Course Outline for BIOL 3954: Botanizing The Alps and Mediterranean

(Click here to see the tentative syllabus for Summer 2009)

At Virginia Tech:  The 2009 course will have one-credit hour course in the spring in preparation for the study abroad component.  We will meet once a week for one hour or sometimes combine two weeks in one and meet for 2 hours.  Preparations will focus both on academic and cultural aspects of the course and may include basic Italian language study.  You will be instructed on biodiversity of plants, vegetation types with a focus on the Alps and Mediterranean regions, and plant identification.  You will also instructed on how to prepare your term paper and powerpoint presentation for the class.

In Europe:  We will depart in the middle of the week that follows the Spring Semester.  Departure airport will depend on the kind of airfare we can get.  The course will start in Italy this year in the middle of the famous Tuscany area.  We will study the Mediterranean region in terms of its unique vegetation and ecology and get to know the culture. Beyond its legendary beauty, Tuscany is know for its history, culture, art, vineyards (including the Chianti region), olive orchards and olive oil making, and other agricultural practices.  The city of Siena will be our headquarters.  It is a beautiful medieval city and college town, rich in culture, history and art with some of the best cathedrals in Europe.  Siena sits on a hill overlooking Tuscany and still has the ancient wall typical for those times.  It is slightly over an hour from Florence (which we will visit) and not too far from Rome (optional trip planned).  We will spend two weeks there with lectures at the IES and the University of Siena facilities that cover academic and cultural aspects of the region, take field trips to nearby areas including Florence, a winery and a farm.  IES will provide classrooms, computers with internet access, and study room. Several interesting towns are nearby that are accessible by train or public buses. Accommodations will be in apartments and you will be provided with a pass to use at one of the three cafeterias provided for University of Siena students.

We will leave Siena for the Mediterranean Sea where we will stay in the city of Grosseto for two nights to explore plant and animal biodiversity of Maremma National Park.  We then will travel to nearby Porto Santo Stafeno to take the ferry to the small but picturesque Giglio Island.  We will spend two nights in a hotel overlooking the Mediterranean.  We will study the life forms on the Island, explore a small populated medieval town on the top of the mountain where the Island naturalist will lecture us, and yes, we will have time to swim.  We will stay in hotels and food arrangements will be noted when plans are finalized.

We will leave Giglio Island and head toward Pisa where we will spend the night.  Pisa has more than the famous Pisa Tower.  We will depart the next day for Switzerland to stay at the Virginia Tech Facility in Riva Sant Vitale for the rest of the trip.  Riva is a small, very friendly Swiss town located on the side of Lake Lugano in the middle of the Alps.  At the Virginia Tech facility, we will have our accommodations and food provided.  We will take several field trips to nearby Alps, cross one of the Alp’s passes to go toward the Matterhorn and spend the night at a high elevation in the famous Zermatt.  We will examin the ecosystems of the Alps and compare them to the Mediterranean region.  We will also travel to Lake Como and take a boat trip to Villa Carlota to enjoy its Museum and Botanical Garden overlooking the lake.  There will be a chance to go to Lucerne, Milan and Lugano.

Costs Covered:

Accommodation:  All accommodations are included in your fee.

Transportation: Included are international flights as well as transportation in Europe during the course.  Not included are transportations during days off and optional trips (please see syllabus). 

Meals:  Included are all meals while at the Virginia Tech facility in Riva (except for a dinner and a lunch during the trip to the Matterhorn), most breakfasts in hotels, and possibly lunch while in Grosseto, Italy.  Passes for the University of Siena cafeterias will allow you to by a 3-course meals for about 3 Euros (very reasonable) during our two week stay there.  Your apartment in Siena is equipped with a refrigerator and a stove. 

Cell phones:  IES will provide each student with a personal cell phone while we are in Italy for use in Italy.  We will have one cell phone for the class while we are in Switzerland.

External Links: Here are some websites about a few of the areas we will visit.

• Siena, Italy
• Imperati Petrolo Winery, Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
• Florence, Italy
• Giglio Island, Italy
• Riva San Vitale and the Virginia Tech Facility in Switzerland
• The Matterhorn, Switzerland
• Val Verzasca, Switzerland