B e a u t y ,  c o m m u n i t y   a n d   i m a g i n a t i o n

ITAL-S 190 (33199)

The following is still the 2025 program with a few adjustments already planned. Most of the classes, events, and trips will be repeated in 2026, but some significant changes may be made in the coming weeks. Some rescheduling will be possible until the beginning of the program.

This course counts as one full-year course (8 credits) of degree credit. It is taught in English.
– Classes are usually on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 11:10-1:00. They are taught by Francesco Erspamer and a few guest speakers. At Università di Torino, Istituto Scienza Nuova. At Università di Trento, Dipartimento di Lettere, room 001. At Università di Siena, Presidio San Niccolò, room 401.
– Sections are taught by TAs TBA; they are usually on Monday, 11:45-1:00. At Università di Torino: Istituto Scienza Nuova. At Università di Trento: Dipartimento di Lettere, rooms 001, 002 and 008. At Università di Siena (San Niccolò): rooms 447, 455 and 456.
– Readings, books, and requirements: check the “Requirements” page. To download the readings in PDF click here. [< link non yet active]
– Field trips are usually on Friday and last the entire day. We leave early in the morning and are back around 10:00 PM.
– Events and guided tours are once a week and last two to three hours.
– Film screenings are once a week; they are followed by a discussion with prof. Erspamer. All movies are in Italian with English subtitles. At Università di Torino, Istituto Scienza Nuova. In Trento, Trentino Film Institute. At Università di Siena, San Niccolò, Padiglione esterno, room A-B.
– Italian dinners are once a week.
– Aperitivo (only in Torino and Trento) is usually on Monday.
– Most weekends are free. There are however some exceptions: on June 21 we will have our trip to Lago Maggiore; on July 5 and 6 we will have a mountain hike and a visit to a farm; and on August 16 and 17 there will be the Palio. Weekends are also for studying in preparation for the following week and for resting; students are advised NOT to make a trip every time and to avoid long journeys. Remember that for the duration of the program you cannot leave Italy and that whenever you plan to leave the city where you are staying you must notify Prof. Erspamer in advance of your destination.

Office hours
Because we spend a lot of time together, no specific time has been set for office hours. Contact Prof. Erspamer, and TBA to make an appointment, or simply meet with them after classes and events or on bus trips and during walks.

No prerequisites
No prior courses in the humanities or economics are required. Actually, part of what makes the discussion in this course rich and incisive is the very fact that our group will be composed of students in the arts and humanities, laboratory sciences, economics, and social sciences, all together in one classroom.

Credits
This course fulfills the Arts and Humanities distribution requirement; however, it does not fulfill the Science and Engineering and Applied Sciences distribution requirement, nor the Gen-Ed requirements. For information and updates, see the Divisional Distribution page of the Office on Undergraduate Education. You must consult with your advisor or department to find out if the course fulfills the requirements of your concentration.

Italian language
Optional Italian language instruction is offered at the beginner, intermediate, and/or advanced levels, though not for credit. Successful completion of the beginner course, though it is not directly equivalent to Italian 10, will place students into Italian 11 in the fall semester. This would allow them to take Italian 20 in the spring, accelerating their language trajectory. The intermediate course is recommended for students who have already completed Italian 10, 11, or Italian 15, while the advanced course is recommended for those at any higher level.
The beginner class meets twice a week. Schedule and classrooms TBA.
The intermediate class meets twice a week. Schedule and classrooms TBA.
The advances class meets twice a week. Schedule and classrooms TBA.
It is recommended that students with no prior background in Italian take the beginner class, particularly in anticipation of joining Siena’s contrade in the final weeks of the program. Click here for more information about the language program.

Please note: the symbol “#” indicates events that are not part of the program but are interesting and of cultural value; participation is not mandatory, only recommended.

Week 1

TORINO

Monday, June 15
Students arrive in Torino

• 7:30 PM: Welcome dinner at Bogianen Pizzeria Piemontese, via Artisti 1 bis.

