Live and study at the intersection of food politics, sustainability, and culture on a working farm in Tuscany.
Northern Italy is the birthplace of the Slow Food movement. Unpack the movement’s motto of “good, clean, and fair food” on the farm and with producers, processors, food activists, and consumers across the region.
Explore how the business of food affects the health and wealth of farmers, workers, families, and communities.
In this new program, students explore how culture and food production intersect in Italy. They learn about Italian and European agricultural movements and initiatives and their political and cultural contexts. They see firsthand how people in Northern Italy are working for sustainability—agricultural, environmental, cultural, and economic.
Students also learn how agriculture and food policy, business practices, and financial structures within Italy and across the European Union affect the health and wealth of farmers, workers, families, and communities.
Logistics
Students live and work at the Castello Sonnino, a historic estate roughly 12 miles outside the major city of Florence. Since the early 1800s, the Sonnino family has run the estate, and the current generation is deeply committed to cultural and architectural preservation. Their vision for sustainable development encompasses the beautifully preserved family residence, as well as 300+ acres of woods, olive groves, vineyards, and working farm land.
Students live in apartments on the Sonnino grounds, studying the political and economic context of the farming and food movements particular to Italy. Through an internship placement on the farm, in the village, or in nearby Florence, students gain firsthand experience of sustainable local food systems and the role those systems play in maintaining rural culture in Tuscany. At the beginning of the semester, there is intensive instruction in basic Italian (or other levels for those with previous experience). Finally, students complete a guided independent study project on a topic that deeply interests them.
