Study Abroad in Italy Spring Semester Undergraduate Programs

Study Abroad in Italy Spring Semester programs offer undergraduate students the opportunity to brighten their education with foreign travel while earning valuable academic credit towards their degree. If you have heard that summer can be beautiful but hot and humid, springtime is less crowded with tourists. With cooler temperatures, strolling and sight-seeing may be more fun; certainly everyone takes to the streets making it a lively way to combine local living with study in Italy. If you are looking to get out of winter cocooning and transition into new confidence and a more global perspective, studying abroad in Italy for Spring Semester is well worth considering!

Why Consider a Study Abroad in Italy Spring Semester Program?

While you may get rain in March and April, a Study Abroad in Italy Spring Semester program places you in the country when it is starting to come alive; festivals, flowers, food, culture and the unique charm of your host city are only some of the reasons why a Spring Semester in Italy may prove memorable and enriching and a time of blossoming.

FUN FACT: To translate “spring” into Italian, say ‘primavera’. (web)[i]

Foodie and Festivals

While academics is a strong component of any study abroad, Spring happens to be a great time to take in many events. From the Risotto Festival to the Sposalizio dell’Albero, the Giro d’Italia bike tour, the Flower Festival in Abruzzo, the Chianti Wine Festival in Tuscany, and the Night of Museums, many districts have local festivals and events that allow you to really get to know the Italian culture from an insider’s perspective.

Passeggelato

In honor of spring, a word has been born; passeggelato is derived from the word passeggiato ( afternoon stroll) with gelato (Italian icecream).[ii] Stroll the streets of your host city with your friends, try different flavors!

Academic Brilliance

Italy isn’t just the place where you can see works of art by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo; brilliant minds have come from Italy. From Galileo who invented the telescope, to Bartomeo Cristofori, inventor of the piano, to Giulio Natta, discoverer of polypropylene to the first pizzeria established in Naples in 1738. Walk their streets. The earliest noted University is the University of Bologna founded in 1088 and still going strong.[iii]

Is it all in Italian?

Some Study Abroad in Italy Spring Semester programs offer students the opportunity to immerse themselves in an Italian language program, or, take courses in English. Either way, you are surrounded by Italian culture, and Italian-speaking people – consider this an interactive language laboratory!

Museum Madness

One of the great things about a Study Abroad in Italy Spring Semester program is the timing; Museums tend to have 2 major temporary exhibitions per year, one of which runs from around February or March to May or June.[iv]

I Really Need to Study

Academics are an important component to Study Abroad in Italy Spring Semester programs; course choices range from Liberal and Visual Arts to History, International Business and other options like theology and culinary arts. Just imagine studying comparative religions and then taking a side excursion to St. Peter’s Basilica, or as an architecture student, touring the Colosseum or the Leaning Tower of Pisa. You may also find volunteering and internship opportunities.

Out and About

While each Study Abroad in Italy Spring Semester has unique features, often they do include guided city walks, opera performances, day trips, excursions to museums, monuments, churches and other places, so you have some structure and don’t have to think about absolutely everything. For instance, one of the sponsored programs by AIFS includes a gelato tour, Italian cooking classes and day trips to places like Pisa, Rome and Siena although your home base and university would be in Florence.

Find a Study Abroad in Italy Spring Semester Program

Finding a Study Abroad in Italy Spring Semester program is easy, although you should do some homework and see which one meets your needs, whether you are looking for a career program in Culinary Arts through SAI, a specific program for third-year undergraduates such as the Temple University Rome program, or a language immersion where you are placed with a host family, such as the API program in Taormina, Italy. Browsing sponsored listings is easy, but you may have a challenging time choosing one as they all have exciting things to offer.