Hospitality, NEP & Italian Culture (Internship/Service Learning Available)

If you are interested in Italian culture, Hospitality Management or Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, the amazing city of Florence awaits you! Italian cooking and the Mediterranean lifestyle are world renowned, and you have the unique opportunity to experience the inner workings of food, nutrition, exercise and hospitality in fantastic Florence. Working with Italian professionals, students will gain hands on experience in their field of study as well as further understanding of the language and culture of Italy. Don’t miss out on the exciting chance to intern or participate in service learning abroad!

During the program, students will live in central Florence apartments and take courses in locations around the city. Courses are typically held Monday – Friday, and all students will also participate in the Chianti Olive Oil field trip.

Quick Information

Location

Florence, capital of the Tuscany region of Italy, encompasses a metropolitan area home to over 1.5 million inhabitants. The city is considered to be the birthplace of the Renaissance, and this history is on display throughout the city by mean of its architecture, art and monuments. Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, participants on the Italy program will be able to take full advantage of all that the city has to offer, including an incredible array of museums, amazing restaurants, local markets, and more.

Accommodation and Meals

Students will be housed in privately owned, fully furnished, air-conditioned apartments for the duration of the program. The apartments include fully functional kitchens with refrigerators, ovens, stoves, and basic cookware. Bathrooms are shared with roommates. Since towels are not provided, students will need to bring some or purchase them in Florence.

In some cases, participants will change locations once the internship component of the program begins. Rooms will be shared, and the number of participants in a room will vary. In most cases, student apartments will house a total of four to six participants; however, this may vary by location and specific assignment. All housing costs are included in the program fee.

A limited number of meals are included in the program fee. For each session (academic and internship/service learning), students receive 15 units to be used at the Ganzo and Fedora cafeterias. Students will need to plan for additional meal costs. Students who wish to dine at the facilities regularly, may purchase additional meal units.

Though the individual spending habits of each student will vary, please see the budget information below for an estimate of the average out-of-pocket meal expenses. These estimates are based on the assumption that participants will shop at markets, grocery stores, specialty stores, etc. and prepare the majority of their meals in the apartment kitchens.

Program Travel

Students will arrange their own round-trip travel to Florence and will be provided with suggested flight dates and times for a group arrival. The faculty program leader, Mauro Palmero, Ph.D., travels with the group flight to facilitate airport check-in and transfers. For budgeting purposes, estimates are provided below. Students who wish to have the cost of their flight billed directly to their MU accounts should contact the Director of International Study Programs to make arrangements through MU’s preferred travel agency. Transportation from the Florence airport to program housing will be provided for those arriving on the suggested flight. Students not arriving on the suggested group flight will be charged approximately $90 for airport pick-up.

Academics

Students will be enrolled in 6 (academic program only) or 9 (academic program + internship/service learning) credits of AFNR_0590, an International Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources “placeholder” course. This “placeholder” will transfer back to MU as the following courses graded on an S/U basis. Students must complete a Course Proposal for Study Abroad with assistance from the CAFNR Director of International Study Programs. Once this is completed, students will work with their advisors to determine how the credits will count toward their individual graduation plans.

Hospitality Students

Academic session credits: Italian language course plus one additional class from the list below (MU equivalency in parenthesis).

• Italian language (AFNR 2191: International Agriculture and Natural Resources Humanities – 3 credits)
• Restaurant Management (HSP_MGMT MISC ELEC – 3 credits)
• Food, Health & Wellness (HSP_MGMT 4190 – 3 credits)
• Tuscany and Its Wines (F_S 2195 -3 credits)

Internship credits: Special Project Experiential Learning (HSP_MGMT 3993 – 3 credits)

Nutrition & Exercise Physiology Students

Academic session credits: Italian language course plus one additional class from the list below (MU equivalency in parenthesis).

• Italian language (AFNR 2191: International Agriculture and Natural Resources Humanities – 3 credits)
• Restaurant Management (NEP MISC ELEC – 3 credits)
• Food, Health & Wellness (NEP MISC ELEC – 3 credits)
• Tuscany and Its Wines (F_S 2195 – 3 credits)

Service learning session credits: Special Project Experiential Learning (NEP MISC ELEC- 3 credits)

All Students

Please be aware that there will be mandatory orientation class meetings prior to departure. The meetings will typically occur in April. Date and time for the meetings will be available shortly after the confirmed program participant list is finalized, generally around mid-March. Participants will be notified of meeting details via email.

Estimated Cost

Academic Session + Internship/Service Learning