San Martino Archaeological Field School

  Italy

• Torino: 
Torino (Turin)

Term: Summer 

Description: The San Martino Archaeological Field School is a summer program designed to teach students about archaeological field and laboratory methods, geophysical prospection in archaeology, and the archaeology of ancient Italy. The course is taught on site in central Italy, and participants learn through first-hand experience excavating at the San Martino site as well as through lab work, assisting in geophysical studies, lectures, readings, and guided museum and archaeological site visits. Participants live in the small town of Torano di Borgorose, where they have the opportunity to learn about life in modern as well as ancient Italy.

Participants receive six hours of course credit in Archaeological Field Methods from the Department of Religion and Classics, which sponsors the field school, in collaboration with the Soprintendenza per i beni archeologici del Lazio and the town of Borgorose, Italy. The field school course can also be counted toward the interdisciplinary major in Archaeology, Engineering, and Architecture. Enrollment in the field school is not restricted to University of Rochester students, and applications from prospective participants at other universities are welcome.

The archaeological team is hosted by the town of Torano di Borgorose, where the San Martino church is located. Situated near the border between the Abruzzo and Lazio regions, Torano is a small town typical of Cicolano, the scenic mountainous area that surrounds the town. The people of Torano have been very welcoming and supportive of the American project at San Martino, and in the past they have organized a dinner for us each year and invited us to participate in local festivals.

Basic services are available in Torano, which has a post office, a cafe, and several small shops where essential supplies can be purchased. A well-stocked larger store and a supermarket are a short drive from Torano, and there are several excellent yet inexpensive restaurants in the area that serve local specialties. Torano is near the A-24 super highway and thus connected by regular bus service to Rome, which is about 60 miles away. Avezzano, on the main train line from Rome to Pescara, is less than 20 miles away. Also nearby is the "Montagne della Duchessa" Nature Preserve.

Highlights: The academic program includes: Sulmona

* Two nights in Rome, with a guided walking tour of downtown Rome and visits to the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia and the archaeological remains under the Basilica of San Clemente
* Fieldtrip to L'Aquila, with visits to the Museo Nazionale d'Abruzzo and the archaeological site of Amiternum
* Fieldtrip to the archaeological site of Alba Fucens
* Fieldtrip to Sulmona, with visits to the Sanctuary of Hercules Curinus archaeological site and the Museo Civico di Sulmona (if open)
* Fieldtrip to less well-known (but very interesting) archaeological sites near Torano
* Instruction on site in archaeological field methods
* Instruction in archaeological laboratory work
* Instruction on site in geophysical prospection in archaeology (focusing in the 2009 season on magnetometry)
* Class meetings and lectures about the archaeology of Italy, archaeological field methods, and geophysical testing in archaeology

Accommodations and Meals

Participants live in hostel-style accommodations, with cots for three to five people in each room and shared bathrooms and showers. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided during the week and on some weekend days. Breakfast is self-service, with cereal, milk, fruit, cookies, coffee, and tea available. Lunch is taken picnic-style at the site. Dinner is a hot meal prepared by a local cook whose recipes consistently receive rave reviews from dig participants. Participants also have access to and are welcome to use the kitchen on their own. Occasional meals out are provided as a part of the program as well.

A Typical Day

8:00 AM: Depart for the site
8:00 - 10:30 AM: Work at the site
10:30 - 10:45 AM: Snack break, fruit and cookies provided
10:45 AM - 12:30 PM: Work at the site
12:30 - 1:00 PM: Lunch break, picnic lunch provided
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Work at the site
3:00 PM: Close down work at the site, return to the dig house
3:30 - 5:30 PM: Lab work, class meeting, field trip or dig house cleaning duty (depending on the day)
5:30 - 7:30 PM: Free time
7:30 - 8:30 PM: Dinner
8:30 - 11:00 PM: Free time
11:00 PM - 7 AM: Quiet hours in the dig house

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Estimated Program Fee: USD 4500

The actual program fee will be posted once it has been officially established with the university administration; the fee is not expected to change substantially, if at all.

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American Participants.

Participants Travel to Italy Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Essay
• Letters of Reference
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Year Founded: 1850