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A Study of Simplicity: Green Mountain College at Brunnenburg

South Tyrol is a place unlike any other. Situated in Italy on the Austrian border, the province – also known as Alto Adige – boasts the languages, customs and cultures of the two countries between which it rests. The capital – Bozen in German or Bolzano in Italian – serves as a perfect example of this hybrid. Signs printed in each language lead you down quaint, cobblestone streets upon which Italy’s cafe culture takes on an Alpine feel.

Situated approximately 30 kilometers outside of  Bozen is Brunnenburg Castle, a landmark of the autonomous region that spent centuries in ruins before being inhabited by the Rachewiltz’s – kin of American poet Ezra Pound, who completed his Cantos there.

Now the castle is used in part for a program as unparalleled as its setting: a Green Mountain College block course that shows students – all of whom live, work and study at the castle – the unique and everlasting relationship between agriculture, food, science and life.

“It shows sustainability in a completely different light,” said Philip Ackerman-Leist, a Director at GMC who developed the Brunnenburg course. A member of the first group of GMC students to visit the castle in 1983, Philip spent a year in Bozen immersing himself in the local culture and observing how the locals maintain themselves in their given climate. Now he makes sure that students get the most out of this three-month course, available to those studying at GMC and (at times) those from other Eco League schools. Far from the typical study abroad environment, the students engage in an all-encompassing study of sustainability, community and culture.

Pound’s family takes an active role in the program. His daughter Mary teaches a literary course, while his grandson Sizzo shows them the region’s rich history. Students study the art and architecture of South Tyrol and observe its archeological prominence – its Museum of Archeology is the setting of Ötzi – the oldest found mummy to have been preserved naturally by ice.

Sizzo’s wife Brigitte teaches a food course during which the students cook traditional Tyrolean meals.

“She’s the most amazing cook,” says Philip. Eaten around a table and enjoyed at times with wine from the castle vineyard, the time in the kitchen emphasizes the importance Brigitte puts on life spent around the table. The meals serve as a particular reward on the workday – a day reserved once a week for tending to the castle’s farm and grounds, which Philip believes sets GMC’s program apart.

Uncommon, the day elicits “the most energy and celebration,” he says. In an age and generation where a computer and cellphone dictate most of our time, students seem to greatly enjoy “the rituals of work.”

Since the initial years, students have changed slightly in their reaction to and anticipation of living at Brunnenburg. The national agenda is full with the food issue, and the continual urbanization of the American landscape makes youth of a certain set more excited to operate at a slower, more organic pace. While students of decades past experienced far more the foreignness of the atmosphere, today’s “wired and connected” existence makes participants more keen to what they’re getting themselves into. Once there, they seem to appreciate the dis-connectivity bestowed upon them by the walls of Brunneburg – this year’s round will be the first to have Internet access while inside the castle.

GMC’s block course recalls the importance of immersion. In an age of high-speed trains and hostel stays, it’s easy to forget the knowledge that comes with adapting to a particular and different culture or way of life. The course also brings to mind the richness of  deep study – fossils and frescos, without a PowerPoint in sight.

For more information about the block course, visit the program’s Web site.