Siena Academia

Founded in 1240, the University of Siena is a prominent part of civic life. Housed all across the city in structures both medieval and modern, it blends a history as one of the oldest universities in the world with cutting-edge research, scholarship, and facilities. Students on Siena Academia are immersed in university and city life, and find inspiration in the global, inclusive educational community that welcomes them.

For centuries the University of Siena has attracted brilliant scholars and minds, particularly in the fields of law, medicine, and economics. The student body composes a large part of this medieval city’s population, making the university itself an integral part of the fabric of Sienese life. This summer, students will weave themselves into this rich fabric of Italian culture and follow in the footsteps of world leaders, scientists, economists, researchers, and artists.

Each day at Siena Academia features a combination of seminars, hands-on activities and workshops, studio time, guest speakers, community meeting, and unstructured time for socializing, exploration, and reflection.

Students choose a major seminar and a minor seminar, and dive into their academic subjects, using the resources and setting of Siena as their classroom. Major seminars meet six days a week for three hours, and occasionally more when field trips take you to adjacent towns, farms, or to the nearby cities of Florence or Prato. Minor seminars meet three days a week for two hours with occasional longer excursions, as well. Days often begin with classroom discussions that frame the days’ focus and identify key concepts, then extend beyond the classroom with site visits, meetings with experts, and guest lectures from University of Siena professors.

Seminar groups often get out on visits to one of the spectacular museums or architectural sites within Siena, workshops at the local art institute, excursions to textile mills and local designers, and seminar-relevant locations to find further inspiration and utilize all the region has to offer.

After lunch taken independently in small peer groups, either minor seminars meet or students choose from a variety of options and activities designed to explore Siena and surrounding communities in Tuscany. After dinner, students and instructors from all seminars convene for evening activities, which may include programming such as a keynote address, taking in a local play or concert, dances, coffee houses, or experiencing the streets of Siena on the evening stroll—la passeggiata—with locals.

On weekends, either with their seminar groups or on staff-led excursions, students have the opportunity to travel outside of Siena. Explore the textile mills of Prato and participate in a leather workshop. Cool off the Mediterranean Sea on a day trip to the coastal town of Sea Castiglione della Pescaia. Take the train to Florence and learn about some of the great masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture, such as the Duomo, Michelangelo’s David, and the Uffizi Gallery.

Students and residential faculty stay together in a small hotel or university residence in private doubles, or triples, each with bathrooms ensuite or on the hall. Faculty and staff members reside with students throughout the program. We begin each day with breakfast at our residence. Lunches are taken in the unparalleled array of restaurants, cafes, and markets among the cobblestoned streets, and dinners are served in a college dining hall. Please note that lunches are not included in the tuition.