Alumni reunite in Umbertide, Italy
Judy Lanfredi-Mouckas 86 IL recently reunited with other RISD alumni for five adventure-filled days in Italy.
Written by Judy Lanfredi-Mouckas 86 IL:
In March, RISD EHP 1984-85 alumni gathered for an amazing reunion in Umbertide, Italy! We spent 5 days in the 15th century castle Civitella Ranieri with Dana Prescott, who was our EHP director & is currently the Executive Director of Civitella. During our visit, Dana took us on amazing tours, walking in the footsteps of the great Early-Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca. We visited his hometown of San Sepolcro, where we saw the polyptych "Madonna della Misericordia" & "The Resurrection."
Another morning brought us to Monterchi, to study the highly venerated "Madonna del Parto"—Piero's fresco of the heavily pregnant Madonna. The gorgeous city of Arezzo is where we viewed "The Legend of the True Cross" & "Mary Magdalene" frescos, followed by a most delicious lunch in town. Other highlights included a morning in Assisi, truffle hunting and a lesson in how to make home-made pasta. Each night we wined & dined in the castle eating the traditional "cucina povera" meals cooked by Civitella's chef Romana. After our time in Umbertide, many of us continued on to Rome where Ezio (Genovese, one of our professors back then) generously took the time to show us our beloved Palazzo Cenci. Visiting our former studios & exploring our favorite spots in & around the Jewish Ghetto & Campo di Fiori was like going back in time, bringing back an influx of memories from the incredible year we spent in Rome. Many things have changed in the 38 years since we were EHP RISD-ini, but one thing remains true: the close bond our group formed all those years ago remains strong to this day. It was a true gift to reconnect with our friends in Italy—hopefully one that we'll do again!
