To experience the finest Italian Renaissance art anywhere, there’s no finer place to visit than Florence, Italy. That’s what keeps drawing SUNY Fredonia students each summer to Art History 390: Arts of Italy, a study abroad course taught by Department of Visual Arts and New Media Associate Professor Peter Tucker. Beginning in late May, 15 students spent two weeks in Florence, studying Renaissance painting, sculpture and architecture.

Brief side trips to the cities of Fiesole, Siena and Arezzo plus hiking and relaxing along the Mediterranean coast at Cinque Terre, a string of centuries-old seaside villages were also on the itinerary. Students were introduced to the cradle of Renaissance culture and the philosophy of Humanism, and could follow in the footsteps of 14th century painter Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, among others, and discover the rich cultural heritage of Italy.