| Description: | The aim of this interdisciplinary course, which combines in-class sessions with field-study activities, is to analyze the historical, artistic and anthropological heritage of Tuscania, as a mirror of central Italian history and culture. Tuscania was an important Etruscan settlement before the Roman colonization of the region and continued to play a key role as an ecclesiastical and political center throughout the Middle Ages. The first part of the course explores the rise of its civilization through the different phases of its urban and rural identity, from the Etruscan period to the Middle Ages. The second part is focused on popular culture and traditions of the territory in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the way they have been portrayed in visual arts such as painting and cinema as well as music. The cultural identity of the territory, such as its oral traditions, will be studied through readings, poems and interviews of local "poeti a braccio" (improvisational poets). Particular attention will be given to the contemporary history of Tuscania, especially during the Second World War (Fascism and Antifascism) and the earthquake that in 1971 partially destroyed the town. In the final part of the course students complete an on-site project about Italy and Tuscania today. In this way students are helped to arrive at their own understanding of this very special part of Italy. |