VIRGIL ACADEMY
SUMMER STUDY & RESEARCH PROGRAMS IN ITALY FOR INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITIES
Our Mission
Discover Our Commitment to Preservation
Virgil Academy is a nonprofit organization established by scholars and philanthropists aiming to enhance the Italian archaeological and artistic heritage (in respect of its unique features) and make it known to international students and researchers. Virgil Academy’s mission is to contribute to the safeguard of Italy’s archaeological sites and, at the same time, promote a new consciousness in favor of international universities’ classics departments. The aim is also to attract “Cultural interest & lifestyle” tourism in places situated off the beaten track of the typical tourism destinations. The diffusion of the Italian cultural heritage contributes to the economic growth of the towns that host numerous groups of international researchers and students for long periods of time. Virgil Academy takes its name from the great Latin poet who led Dante by the hand and guided him along the path of knowledge in the Divine Comedy. Virgil Academy “joins hands” with international universities in order to guide their students and researchers in the study of the Italian archaeological heritage and to help them navigate the complexities and bureaucracy of managing a long term stay of cultural enrichment.
Gianni Profita,
Virgil Academy President
Gianni Profita,
Virgil Academy President
Our Target
International universities wishing to organize a study program in Italy for their professors, researchers and students. Virgil Academy will appeal to the many classics departments around the world offering courses that variously refer to the Italian classical cultural heritage. In the United States alone, there are over 278 classics departments that include majors such as Anthropology, Archaeology, Architecture, Art History, Classical Studies, History, Philosophy and Sociology. Attracting international students is an important part of the Italian cultural industry. Studying in Italy for a period of time should be essential to classics departments’ students, just like economy students wish to study in New York or London, the most important financial centers in the world.
THREE-YEAR CONCESSION FOR RESEARCH AND ARCHEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION
Virgil Academy has obtained a three year renewal (from 2018 to 2020) of the concession for research and archaeological excavation in the Etruscan site at BARBARANO ROMANO (VT), San Giuliano area, from the general directorate for archaeology, fine arts and landscape (Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, and Tourism).
Under 30s love Italy but know little about it, says a CTS survey
(“Beautiful Country, Good Tourism” project, developed by CTS in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and the Italian Association for Responsible Tourism AITR)
According to the recent study “Trends in International Student Mobility”, “Cultural interest & lifestyle” (Quacquarelli Symonds) is the second top reason why young people choose to study abroad for a certain period of time: Italy can offer an extraordinary experience thanks to its lifestyle, art, culture, gastronomy, enology. The concentration and quality of such factors are unique.
What We Do
Virgil Academy takes care of accomodation, food, excursions to cities of art and archaeological sites, extracurricular activities. We help international universities identify which archaeological site is more suitable for their research projects, and we assist them in the application for the excavation concession, all free of charge. We also help universities organize the stay of their researchers and students in the proximity of the archaeological sites, so they do not have to deal with any kind of organizational problems.
A Practical Example
In May-August 2016, Virgil Academy helped Baylor University (Texas) launch an extensive research program focusing on the San Giuliano site, in Barbarano Romano (70 km from Rome), through two distinct campaigns aimed, respectively, to the study of an Etruscan site and a Medieval site.
The students participating in the excavations stayed in Viterbo and visited Rome, Florence, Capri, Pompeii, Venice, etc.
