Gustolab International

From May 18-28 myself and another professor had 15 students from the United States on a Study Abroad trip in Italy. We were studying food branding and culture in Italy and worked closely with the Gustolab Institute in developing and implementing the program. Simply put, the staff and services at Gustolab Institute were outstanding. All the details of the program were clearly laid out and communicated. We had no problems with accommodations, travel, or presenters. The staff at Gustolab,.. are due high praise for this experience….did an amazing job of not only meeting our needs, but anticipating them and making adjustments to problems and challenges sometimes before we even knew they had arisen. In any experience like this I think the real question is “Would you work with Gustolab again?” Yes. Without any hesitation I would eagerly and happily work with Gustolab again to develop a program in Italy.

While there are other food and culture programs available, Gustolab sets itself apart by offering a unique credit-based curriculum that invites students to experience Italy from an insider’s perspective. Courses and excursions are thoughtfully planned, including trips to family-run organic farms, fisheries and vineyards that represent both the past and the future of Italy’s food culture. This is indeed a rare opportunity — one that many of us wish we could have had ourselves when we were students!

During the 2017 spring break at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I had the amazing opportunity of being the faculty chaperone of a group of 10 undergraduate students from the College of Business on a trip to Rome. The purpose of the trip was for the students to learn about the business and culture of food in Rome and within the Lazio region. Our trip was very engaging, informative and enlightening thanks to the experts at Gustolab Institute. Gustolab arranged for the students to engage with food professionals of sorts such as farmer’s market owners, slow-food movement farm owners, wine producers, food service providers, restaurant owners, food journalist and much more. In addition, the students were able to receive talks about food and social marketing. There was a guide/translator from the Gustolab Institute team with us and we also had the opportunity to explore historical and iconic sites within Rome. I found the Gustolab team members to be extremely professional, polite, very knowledgeable, easy to work with, fun to be around and extremely passionate about the study of food! To the team at Gustolab Institute: A HUGE THANK YOU to you all for providing an excellent, unique and truly immersive experience for our group – one that our group will never forget. Looking forward to grabbing an espresso and cornetto with you and another group of students again!