Pieve International School

“Passerella Journeys: Seven walks through Italy” is the summer program for Alumni dedicates to history, art, taste and fun. Ten couples explore for one week the contrasting vitality between the Eternal City, Rome, and the inspirational country living of Umbria, living by learning about Italian and Umbrian food, wine and culture. The centerpieces of walking venues is the art and architecture of Italy through the cityscape and landscape, including visits to the absorbing cities of Siena, Florence, Assisi and Orvieto, as well as the charming medieval hill town of Spello and Corciano. Moreover a lunch in a famous restaurant in Assisi, cooking classes in the Villa Pieve kitchen, lectures by noted experts on Italian culture, wine course and several wine testing…

Program Directors: Richard Helzer, Peter Kommers

Deparment of Visual Arts

10 weeks of the Pieve International School for a group of 13 artists, concentrating their studies at the Pieve Campus in ceramics and book making, arriving just in time for the festival of Carnivale! Inspired by the Italian masterpieces and by the local ceramics in the nearby city of Deruta, they created wonderful ceramic works and low relief works in terra cotta.

Program Director: Michael Peed

School of Architecture

An intensive 20 day program with 18 students led by professor Peter Kommers with a challenging objective. Carefully studying the surroundings of the Pieve Campus, the objective was to design a concept for a new art studio located in the Villa’s park. An international Jury of the Pieve International School awarded the first prize to the student Noelle Slevin.

Program Director: Peter Kommers

Master in Business Administration

The biggest group ever at the Pieve International School with about 95 participants! This included also the staff and spouses. A great challenge, great expectations to be met, and a great fulfillment. All Pieve International School facilities (more than 1000 square meters of common spaces) were dedicated to the three day event. An outstanding audiovisual set-up allowed for perfect vision and sound to more than 100 participants in the class. Key guest speakers from Maserati (Car Maker), Merloni (home appliances) ,and ENEL (National Electric Utilities) covered top priority strategic issues. Local entrepreneurs were selected amongst the most successful, high-tech, internationally recognized small and medium size companies head-quartered in Umbria. Such as Angelantoni Industrie (Environmental test screening) and Umbra Cuscinetti (Aircraft components). A sunny day magnified the outdoor Maserati car show of the newest models parked between the antique Villa Pieve and the historical medieval castle of Pieve del Vescovo.
The entire program was organized thanks to the precious support of two important economic and strategic consultants, Filippo Martino and Filippo Vasta.

Program Director: Larry Greiner

15 “Chautuaqua Institution” summer residents, that reside all over the United States, enjoyed a week of Umbrian sight seeing, Italian cooking and cultural courses, cashmere shopping, trips to local towns, and walks in the park or to the local medieval town of Corciano. These Chautauquans truly utilized this one week to do and see as much as possible in the Umbrian countryside, enjoing the historical setting of the Pieve International School facilities in an atmosphere of extreme cordiality.

Program Director: Don Kymes

Creative Writing Workshop

We remind to them as the last “Dead Poets Society”… an enthusiastic group of 6 students writing poems and amazing stories having been inspired by the warm Italian scenery during thier summer stay.

The group lived together in the house of the Pieve International School in the center of the medieval town of Corciano, just ten minutes walk down-hill from the Villa, under the guide of Martin and his beautiful wife. Thanks to the holiday atmosphere provided by the amazingly sunny Italian days, even the study time was spent in an easy atmosphere. Rossella helped the program participants by transporting them around Umbria to uncover the last hidden traces of the great Italain poems. And of course, a night at “Umbria Jazz” in Perugia!

A little secret: each one of them slept the enitre time here with the Dante’s “Divine Comedy” on thier bedside tables.

Program Director: Martin Nakell

Art School Jewelery

The third art program concentrated on Jewelery was led by Professor Richard Helzer, the Director of the Art-School in the Montana State University. Richard and his wife Kathy lived in the house of the Pieve International School in the center of the medieval town of Corciano which is just a ten minute walk away from the Villa down-hill. The program ended with an exhibition, of the works created by the students on the themes of Alchemy and Metaphysics, held at the medieval garden at the house of Rossella Vasta. Her 16th century house, near the church of Migiana, is inside this medieval fortified village overlooking the Pieve International School facility and the Medieval Castle of Pieve del Vescovo.

Program Director: Richard Helzer

Program Director: Don Kymes

The art school spent 2 months at the Pieve International School with a group of about 20 students. Time was organized with lectures of art history, studio painting and out-door landscape painting. Courses of Italian language and culture, including cooking, were provided together with visits to sites of historical and artistic interests.