News on web:
San Giuliano Archaeological Research Project: la collaborazione tra Virgil Academy e Baylor University
“Virgil Academy assisted Baylor University in launching the San Giuliano Archaeological Research Project (SGARP), a transdisciplinary project that focuses on the Etruscan and Medieval periods of the site, located in Barbarano Romano (just north of Rome). Baylor University students, lead by their professors and research teams, are provided with the opportunity to participate in the excavations and the laboratory work. Learn more about SGARP on Baylor University’s website“
Italian culture is not only History and Art. It is also…
Quality food and good wine // Fashion and tastefulness // Lifestyle // Politeness and friendliness // Folk traditions // Music and movies
UNTOUCHED ETRUSCAN TUMB DISCOVERED BY BAYLOR'S TEAM
The San Giuliano Archaeological Research Project is currently in the midst of a tremendously productive third season. The collaboration between Baylor University, the Virgil Academy, Barbarano Romano, and the Soprintendenza has laid the groundwork for significant discoveries. We have conducted a survey of Etruscan tombs in the San Giuliano necropolis and targeted excavations at both the medieval castle of San Giuliano and selected tombs in the Etruscan necropolis. This research offers a window into the life, economy, and belief systems of the people of San Giuliano from the 8th century BC to the 13th century AD.
On a personal level, I was struck by an important discovery made by our team last week. As part of our goal to reconstruct the long-term history of this region, we have been searching for archaeological materials from the early Etruscan period. While surveying the San Simone hilltop (one of the five hills surrounding San Giuliano), we identified a potential grave in an area known to contain late Villanovan and early Etruscan burials. I expected that the tomb would have already been looted. The first two days of excavation seemed to confirm this.
However, by the end of the third day, we realized that the disturbance was caused by a post-medieval agricultural trench, which had not reached the bottom of the tomb. As we removed the last layer of white limestone rocks covering the burial, a small shimmering green object appeared: a bronze fibula, or dress pin. We immediately understood that the grave had not been touched by human hands for more than 2,500 years. Tomb robbers typically take bronze objects, so their presence strongly indicated that the grave was intact.
Tombs like this one, from the early Etruscan period, are purposefully constructed monuments built by the deceased’s loved ones. In my view, our role as archaeologists is to make these silent remains speak again, to give voice to the deceased and their families. The skeletal remains were heavily decayed, but we found bone fragments, faint shadows of bones, preserved teeth, and part of the mandible. These remains identified the individual as an adult woman. The accompanying artifacts—particularly a ceramic spindle whorl and seven bronze fibulae—also support this identification.
The bronze items are exquisite: one fibula is connected to a chain of fine large rings, while another features circular disks of amber imported from the Baltic Sea region. Additionally, we recovered at least thirteen complete ceramic vessels, including two fine impasto cups, a ceramica depurata trilobate pitcher, a two-handled hemispherical brown impasto cup with incised decoration, and a large impasto bowl showing evidence of ancient repair. These objects were placed in the grave as offerings or to accompany the woman into the next world.
The ceramics date from the second half of the 8th century BC to the first half of the 7th century BC, placing the burial at the transition between the Villanovan and Etruscan periods. Work on the artifacts and the bones of this early Etruscan woman from San Giuliano has only just begun. These finds promise to provide new insights into the period when the Etruscan civilization was taking shape.
“David Zori, Baylor University” – 26/06/2018
Incredible Discovery by the Virgil Academy Archaeological Mission in Barbarano Romano (VT): Satisfaction from UniCamillus Rector Gianni Profita, President of the Philanthropic Institution
An extraordinary archaeological discovery sheds new light on the roots of Etruscan civilization in the heart of Tuscia: in Barbarano Romano (VT), in the San Giuliano area, an intact funerary tumulus dating back to the late 7th century BCE in the Late Orientalizing period has been unearthed. A remarkable find, destined to significantly enrich our knowledge of the Etruscan funerary world.
The role of Virgil Academy and Baylor University
The discovery was made during an excavation campaign conducted by Baylor University (Texas), under the scientific direction of Prof. Davide Zori, archaeologist and faculty member at the same institution. Central to the project is the work of the Virgil Academy, a philanthropic organization founded by Gianni Profita, Rector of UniCamillus University. Since 2016, the Virgil Academy has continuously held the ministerial permit for excavation and research on the San Giuliano plateau.
An untouched funerary assemblage
The tomb, sealed for over 2,600 years, revealed an intact burial chamber.
