Tuscany: Sustainability in City and Country GEOG 407/507 or USP 407/507 4 credits Short-term Study Abroad Program September 7-21, 2009 Apply Now - Deadline is April 13, 2009 Enrollment limited to 14 students Click here for application form The focus of the program is urban and rural sustainability in Tuscany. After spending the two days in Siena, we will be based at Spannocchia, a rural estate located southwest of Siena. On day trips we will examine urban design and social life in Italian hill towns, noted as models of urban sustainability. In previous years, we have visited Volterra and San Gimignano; Massa Marittima (a designated CittàSlow – part of the Slow City movement); the small village of Chiusdino; the 13th century Abbey of San Galgano; and Larderello (the location of the world’s first geothermal power plant). City-country relationships have long been important in Tuscany. In the Middle Ages, agricultural land was often owned by city-based landlords and farmed through a mezzadria (sharecropping) system that lasted until the mid-twentieth century. In today's tourist economy, connections between city and country remain important. The Tenuta di Spannocchia dates back to the 12th century, when a group of monks settled at Santa Lucia, a hermitage located on the banks of the Torrente Rosia at the base of what is now the Spannocchia property.  The Spannocchi family were residents on the property by the early 1200s and later settled in Siena.  In the mid-1400s, Ambrogio Spannocchi was personal banker to Pope Pius II.  The Palazzo Spannocchi, one of the great palaces in Siena, is now part of the Banca Monte Dei Paschi di Siena, the world's oldest bank. Today the Tenuta is an organic farm and forest and is part of the Alto Merse nature reserve. At Spannocchia students will explore sustainable agriculture and agritourism in self-defined, individual projects. As a group, we will hike in the surrounding countryside, participate in ongoing mapping projects, and help develop an interpretive plan for the cultural landscapes of the estate and its surroundings. PROGRAM LEADERS David Banis (2007- Present) manages the Center for Spatial Analysis and Research in the geography department at Portland State University. His teaching focuses on map use, cartography, and geographic information systems. His interests include cultural geography and resource management. He has traveled in more than 30 countries including several trips to Tuscany and led the 2008 course. Tom Harvey (2005-2007) is a professor of geography at Portland State University. He has worked in historic preservation and as a city planner. His teaching and research emphases are urban geography, sustainability, and sense of place. He taught for a term in Siena in 1999, has traveled extensively to Tuscany's hill towns, and has a strong interest in landscape photography. Gil Latz (2004) is Vice Provost for International Affairs and Professor of Geography and International Studies at Portland State University. Dr. Latz was awarded a Fulbright Research Scholarship, University of Florence, Italy, 2001-02, to study landscape conservation at Spannocchia. The most recent publication of his research, “Comparative international research on agricultural land-use history and forest management practices: the Tuscan estate of Castello di Spannocchia and Vermont's Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park”, was published in: Mauro Agnoletti, ed. The Conservation of Cultural Landscapes. Oxfordshire: CABI Publishing (2007). PROGRAM COST Approximately $2200-2400. Includes registration for 4 credits, lodging and meals while at Spannocchia, lodging in Siena, local transportation, and museum admissions. Not included are air fare, incidentals, etc. The final cost is dependent on variables that include the currency exchange rate and the number of students enrolled. RESOURCES The Spannocchia Foundation The Etruscan Foundation and the History of Spannocchia Citta Slow Slow Food Syllabus for 2009 Reading list for 2009 Photos from previous years (pdf format) Application form One-page course info sheet. For additional program and study abroad information, please contact Alyse Collins in the Education Abroad Office (ayc@pdx.edu, 503-725-8256). For information on course content, contact David Banis, Geography Department, dbanis@pdx.edu.