Dispatches from Study Abroad in Southern Italy: A Photo Essay

Earlier this summer, 10 OU students traveled abroad on CIS’s Italy 2.0: Southern Italy program, which ran for its second year. The program centers on a course, Art History & Travel Writing, taught by OU faculty Robert Bailey and Maura McAndrew. The 11-day trip began with a week in Sorrento in the Campania region, followed by a ferry trip and five days in Catania, Sicily. Led by an expert Italian tour guide, the group explored Naples, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, the island of Capri, the Valley of the Temples, Piazza Armerina, Taormina, Mount Etna and Modica, taking time in between to meet with local activists and learn about community issues.

Italy 2.0 is so named because it shows students a whole different Italy than they find at OU’s campus in Arezzo. Southern Italy boasts an incredible history, Greek- and North African-influenced culture, a slower pace of life and a cuisine all its own. The following photos offer a taste of this year’s adventure, interspersed with selected quotes from students’ travel essays for the course.

To learn more about Italy 2.0 for 2019, visit the education abroad program site or email Maura McAndrew at mmcandrew@ou.edu.