“The fact that the tomb has never been violated—neither in Roman times nor in modern days—is extraordinary,” says Prof. Davide Zori. “Access was via a deep dromos (corridor), at the end of which the team found a complete tuff slab sealing the chamber entrance. Once the slab was removed, the tomb revealed an exceptional funerary assemblage and the remains of four individuals laid on beds carved into nenfro stone.”
The assemblage currently includes about 75 finely decorated ceramic vessels, a bronze basin, 10 bronze fibulae, 2 iron fibulae, 2 iron spearheads, 2 silver hair clasps, a leather headdress, a spindle whorl, and glass paste beads. These ritual ornaments—still being documented as the excavation continues—provide valuable insights into the Etruscan funerary world.
“The team was digging in this area following a systematic census of the necropolis tombs, and a georadar analysis had indicated a funerary road, later confirmed by the excavation,” continues Zori. “The tomb is now fully unearthed, but the study and analysis of the materials have just begun.”
The birth of Virgil Academy and the SGARP project
This discovery results from the collaboration between Baylor University and Virgil Academy, founded by Prof. Gianni Profita—a partnership that began by chance, during a meeting in Las Vegas in December 2006. While traveling in the US with his family, Profita met Prof. Alden Smith, a classicist at Baylor. The encounter was sparked by a casual conversation about a Dostoevsky book. From that initial exchange grew a friendship that evolved into a lasting cultural collaboration. From this connection came the idea of a shared project to involve foreign universities in archaeological research in Italy.
To make this collaboration possible, Gianni Profita founded Virgil Academy in 2015 as a support platform for foreign universities interested in field research in Italy.
“Virgil Academy aims to be a cultural and logistical guide for international universities wishing to explore and deeply study Italian archaeological heritage,” says Prof. Gianni Profita. “Our goal is to facilitate research access to high-value historical sites and contribute to the protection and enhancement of the territory.”
From the synergy between Virgil Academy and Baylor University, in 2016 the San Giuliano Archaeological Research Project (SGARP) was born—an international scientific and academic project conducting archaeological excavations and studies at the San Giuliano site.
A virtuous model of cultural cooperation
The San Giuliano area, with over 580 documented Etruscan tombs and significant medieval remains, was selected by Zori and Profita for its extraordinary historical layering.
“SGARP’s goal is to reconstruct long-term transformations in human occupation of the San Giuliano plateau and surrounding hills,” explains Zori. “The project investigates the Etruscan settlement and subsequent transitions, including incorporation into the Roman Empire, changes in medieval settlement patterns, and the site’s final abandonment just before 1300 CE. It is an extraordinary scientific opportunity, and I can only thank Prof. Profita for his support and the crucial role of Virgil Academy in making it all possible.”
“Since 2016, thanks to the SGARP project by Virgil Academy and Baylor University, Barbarano and its territory have undergone a significant revival, rediscovering our extraordinary rock-cut necropolises,” says Rinaldo Marchesi, Mayor of Barbarano. “Thanks to collaboration with Virgil Academy, Baylor University, the Superintendence, the Lazio Region, the Marturanum Regional Park (managed by our Municipality), and, as of this year, the Province of Viterbo, our history and cultural heritage are finally receiving the recognition they deserve. Considering the vastness and richness of our necropolises, it is possible that multiple Etruscan cities existed here: likely Marturanum, at the site of modern Barbarano, and Cortuosa or Contenebra, near San Giuliano.”
The Barbarano Romano discovery is a model of successful cooperation between Italian entities and foreign academies. It highlights the strategic value of promoting lesser-known but highly promising archaeological areas from a scientific, cultural, and educational perspective.
“With UniCamillus I look to the future, but with Virgil Academy I do not forget the past, promoting a vision of culture that connects knowledge, territories, and international scientific communities,” concludes Prof. Profita.
With a cultural vision embracing education, sustainability, and international cooperation, Virgil Academy will continue to support archaeological projects capable of generating knowledge, preservation, and local development.
9/07/2025
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