ITALY STUDY ABROAD: GRAND TOUR REDUX
FIU HONORS COLLEGE
Faculty: John Bailly

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION 
Rome, Pompeii, Florence, Pisa, Siena, Cinque Terre, and Venice – an Honors College seminar taught on location in the most historic and magical destinations in Italy. Grand Tour Redux is built on the premise that understanding our past enables us to understand ourselves. This interdisciplinary course examines the cultural legacy of classical antiquity and the Renaissance and the influence of these eras on the contemporary world. The seminar reconstructs the traditional 18th century Grand Tour. Students will reflect on the contemporary and personal relevance of Italian culture in a 21st century world. Do Roman republican morals guide US civic principles? Do Renaissance notions of individual autonomy define our own? Does Venetian capitalism serve as a model for US business practices? Students will walk in the steps of Julius Caesar in the Roman Forum, witness the catastrophic consequences of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, visualize Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel, visit the architectural marvels of Florence, and cross the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. The course recreates history through telling the story of individuals and relating those stories to our own times. Be there to meet Julius Caesar, Augustus, Hadrian, St. Peter, Marco Polo, Dante, Lorenzo de Medici, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, and Gentilleschi. Housed primarily in apartments, students will have the experience of living in Italy. “All paths lead to Rome,” or do they?