• Begin to understand the High Renaissance, Raphael and Michelangelo by looking at antique monuments and the art of the Quattrocento (1400's)

• Visit many of the most famous sites where Raphael and Michelangelo's works are on display throughout Rome and Florence

• Get an up close look at art history where it all began

• Enjoy an excursion to the Tuscan countryside

• No previous knowledge of Italian required

The program will take place in Florence for 9 days and then move to Rome for 11 days. Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 367,569 inhabitants (1,500,000 in the metropolitan area). The city lies on the River Arno and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A center of medieval European trade and finance and one of the richest and wealthiest cities of the time, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.

Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River, within the Lazio region of Italy. Rome's history spans over two and a half thousand years.

Both cities boast a wide range of collections of art, especially those held in the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi. Florence is arguably the last preserved Renaissance city in the world and is regarded by many as the art capital of Italy. It has been the birthplace or chosen home of many notable historical figures, such as Raphael, Michelangelo and many more.

To study the great works of Raphael and Michelangelo in situ, one must go abroad and, particularly, one must go to Italy. In short, Florence and Rome are the prime locations where their famous works are to be seen.

This course offers a unique learning experience to study the art of Raphael and Michelangelo up close and personal in Florence and Rome.

Visits to particular sites are key to this course. For instance, visits to such a difficult and complex sites as the Sistine Chapel will be invaluable; after all there are hundreds of figures to be seen, not to mention the numberless details that come into focus when one is standing before the originals themselves. Or again, how can one understand the David unless one stands before it at the Accademia in Florence? Its scale, the detail of the carving, its presence are all but unimaginable. Slides can never capture the beauty or excitement the original generates. As to the antiques, it is all but impossible to experience the Laoocon or the Torso Belvedere unless one stands before it. Their scale, their mass, their displacement of space is palpable, but only in situ. Antiquity is no longer abstract after visits to the Capitoline Museum or the Vatican Museums. Then there are the Michelangelos in the Duomo or in Saint Peter's, works that live in grandiose and complex spaces, spacial ambiances that are impossible to capture with power-point. In short, a few weeks in Florence and Rome will give the time to engage with a large body of material from the past; it will allow students to experience the Renaissance and to see how antiquity shaped it, gave it life and even intimidated it.

Students are expected to be full participants at the pre-departure meetings and at each visit and lecture while in Italy. A detailed course syllabus will be provided to all the students and is available from the Program Director.

• The program will begin in mid-May and end in late May. Check the Dates/Deadlines section above for exact program dates.

For information about arrival and departure, see the Program Specific Handbook at the bottom of this page.

The program is directed by CU-Boulder faculty Albert Alhadeff, Associate Professor of Art and Art History. He developed a Michelangelo course at CU long ago, it is a monographic course whose focus is all but exclusively on Raphael and Michelangelo; the course has been taught for the past ten years. He has taught a long string of undergraduate seminars on Michelangelo, Michelangelo and psychoanalysis, and even Michelangelo and Picasso through the years. Alhadeff is fluent in French and knows a fair amount of Italian from when he lived in Rome as a child.

Albert Alhadeff, along with staff from the study abroad office will help in selecting program participants.

The program schedule is relatively busy but when you are not in class or doing a group visit you will have time to explore Italy, many site visits are included.

Housing has been arranged as double/triple occupancy rooms in student residences.

Students will be responsible for most meals for the duration of the program. A Welcome and Farewell dinner will be provided on the program.

You are responsible for making your own transportation arrangements to Italy and back.

Transportation on program-related field trips while in Italy is provided as part of the program fee.

• Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) Grants: (up to $2400/project) for undergraduate research or creative work projects including projects while studying abroad. Application, detailed descriptions, project archive (to get project ideas) are available on the UROP website. Application deadline is EARLY - usually in late February/early March.

• Dante Alighieri Society Scholarship: To be granted one of these awards, the student must be able to document acceptance in an established study program of Italian language, culture or history. Applications are accepted in early spring for the fall or academic year. Visit [here] (http://www.dantealighieriofdenver.org/scholarships.html) for more information.

• Michelangelo Info

• US State Department page on Italy

• Lonely Planet Italy