Study Abroad in Florence: Orientation

Viareggio—Lido di Camaiore (fall semester)

Spending three weeks orientation in a small, charming town on the beautiful Tuscan coast gives students the unique opportunity to become familiar with the Italian lifestyle, culture and language. The University of Pisa runs a special intensive Italian language program in this beach town, which is only a 15-minute drive from Pisa. Here students receive instruction in written and conversational Italian and develop their language skills during three hours of classes, Monday through Friday. Orientation contains 45 contact hours, equivalent to three semester credits.

Viareggio—Lido di Camaiore is located on the Versilia Riviera, well known for its 30 miles of sandy beaches. Its perfect location in northern Tuscany, beautiful promenade along the seashore with outdoor cafés, restaurants, shops and natural setting of the Apuan Alps make it the ideal place to explore the local nature, art and culture. The Richmond program organizes several trips to nearby towns to help students discover this region. Students visit Pisa, with its famous Leaning Tower; Lucca, a well preserved medieval town enclosed in its 16th century walls; and Torre del Lago Puccini on the lake, where you can see the family house of the great composer Giacomo Puccini, who lived and wrote his most famous operas there. The great tradition of working marble began in ancient times in the Apuan Alps, a range of high mountains with steep, rocky peaks, which are also known as “marble mountains.” Students visit the marble quarries where Michelangelo got his “white marble,” and the town of Pietrasanta, known for its numerous studios where several artists, especially sculptors, live and work.

Orientation activities Students enjoy a wide variety of cultural and social activities in addition to swimming in the Mediterranean Sea and walking along the sandy beaches. Activities and sports with Italians are organized to help students meet local students and practice the language. There are bike rides to nearby towns and natural parks and a hiking tour of the beautiful Cinque Terre (the Five Lands).

Orientation housing Students are housed and have breakfast and dinner in a comfortable hotel across the street from the beach. The hotel has a large garden and access to a private beach.

Siena (spring semester)

Language studies and a special orientation program are essential to a successful study experience in a foreign country. Before the semester begins, students participate in a 3-week language and orientation program in the beautiful city of Siena. Students receive grounding in written and conversational Italian (see course descriptions) and develop Italian language skills during three hours of classes Monday to Friday at the Università per Stranieri di Siena. The orientation contains 45 contact hours equivalent to three semester credits. Full year students do not participate in the spring semester orientation and should plan to return to campus for the start of the semester on February 2.

It is said that the purest Italian of all is spoken in Siena. One of the loveliest cities in Italy, Siena is surrounded by red clay hills from which the color sienna is named. The city welcomes you with its motto, Cor magis tibi Sena pandit (Siena opens its heart to you) inscribed on the Camollia Gate. Siena is probably best known for its Palio, a spectacular horse race staged in the Campo, the main square, twice a year since 1659. Representatives of Siena’s 17 separate districts compete in the race clad in Renaissance costumes. Siena is also renowned as the home of the Chigiana Musical Academy which attracts musicians from all over the world.

Narrow cobblestone streets are lined with palaces and patrician mansions. One of the main centers of Italian gothic art, here you will find masterpieces by Duccio di Buoninsegna, Simone Martini, Ambrogio Lorenzetti and others.

Orientation activities Students enjoy a wide variety of cultural, social and educational activities. Students can spend evenings in the exquisite Piazza del Campo practicing their Italian with residents of Siena, attend concerts at Rozzi Palace, attend lectures on the history and art of Siena, take cooking lessons and learn how to make typical Sienese dishes, among many others.

Orientation housing Students stay in hotels that are carefully selected and supervised by Richmond staff. Students have breakfast and dinner at their hotel.