Would you like to get away for a while, but can't afford the airfare?

Then my suggestion is to head over to Pattee Library and enjoy Europe vicariously through art.

This past summer, 22 students and several faculty members spent eight weeks in Todi, Italy where, in between Italian art history and visual art classes, they saw firsthand extraordinary remnants of world history.

They stayed with host families in a secluded part of the country and amassed great respect for the Italian culture which would later inspire the exhibit "Sketches from Todi: a Study Abroad Experience."

The participants contributed scrapbooks, photographs, paintings and authentic recipes, which will remain on display in 109 Pattee Library until March 13.

Marika Soulsby (sophomore-fine arts) speaks enthusiastically of her experiences in Italy. "It was an in-depth experience," she said. "I had taken a lot of Latin classes in high school and so seeing Rome and seeing those ancient places was just an amazing experience."

The ruins of Rome acted as muses for many of the students' artwork, while the recipes came from real Italian families.

"For me the most inspirational part was the sense of history that Rome has and America just doesn't have. I was inspired to try to capture the feeling of the history of it," said Soulsby.

Each piece in the show is unique, as was each student's experience, including Rachel Cama's (junior-integrative arts).

"Some people lived in the town, but I got to live in the farm so I felt lucky," said Cama.

"I really liked the countryside. We were in a really rural area, so I did a lot of landscape. Some people prefer buildings, but I liked that.

"The food was really excellent too," she recalls.

The recipes on display range from the typical to the exotic, and are authentic family recipes host families shared with the students.