University of Gastronomic Sciences Opens Its Doors

The University of Gastronomic Sciences, in Pollenzo, Italy opened its doors to the first class of students in fall. “It is a historic day for the Athenaeum, created by Slow Food and the Regional Authorities of Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna,” said Vittorio Manganelli, director of the Association of Friends of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, “and for all of those who have participated in the preparation of the campuses and courses over the past months. We would especially like to thank the members and friends of our association.”More than 70 students from around the world arrived at the Pollenzo campus; some 40 are Italian and 27 are foreigners. “The success which we have had in the application process confirms our expectations, in that we already, in the first year, have a notable presence of foreigners,” Manganelli added.Nations represented in the new student body include: the United States, Japan, Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ukraine and Israel. More than 20 partial and full scholarships were awarded to Italian and foreign students of the opening class. Students will be occupied with language courses for the perfection of their English and Italian language skills, as these are the official languages of the university.Classes will be taught in English in order to progressively ease foreign students into the Italian language. For more information visit the Slow Food Web site at www.slowfood.com.