Notes of flour and yeast drift through the Florence-based cooking studio as Bryant undergrads carefully knead the pizza dough at their workstation. Pressing the heel of one palm into the pillowy ball and pushing the dough away from them, they concentrate on this repetitive motion while listening to their culinary instructor discuss the history of pizza and how it became an international staple.
Today, Bryant students are officially one week into their 18-day trip to Italy and France. The 48 undergrads are part of Cedric Joseph Oliva Ph.D.’s “Gastronomy of France and Italy: Communication, Language, Culture, and History” course. Now in its fourth iteration, the experiential learning course surveys the transmission of knowledge related to French and Italian gastronomies and its connection to the countries’ culture and history.
“It’s all about food and everything that happens on and around the table,” says the associate professor of Communication and Language Studies, who teaches in the university’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Forget geography, follow the food borders
Arriving at Leonardi Balsamic Farm in Venice, Italy, undergrads rest their gaze on the nearly 25 acres of vineyards that surround the vinegar farmhouse. Specializing in the production of balsamic vinegar, the company has been family owned and operated since the 18th century. Over the next hour, undergrads learn about the vineyard’s white grape and red grape varieties, see how the Leonardi family makes and bottles their products, and sample their 100-year-old balsamic vinegar.
This isn’t the first time undergrads have learned about an Italian staple that’s played an important role in the country’s culture. Earlier on their trip, the group visited Florence’s Museo del Vino and Museo dell’Olivo e dell’Olio to study the importance of wine and olive oil in the Mediterranean, from Roman times to modern day.
“These items connect the land, history, economy, and everyday life — making them far more than just food products,” says Oliva.
Oliva shares that, through time, humans have carried pieces of their history and culture with them as they’ve traveled the world. Settling in new locations, they would often blend their traditions with their new community, which resulted in the creation of new dishes. For instance, there were a lot of people coming in and out of Venice, which resulted in bringing Austro-Hungarian, Balkan, and North African influences to local seafood-focused cuisine.
“For food, the borders are not political,” Oliva says, noting that southeast France and northern Italy, for instance, have more cuisine similarities than with other locations within their country of origin, and “that invites you to reconsider how people have interacted, forged connections, and created culinary staples together over centuries.”
Influence of central food hubs
Entering the Paul Bocuse food halls in Lyon, France, undergrads are tasked with studying the marketplace — it’s something they’ve done in every city they’ve visited to understand how people are exposed to food, how food is shared and shown to customers, and the types of food available to them. Established in 1859, the food hall was Lyon’s first covered market. With open-air stalls, the space was meant to make the daily life of traders and customers easier and, today, houses a variety of butchers, chocolatiers, pastry chefs, cheesemakers, and more.
“Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France for several reasons,” Oliva says. “One, is the fact that it is the intersection of north and south. Two, many of the grand chefs were from that region.”
During their time within the food hall, undergrads visit an exhibit dedicated to the emergence of female chefs, the mères lyonnaises. Oliva explains that a byproduct of creating the food hall and uniting industry professionals was that it put a spotlight on female cooks who ended up becoming the leaders of French cuisine within the city.
From a tour where students learn about cheesemaking and a course in pastry making where undergrads discuss the importance of fresh ingredients and limiting additives, the group spends time learning about the art of putting together a table while visiting historical landmarks.
“It was incredible just to be there and walk around,” says Digital Communication major Jack Wagstaff ’26, who took the class to learn about different cultures and nodded to the Louvre Museum, Trevi Fountain, and the Vatican as his favorite sightseeing locations.
Reflecting to connect the dots
Returning to the United States, students have several class sessions with Oliva and use their experience abroad to inform their group research projects, which they eventually present at Bryant’s Research and Engagement Day (REDay) in April.
For Politics and Law major Olivia Manuel ’26, Human Resource Management major Bridget Moore ’26, and Communication major Caille Comeau ’26, the three decided to do a deep dive on aqueducts and the role they played in Roman society. The women note that it was one of the first topics they were introduced to on the trip when Oliva led a walking tour of Rome with a focus on the importance of access to potable water. There, they learned about the importance of fresh water to public health, hygiene, and sanitation.
“They’re still in use today,” shares Manuel, noting that Rome and Paris use them for a portion of their water.
For Digital Marketing major Larissa Marin ’27, her group focused on how access and control of water influences the development, power, and culture of major Italian cities. Through their research, the four undergrads found that water aided the country in establishing its powerful business presence while also shaping culture through public baths, bridges, and infrastructure. Taking advantage of experiential international opportunities like this, Marin — who also completed a short-term study abroad opportunity in South Korea — eagerly recounts highlights from the trip during REDay.
It was an impactful trip, she notes. One that gave her a new appreciation for how deeply food is tied to identity and tradition.