Italian art, history and culture came to life for students, faculty and alumni from the University of Montevallo’s Department of Art as they delved into the country’s artistic legacy on a trip in May. Led by Dr. Catherine Walsh, associate professor of art, and Misty Bennett, professor of art, the group of 14 spent about 10 days visiting museums, churches, gardens and more in Florence and Venice.
UM students and professors waiting to enter the Gallerie degli Uffizi in Florence, Italy.
The department has a history of taking students on study travel trips, both in the U.S. and abroad, but this is the first international trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Walsh, an art historian who specializes in the Italian Renaissance, has traveled to Italy a number of times for study and research since she was in college. She designed the trip itinerary and offered pre-departure lectures for the group to familiarize themselves with the places they would visit and some of the artworks they would see.
“It was almost everyone’s first time in Italy, and it might be the only time they go,” Walsh said. “We wanted to make sure that they experienced well-known museums and monuments as well as artworks and collections off-the-beaten path.”
The first half of the trip took place in Florence, where the group explored the history and architecture of sites like the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (better known as the Duomo), the Basilica di San Lorenzo, site of Michelangelo’s Medici tombs, one of the largest churches in Florence, and the Palazzo Vecchio, the city’s town hall.
“It has this long history as a place of governance and also as a place for which artworks of all sorts were commissioned,” Walsh said. “That’s the building outside of which Michelangelo’s “David” was originally placed. Today, a copy is there. The original is inside of the Accademia Museum, which we also visited.”
On a day trip to Pietrasanta, a vibrant art center and historic quarry town in northern Tuscany, the group met mayor Alberto Stefano Giovannetti
UM group with Pietrasanta, Italy Mayor Alberto Stefano Giovannetti and Desirée Pucci, 2024 visiting artist at the Sylacauga Marble Festival.
and were guided by the city’s cultural director, Dr. Valentina Fogher. Before the trip, Walsh was put in contact with Fogher by UM Board of Trustees Chairman Todd Strange, who was serving as mayor of Montgomery when it became sister cities with Pietrasanta. As a result, the two cities have done many cultural exchanges.
“We’re very grateful to the President’s Office and Chairman Strange for supporting our educational travel endeavor,” Walsh said.
The group also visited the nearby town of Carrara, known for its marble quarries, which they toured. Michelangelo went to Carrara many times during his career and selected specific veins of marble to be quarried for projects like his Rome “Pietà.”
The next half of the trip was spent in Venice, where the main attraction was the Venice Biennale, an international art exhibition hosted every two years by the Biennale Foundation. It showcases contemporary art, dance, architecture, cinema and theatre from around the globe. This year’s theme was “Stranieri Ovunque: Foreigners Everywhere,” and focused on artists from each participating country who are foreigners, immigrants, expatriates, diasporic, émigrés, exiled or refugees.
Walsh noted “Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me” as one of her favorite installations at the Biennale. Gibson, the first Native American to represent the U.S. at the Biennale, created 11 paintings, nine sculptures, eight flags, two murals and one video for his piece.
“His installation was just beautiful and astounding,” she said. “It presented very serious content, but visually it was also joyful, and the craftsmanship was exquisite.”
The group also toured iconic Venice sites like the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, the city’s largest church, and Saint Mark’s Basilica, a cathedral known for its mosaic work, as well as the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Students enjoyed the planned stops on the itinerary, but also took it upon themselves to go explore on their own and experience football games, markets and the cuisine. For Walsh, the best part of the trip was watching the students encounter new artworks and places that they’d learned about in her classes.
“I love spending time in these cities and in the culture,” she said. “Of course, I have my favorite museums and artworks, but the highlight for me was witnessing the students’ responses to artworks and architecture that we’ve studied together. That was incredibly special.”
