Arcadia Italy

Saluti from the Arcadia Italy Programs! Every semester I send out a welcome letter to all of our students about to embark on one of our Italy programs; if you are currently studying here with us, you'll have received that letter addressed Carissimi Fiorentini, Perugini, Romani or Siracusani. We are, at present, the only American University program in Italy that hosts students in such an array of locations.

Whether you are studying with us at one of our own Arcadia Centers in Rome or Sicily or if you are studying in Florence at the renowned Accademia Italian or in Perugia with The Umbra Institute, I wholeheartedly congratulate you on your choice and applaud your courage.

Every Arcadia site offers opportunities unique to that setting; much like the various regions of Italy, they each have their own color and personality but they are bound by some strong founding principles.

Wherever you are in Italy with Arcadia, we will challenge your minds and your adaptability; we will invite you to observe a different culture and way of life from your own with humility and quiet reflection; we will provide you with the framework and tools so that you participate fully in your academic and co-curricular programs and that you engage your adopted community.

A unified Republic only since 1861, Italy is as diverse and magnificent as it relatively small: in one country, one can hear German-speaking Italians, French-speaking Italians, Slovenian-speaking Italians and even some versions of Ancient Albanian and a language recognized as Griko, a south-eastern Italian version of Ancient Greek. This is above and beyond the hundreds of local dialects. There are thousands of miles of white beaches or rocky coasts and countless islands with sparking, clear, blue seas enough to rival virtually any other coastal paradise on earth. There are mountains which rise well above 2000 meters not only in the northern Alps but all the way down the middle of the "boot" in the Apennines and even on the islands of Sardegna and Sicily, the latter being home to Europe's largest volcano (Mount Etna). And there are large and small cities and towns, thousands of acres of vineyards, olive groves, citrus trees and forests: there is, quite literally, something for everyone in this Bel Paese.

A traversed history of dominations and invasions, clashes of cultures, languages and traditions contributes to the very characteristics of Italians of the various Regions. The identities of Italians is linked inextricably to their region: their food, customs, traditions, language, modernity (or lack thereof), open-mindedness (or lack thereof) will all tie back to their region. There is, generally speaking, a raison d'être for every eccentricity tied to a specific region. And these regional identities lived on strong well into the 1960s and 70s in some areas where travel was difficult from one town to the next due to lack of infrastructure.

As an Arcadia student in Italy, we will make sure to expose you to every rich and complex layer of your own cultural context specific to where you are and, in doing so, help you to discover for yourself the differences and similarities among Italy's Regions.

Each day will promise to be a discovery, a challenge, an awakening and we can't wait to be a part of it!

A presto,
Tina