Tuesday, June 16

• 3:30 PM: Orientation and introduction to the course, the sections, and the language courses.
• 8:00 PM: Italian dinner at TBA.

Wednesday, June 17
Introduction to Kant: Why beauty.

Thursday, June 18
– Reading: Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgment, Preface, Introduction, and Part I, section I, book I.

• 2:00 PM Italy on screen/1: Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore (1988). Discussion to follow.

Friday, June 19
– Reading: Kant, Critique of Judgment, Part I, section I, book II, and section II.

• 4:00 PM: Visit to the National Museum of Cinema, an impressive museum about film inside the landmark of Torino, the towering Mole Antonelliana.

Saturday, June 20
Field trip: Lake Maggiore

• 8:30 AM: Coach bus leaves from Santa Giulia Residence (be on the street in via Buniva by 8:20).
• Visit of Isola Bella, the Borromeo Palace, and the terraced gardens.
• Lunch on the Isola dei Pescatori.
• Borromean Islands boat tour.

Week 2

Monday, June 22
Sections.

• 6:00 PM: Aperitivo [TBA on WhatsApp].

Tuesday,June 23
– Reading: Elaine Scarry, On Beauty and Being Just.

• 2:00 PM Italy on screen/2: Bella addormentata (Dormant Beauty), directed by Marco Bellocchio  (2012). Discussion to follow.

• 8:00 PM: Italian dinner at Ristorante Il Filo di Marianna (via Principe Tommaso 2 bis, in the San Salvario district, a 25-minute walk from the Residence).

Wednesday, June 24
Feast of Saint John, Patron of Torino: Events TBA.

Thursday, June 25
Field trip: University of Gastronomic Sciences

• 8:00 AM: Coach bus leaves from Santa Giulia Residence.
• Visit of the Università di scienze gastronomiche in Pollenzo, etablished by the founder of the Slow Food Movement to study the relation of food with culture and the enviroment. Welcome from Prof. Nicola Perullo, rector of the university.
• Mini-seminar on food with Prof. Perullo (philosophy and culture of taste and conviviality), Dr. Elena Mancioppi (socio-politics of smell), Dr. Riccardo Migliavada (food choices between emotion and cognition), Prof. Lorenzo Bairati (food law), Dr. Elena Corcione (food and rights), Prof. Simone Cinotto (meaning of Italian cuisine and gastronomy).
  – Reading: Nicola Perullo, Epistenology, chapters 1 and 2.
• Guided tour of the campus.
• Lunch at “Academic Tables”, the canteen of the university.
• TO BE CONFIRMED: Move to Alba and visit to the vineyards and winery of the Aziende Vitivinicole Ceretto.

Friday, June 26
– Readings: 1) Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”.  2) Chantal Mouffe, “Art and Democracy: Art as an Agnostic Intervention in Public Space”.  3) Doris Sommer, The Work of Art in the World, chapter 1 (“From the Top: Government-Sponsored Creativity”).

Week 3

Monday, June 29
Sections.

• 7:00 PM: Aperitivo [TBA on WhatsApp].
  

Tuesday, June 30
Guest lecturer: Professor Maurizio Ferraris (Università di Torino), TBA.
– Reading: TBA

•  2:00 PM Italy on screen/3: Chiamami col tuo nome (Call Me By Your Name), directed by Luca Guadagnino (2017). Discussion to follow.
• 8:00 PM: Italian dinner: TBA.

Wednesday, July 1
Guest lecturer: Professor Tiziana Andina (Università di Torino), Why transgenerationality matters.
– Reading: Tiziana Andina, A Philosophy for Future Generations, ONLY chapter 4.

• 4:00 PM: Savor Torino walk with Giulio Sacco (Scienza Nuova). From the Residence to piazza Vittorio and via Po, with stops at the historic pasticceria Ghigo (the best pastries in town) and the caffè Florio (where Nietzsche used to go).

