We’re thrilled to share with you a semester full of exciting excursions and activities designed to help you explore Italy in a truly unique way! Together, we’ll visit places that are often hard to reach on your own and dive into the heart of Italian culture. We’ll also have a special joint excursion to Toledo and Madrid with our friends from Arcadia Spain! It’s a wonderful opportunity to experience the vibrant Spanish culture and exchange perspectives!

Your semester abroad will begin with the Arcadia Orientation in ROME! Two days of cultural immersion, tours and great food along the way! To make sure everyone enjoys the best possible experience, you'll have the chance to design your own experience by choosing one Historical Landmark and one Cultural Immersion Experience from the options below. 

Rome Orientation Activities

Historical laNDMARK :

Inside the Colosseum

Of course any story about Rome’s greatness begins with the Colosseum! This massive and mind blowing monument tells everything about the Romans, their power, their architecture and their passion for great entertainment.You’ll travel back in time for a short but intense journey through history. Expect stories of emperors, gladiators, and the everyday Romans who filled the stands. Even after two thousand years, the Colosseum still amazes millions and soon you’ll see why!

cULTURAL immersion experience :

Cooking Class - Master the essentials

Get ready to tie your apron and roll up your sleeves. It’s time to cook like an Italian! In this hands-on lab, you’ll learn how to prepare simple, local and delicious dishes using fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients. You’ll discover how to make something tasty, quick and healthy so you can cook for yourself from Day 1 in Italy! Why spend money eating out every night when you can master the art of la Cucina Italiana yourself? Buon appetito!

cultural immersion experience :

Discovering Contemporary Rome Through New Voices

What if you could experience Rome through completely different eyes? This powerful tour is led by immigrants who now call the Eternal City home. Through their personal stories and perspectives, you’ll discover a side of Rome that’s rarely seen, one that celebrates resilience, diversity and the city’s ever evolving identity. It’s an emotional and unforgettable experience that connects past and present in a whole new way.

historical landmark :

The Vatican city and beyond, The Sacred and the Sublime

Rome is an open-air museum and this tour takes you straight to its artistic and spiritual core. Walk in the footsteps of Michelangelo, Raphael and many other visionaries who shaped the city’s golden age. You’ll explore magnificent churches, including San Peter basilica in the Vatican city in addition of hidden masterpieces and vibrant piazzas that capture the spirit of the Renaissance and the profound influence of Catholicism on art, architecture and everyday life. Get ready for a couple of hours filled with beauty, history and plenty of “wow” moments!

The Umbrian Escape : Orvieto, Perugia and a Day on the Farm

Join us for an unforgettable weekend, culture and adventure come together. We’ll head to the city of Orvieto, a hidden gem in the heart of Italy! We’ll meet around noon to enjoy a traditional Umbrian lunch at one of Orvieto’s trattorias. We’ll explore the Duomo, a stunning gothic cathedral, famous for its golden façade and frescoes by Luca Signorelli. Then we’ll venture underground to discover tunnels, wells and ancient caves carved by Etruscans over 2500 years ago. We’ll have time to take a stroll through the medieval streets, stepping by artisan workshops before transferring to Perugia for the night. 

On Sunday, we’ll head to a farm near Passignano sul Trasimeno. After a warm welcome from the host family, enjoy a traditional country breakfast with freshly baked bread and the season’s first pressed olive oil. Throughout the day, you’ll participate in hands-on activities, learning about the farm’s seasonal, biodiverse produce. We’ll have the chance to discuss sustainability and how local can inspire a greener future! Following a delicious, homemade farm-to-table lunch, a full course meal  with antipasto, primo,  secondo, contorno and dessert, you’ll head back to your host cities with memories that will last a lifetime!

A Day in the countryside

We'll take the whole community of students studying with Arcadia in Florence, Perugia and Sorrento to a very special venue: the Orsini Farm, on the Trasimeno Lake in Italy's Umbria region. It is a day where we’ll learn more about the local context. Upon arrival we’ll share a traditional homemade country breakfast and split into groups. Each group will take turns doing the typical peasant activities. Depending on the season, we’ll plant seeds, harvest grapes, pick olives, or make olive oil and wine with the family members and friends who volunteer their time to teach you their secrets before cooking our multi-course lunch including the pasta you’ll have made!. Throughout the day we’ll have the opportunity to discuss sustainable farming practices and if time and weather allow, we'll feed the animals of the farm. 

Sailing and Hiking in the Amalfi Coast

This unforgettable trip blends breathtaking adventure with powerful lessons. We'll explore ancient Pompeii, hike up Mount Vesuvius and sail across the Gulf of Naples

On Friday, we'll begin with a guided tour of Pompeii, the ancient Roman city that was completely buried by a volcanic eruption in 79AD when Mount Vesuvius exploded, leaving everything frozen in time: Houses, streets and even people, all preserved under ash for almost 2000 years!

On Saturday, we'll take a sailing boat tour in the gulf of Naples. Deep blue sea all around, with Mount Vesuvius rising in the distance. As we'll sail along the coast we'll see colorful little towns perched on the cliffs and even spot the island of Capri on the horizon. On Sunday, we'll either hike up Mount Vesuvius, one of the most famous Italian volcanoes or take the Path of the Gods trail, depending on feasibility.