Gardening and Community: the San Pietro Garden at the University of Perugia
An opinion piece by Keyera Gordon, Spelman College
Umbra Rep for Spring 2026
As the Fall 2026 semester continues, the Food, Sustainability, and Environment (FSE) students visit and attend different workshops related to food studies and sustainable practices surrounding food. Their most recent outing took place at the San Pietro Campus Garden of the Agricultural Department of the University of Perugia.
Volunteering
During the tour, we learned about the way the garden operates, tended to by both professors and University of Perugia students who can receive credits for their contributions to the garden. These university students are known as the “Green Team” and tend to the garden about twice a week during peak growing season. They will begin their prep for the summer garden in the spring.
Our Visit
As we made their way through the garden, they were shown many of the aspects that make the garden unique. Whether it is the clone of the persimmon tree famously known for surviving the atomic bomb in Nagasaki, the agricultural design work left behind by University of Washington students from years prior, or the proximity to the historic botanical garden on the university’s campus, just a short walk away, there was much to see.
Community-building Initiative
The main takeaway of this field trip was for students to assess the primary goal of the San Pietro Campus garden. Umbra students learned that simply “growing vegetables” was not the main goal of the garden at all. Instead, there was a huge emphasis on creating and building communities within Perugia. The garden opens doors for community building between Italian students and international students, students and local community members, or even the University of Perugia and other community organizations. Whatever the connection may be, places like the San Pietro garden allow sustainability and environmental responsibility and education to be at the center of human collaboration and unification.