Thursday, July 2
Guest lecturer: TBA

TRENTINO

Friday, July 3
Program moves to Molveno
– 9:00 AM: Coach bus leaves from Santa Giulia Residence.

• 8:00: Dinner at Ristorante Nembia.

Saturday, July 4
Field trip in the Dolomites

• 8:30 AM: Jeeps leave Garnì Lago Nembia.
• Hike in the Val d’Ambiez, at the foot of the Brenta Mountains; guided by Giulio Elmi.
• Visit to Malga Senaso di Sotto.
• Lunch at Rifugio al Cacciatore.
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• 8:00 PM: Dinner at Ristorante Nembia.

Sunday, July 5
Field trip to Fiavè

• 11:30 AM: Coach bus leaves Garnì Lago Nembia.
• Lunch (panini) at Bar al Sole (Fiavè).
• Visit to the Pile Dwelling Museum.
• Visit to the UNESCO world heritage site of the peat bog of Fiavé.
• Visit to Maso Torbaia, with Stefano Carloni.
• Dinner at Maso Torbaia.

Week 4

Monday, July 6

• 12:15: Lunch at Ristorante Nembia.

Program moves to Trento
– 2:00 PM: Coach bus leaves from Garnì Lago Nembia.

• Sections.

Tuesday, July 7
– Reading: Plato, Symposium.

• 7:15 PM: Italian dinner at Ristorante birreria Forsterbräu, via Oss Mazzurana 38.

Wednesday, July 8
– Readings: 1) Pierre Hadot, “Philosophy as a Way of Life”. 2) Byung-Chul Han, “Views of Inactivity”; Byung-Chul Han, Saving Beauty (chapter 1: “The Smooth”).

• 2:30 PM Italy on screen/4: Perfetti sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers), directed by Paolo Genovese (2016). Discussion to follow.

Thursday, July 9
– Readings: 1) Thomas Frank, The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism, chapter 6 (“Think Young: Youth Culture and Creativity”).  2) Anthony Julius, Transgressions: The Offences of Art, chapter 1 (“A Transgressive Work and its Defences”).  3) Tibor Scitovsky, The Joyless Economy: The Psychology of Human Satisfaction, chapter 3 (“The Pursuit of Novelty”).

• 7:00 PM: Wine tasting with Giuliano Micheletti and visit to his “Limina” winery (via Enrico Conci, 74; to get there we will take bus number 3 or number 13 in front of the bus station; get off at “Conci Ferrovia”).

Friday, July 10
– Reading: Martin Heidegger, “The Origin of the Work of Art ”.

Week 5

Monday, July 13
Sections.

Tuesday, July 14
– Reading: Brian Boyd, On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction, part 2 (“Evolution and Art”).

• 2:30 PM Italy on screen/5: Le otto montagne (The Eight Mountains), directed by Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch (2022). Discussion to follow.

Wednesday, July 15
– Reading: Brian Boyd, On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction, part 3 (“Evolution and Fiction”).

• 2:30 PM: Visit to the Gallerie, two former road tunnels that were transformed into a history museum. With Giuseppe Ferrandi, director of the Foundation of the Historical Museum of Trentino.

Thursday, July 16
STUDENTS’ PRESENTATIONS
– Reading: Sartwell, Six Names of Beauty (one chapter per student).

Friday, July 17
Field trip to Val di Non

• 8:50 AM: Coach bus leaves from Grand Hotel Trento.
• 10:30 AM: Guided tour of Rio Sass Canyon.
• Lunch at Rifugio Regole.
• Class in Palazzo Comunale.
  – Readings: Roberto Esposito, Communitas, “Introduction”.
• Beer tasting (Fon, Birrificio artigianale).
• Walk in the “Pradei”.
• “Coppa dell’amicizia” at gelateria Cavallari.

