Art History, Travel and a Pope Sighting
For any student looking for a short-term taste of life abroad, global field study courses are an incredible option to make that happen. This past summer, I went on the Baroque Art History GFS course with travel to Rome, Italy, and am already counting the days until I can return.
This particular GFS to Italy is offered every other year and led by Dr. Jill Pederson, who is extremely experienced with life in Rome. In our classes, we learned about all the Baroque art we would be seeing in person as well as the context and significance behind it. Dr. Pederson would often interject when we went over the slides, “This will be so much more amazing when you see it in person!” and she could not have been more right.
Our class stayed in a hotel near the heart of Rome, where we could be close enough to the city but not in a tourist destination. The class counts toward a research writing Arcadia Undergraduate Curriculum requirement, and one of the big projects near the end is preparing and giving an on-site presentation in Rome. Each day, we would go see a new church, such as St. Andrew’s or St. Peter’s Basilica, or a new museum, such as the Borghese Gallery, to see the art we learned about and one of the groups would give us a short presentation on it. Though gathering all of our research and presenting was tedious, it was so fulfilling to be able to understand and appreciate the context behind what we were seeing.
Apart from the art we saw, Rome itself was an incredible place to experience. The length of the days we would be on site varied. Some days we were out all day, and other days we only went to one site. On our off time, we were free to do whatever we wanted, whether that was a full day to explore or a couple hours’ break to find a spot for lunch. We traveled as a pack, and even though I didn’t know every Arcadia student from the class going into the trip, we all formed a friendship quickly over group dinners, navigating the city together, and even got tattoos on the last day.
One of my favorite days of the whole trip was our extraordinary visit to the Vatican Museum. Prior to our trip, our class managed to nab exclusive tickets to the Vatican Museum, which included a private, early morning tour and an American breakfast in the gardens. Though it was early, we got to see some of the most famous and renowned artwork worldwide, such as the Michaelangelo’s Creation of Adam within the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and Raphael’s School of Athens before the crowds arrived. To complete our magical visit, we also happened to see the Pope on the day we visited St. Peter’s Basilica.
Chances to experience study abroad and trips like this don’t come often, and GFS was worth every penny. Seeing the artwork that we studied, researched, and talked about in person was one of the most meaningful parts of the trip to me. It was even better knowing we all shared in the experience and that it resonated with all of us, regardless of whether we were an art history major or a business major.
You can find out more about Global Field Study here!
