Arcadia: Beautiful Perugia, Umbria Institute- Summer Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

On-site administration of your program

The Umbria staff are sweet people who help out however they can. The faculty are passionate about their subjects, and there were several mixers that I saw faculty attend to engage with students outside of the classroom. It's always great to see professors who wish to add that level of personal connection to their relationships with students.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The apartment was perfect, even with the fuse blowing out every other week and the Wifi switching off several times a night at times. Five girls lived the apartment, in two doubles and one single. Each room had its own bathroom, so we didn't really have problems related to that. Our common room/dining room was large enough to fit 20 of our friends for dinners. The one thing I'll warn about it how sounds echo in the streets, given the small width of the street and the close distance of the buildings. Sounds echo, which can be a nuisance when people are singing at the top of their lungs in the middle of the night. But all in all, I loved it!

ITALIAN FOOD GALORE! Perhaps it's in part due to the fact that Perugia is not as tourist-ridden as larger cities like, say, Rome, but I found the food here to be awesome. I had a favorite spot for gelato, for cheap 1 euro pizza on my broke days, and made friends with a barista (Carmen at Caffe del Banco) who Youtubed how to make an iced coffee after the first time I asked (iced drinks are hard to come by for some reason...). The service is sweet and the taste is authentic.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I admit I spent a good deal of time with the fellow Americans on my program, and could have done a better job of truly integrating. The times I got to interact best with locals was when I ventured out on my own and chatted at cafes and such. I highly recommend students to interact with Italians as much as they can; I heard amazing stories from students more familiar with the Italian language who befriended the entire crew at a bar, and who would go everyday to chat and do their homework. If you put yourself out there, you will be well-received!

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

N/A did not use health services

I found Perugia to be quite safe. Granted, I hardly ever walked home alone late at night, and took certain precautions such as never carry my passport around, kept my shutters closed when not in the apartment (burglars have been known to slip into unshuttered apartments), and kept my bag close to my side and away from the streets.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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• Apartment

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Perugia
• Time to travel (go to Assisi!!)

• Notification of rooming before arrival

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