For almost three weeks in May 2022, Professor Karl Whittington and PhD Student Margaret Wilson led 24 undergraduate students, including a number of history of art majors and minors, on a study abroad trip to Italy. The trip began in Rome, where we explored in depth the transition from the Late Roman Empire to Early Christianity, studying the function and decoration of Early Christian churches and catacombs. Highlights included visits to Santa Sabina, San Clemente, Santa Maria Maggiore, St. Peter’s, the Catacombs of Sant’Agnese, and many other sites; several times students got access to restricted parts of these buildings in order to view works of art up close.

Following our time in Rome, the course transitioned to Florence, where we studied the urban and artistic landscape of the city from the years 1100-1450. We visited churches and monasteries such as Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella, and museums including the Uffizi. We also took day trips to Pisa and Siena to view other monuments and visit collections of medieval art. The trip was filled with great discussions, student presentations on particular monuments and artworks, and lots of great food!