Week 6

Monday, July 20
Midterm exam (at 10:00 AM in TBA).

SIENA

Tuesday, July 21

Program moves to Siena
9:00 AM: Coach bus leaves from Grand Hotel Trento.

• 8:00 PM: Italian dinner at Antica Trattoria Papei, piazza Mercato 6.
  

Wednesday, July 22
– Readings: 1) Pico della Mirandola, On the Dignity of Man.  2) Giorgio Vasari, Life of Michelangelo (from The Lives of the Artists, 1550).  3) Jonathan K. Nelson and Richard J. Zeckhauser, The Patron’s Payoff: Conspicuous Commissions in Italian Renaissance Art, chapter 3 (“Theories of Distinction: Magnificence and Signaling”).

Thursday, July 23
– Reading: Niccolò Machiavelli, Il principe.

• 2:30 PM: Italy on screen/6: Palio, directed by Cosima Spender (2015). Discussion to follow.

Friday, July 25
Field trip: Florence

• Discovery coffee course at the Espresso Academy, in Florence, via delle Torri 55: 2 hours (first group 11.30-1.30, second group 3-5). Instructor: Gabriele Cortopassi, barista, restaurant manager, coffee expert. See how coffee is blended and roasted. Learn the main types of coffee and the techniques for preparing espresso, cappuccino, latte. Then make your cappuccino with the heart.
  – Reading: Jeffrey Schnapp, “The Romance of Caffeine and Aluminium”.
• 1.30 PM: Lunch at Circolo ricreativo Le Torri, via Lunga 157.

Week 7

Monday, July 27
Sections.

Tuesday, July 28
THREE LECTURES ON ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS (PROF. SIMONE BORGHESI, UNIVERSITÀ DI SIENA) AND ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANITIES (PROF. ONOFRIO ROMANO, UNIVERSITÀ ROMA TRE)

Environmental economics 1 (Simone Borghesi)
– Reading: Simone Borghesi and Alessandro Vercelli, “Happiness and Health: Two Paradoxes”.

Wednesday, July 29
Environmental economics 2 (Simone Borghesi)
– Reading: European Commission, “Stormy Times: Nature and Humans—Cultural Courage for Change”.

• 2:30 PM: Italy on screen/7: La dolce vita, directed by Federico Fellini (1960). Discussion to follow.
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• # 9:30 PM, Chiesa di Sant’Agostino: CHIGIANA MEETS SIENA JAZZ: Miguel Zenón saxophone, Houman Vaziri violin, Agnese Maria Balestracci violin, Arianna Bloise viola, Ester Vianello violoncello.

Thursday, July 30
Environmental humanities  (Onofrio Romano)
– Reading: Onofrio Romano, “The Society of Degrowth”.

Friday, July 31
Field trip: Lucca

• 9:00 AM: Bus leaves from Porta Pispini.
  
• 12:00 PM: Riding the medieval walls of Lucca on bike, tandem, or surrey bike.
  
• 3:30 PM: Guided tour of Palazzo Orsetti.
• 5:00 PM: Lecture by Emanuele Vietina (Lucca Comics and Games) and Cosimo Lorenzo Pancini (Studio Kmzero); at the Museo della Zecca (the ancient mint).

Week 8

Monday, August 3
Sections.

• # 9:00 PM: Accademia Chigiana (Palazzo Chigi Saracini): Song-cycle for soprano and guitar: Ralf Yusuf Gawlick, Kollwitz Connection (…in the peace of his hands). Clara Meloni, soprano, Eliot Fisk, guitar.

Tuesday, August 4
– Reading: Giovanni Della Casa, Galateo.

• 2:30 PM: Italy on screen/8: La chimera, directed by Alice Rohrwacher (2023). Discussion to follow.
  

