This summer, a group of U.Va. students will meet at one of the world’s most famed intersections of ancient and contemporary culture for “Photography and Art History in Italy.” This special program, offered biannually through the U.Va. Study Abroad Office, will feature a pair of hands-on academic and cultural experiences. “Pinhole Photography in Italy” will take students back to the very basics of the art, as they will use cameras based on the simple principle of a camera obscura they build in class to explore the visually rich backdrop of Italy in black-and-white photographs. From the monuments of classical, Renaissance and baroque art and architecture in Rome to the picturesque medieval Tuscan town of Castiglion Fiorentino that will serve as the students’ home base throughout their stay, students will experience Italy in all its glorious cultural diversity while taking full advantage of its endless photographic possibilities. They will also learn valuable lessons about the physics of photography and darkroom basics. The second course, “Modern Art in Italy,” will combine classroom lectures with a series of museum visits that will include some of the country’s most celebrated museums, private galleries and more. Highlights will include the brand-new MAXXI: the Museum of Art of the XXI Century in Rome, and Florence will showcase the National Museum of Photography, and La Strozzina, an experimental arts space in the cellars of a renaissance palace. The trip will conclude with a visit to Venice and the 56th International Biennale, the world’s most celebrated arts event.