In addition, all Arcadia’s global programs worldwide provide sound, well-thought out co-curricular and extra-curricular learning opportunities that seek to deepen the student’s knowledge of Italy and expand the student’s sense of self and place. A dedicated staff work out of Arcadia’s Italy Programs center in Rome on orientation, co-curricular and extra-curricular development as well as provide a range of student services support to each of the five centers in collaboration with local on-site staff.

While all students are required to study Italian language and culture, some students study exclusively in Italian (at the Universita’ per Stranieri or the Universita’ degli Studi in Perugia through the Umbra Institute, for example, or at the Universita’ del Salento in Lecce).

Rome students, hosted by the Accademia Italiana, study a variety of liberal arts courses, including classics, Greek Mythology and the history of the Empire but may also choose to take part in the business track recently developed for students of business with an eye towards sociology, history, political science, global studies and international business.

In Florence, also hosted by the Accademia Italiana in Piazza Pitti, students benefit from one of the longest-standing and most respected design schools in that city. In an international environment (degree-seeking students from Scandinavia, Asia and Europe make up the bulk of the student population) students participate in both a Liberal Arts curriculum and courses in design from textiles to industrial design, from tailoring to graphics and so much more.

In Sicily, Arcadia has designed a unique program in collaboration with The Mediterranean Center for Arts and Sciences where Arcadia program students combine a rigorous academic program with an obligatory core course and co-curricular program specifically designed to explore ancient and contemporary studies to their fullest. The Sicily program also includes an extended excursion to Tunisia where Sicily’s proximity to North Africa is explored from a variety of perspectives. Tina Marisa Rocchio is the Resident Director, coordinating programming in all sites and implementing and maintaining co-curricular programs, student life and safety and security measures.

Write to Chris Callas at callasc@arcadia.edu for information about our programs in Rome, Lecce, Siracusa or the joint Mediterranean Studies Certificate program in conjunction with our other centers in Athens or Granada and Barcelona.