• 7:30 PM: Visit to the Contrada del Nicchio (meeting point: Via dei Pispini 110, a five-minute walk from the Rifugio). This will be followed by dinner at the “Pania.” At the end of the dinner, each student will be assigned by lottery and for life to one of the ten Contrade that will compete in the Palio dell’Assunta.

Wednesday, August 5
– Readings: 1) John Dewey, Art as Experience, chapters 1 (“The Live Creature”) and 14 (“Art and Civilization”).  2) Martha Nussbaum, Poetic Justice: The Literary Imagination and Public Life, chapter 4 (“Poets as Judges”).

• 8:00 PM: Italian dinner at Pizzeria Il Pomodorino (Via Camporegio 13).

Thursday, August 6
– Reading: Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities (Le città invisibili).

• 2:30 PM, Former chapel: Slideshow and discussion of the final projects.

Friday, August 7

Field trip: Val d’Orcia and Montalcino.
With archeologist Stefano Campana (University of Siena).

• 1:00 PM: Bus leaves from Porta Pispini.
• Along the old Via Francigena, through the Crete Senesi hills.
• Visit to the Abbey of San’Antimo.
• Wine tasting in Montalcino, home of the famous Brunello wine. Free time to visit the medieval town.
  

Sunday, August 9

• # Palio event:
  – early morning: Terra in piazza

Week 9

Monday, August 10

TBA.

• # Palio event:
  – 7:00 PM presentation of the drappellone (banner) in Cortile del Podestà, in Palazzo Pubblico. Be there half an hour earlier.
• # Perseid meteor shower.

Tuesday, August 11
Sections.

• # Palio event:
  – 5:30 AM: “prove di notte” (heats to select the ten horses that will run the Palio)..

Wednesday, August 12
TBA.

• # Palio event:
  – 5:30 AM: “prove di notte” (heats to select the ten horses that will run the Palio).

• 4:00 PM: Visit to Museo Civico di Siena (via di San Pietro 29).

THE DAYS OF THE PALIO

Thursday, August 13
Final exams (at the Refugio).

• # Palio events:
  – 12:00 PM (arrive with your Contrada or join it in the square): La tratta (lottery to assign the horses to the Contrade).
  – 7:00 PM: first trial.

Friday, August 14
Final exams (at the Refugio).

• # Palio events:
  – Corteo del Cero (Procession of the Candles).
  – 9:00 AM: Second trial.
  – 7:00 PM: Third trial.

Saturday, August 15
Ferragosto: national holiday.

• # Palio events:
  – 9:00 AM: Fourth trial
  – 6:30 PM: Prova generale (fifth trial), preceded by the traditional charge of the Carabinieri on horseback.
  10:00 AM: Solemn Mass in the Duono celebrated by Cardinal Lojudice, Archbishop of Siena. If you want to attend the Mass with Prof. Erspamer, meet him in front of the Duomo at 9:40.
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• TO BE CONFIRMED: 4:30 PM: Palazzo Pubblico, meeting with the Mayor of Siena, Nicoletta Fabio. Followed by a visit to the Museo Civico.
• 8:30 PM: Cena della prova generale (open-air dinner in each contrada).

Sunday, August 16
Palio dell’Assunta.
– Reading: Alan Dundes and Alessandro Falassi, La Terra in Piazza, chs. 3-6.

• # Palio events:
  – 7:45 AM: In the chapel in fron of Palazzo Pubblico, the Archbishop of Siena celebrates the Messa del Fantino (Jockey’s Mass).
  – 8:30 AM: Provaccia (sixth trial).
  – 4:10 PM: Clearing of the track.
  – 4:45 PM: Parade and charge of the Carabinieri on horseback.
  – 4:50 PM: Corteo storico (historical parade).
  – 5:45 PM: Closure of access from Via Duprè (opened about twenty minutes earlier).
  – 7 PM: Exit of the horses from the Cortile del Podestà for the Palio.
  

Monday, August 17
The Palio: rain date.

Tuesday, August 18
Program ends.