment-style homes operated by Italian families in Greve in Chianti.
Orientation to food shopping in Greve in Chianti and cooking instruction helps students manage their food stipends. Students have access to kitchen space to prepare their own meals.
The housing arrangement offers opportunities to experience everyday life in the local community while developing independence and practical cooking skills.
Italian language fluency is not necessary to participate, although it is helpful.
All students enroll in an Italian language course upon arrival. Instruction accommodates learners at all levels of proficiency.
Weekly language lessons help students communicate more effectively and engage with Tuscan culture.
The program is offered in partnership with Università per Stranieri di Siena.
According to the supplied program information, the institution sponsors students’ visa applications, hosts the program for a field experience, provides Italian language instruction, and collaborates on curriculum development.