Spring Break 2026 Participant
It was so wonderful to be learning about Roman culture, history, and art in this class and having the opportunity to connect it to an actual place. The feeling is unreal.
Personally, as a Classics major with a focus in art and archaeology, existing in the physical spaces and interacting with the physical objects was one of the most incredible and formative experiences I have ever had. Before this trip, I had been learning about all of these artifacts and ruins for several semesters and had had to put so much work in with papers, research, and exams. The semester of the trip, I was enrolled in a Pompeii and Herculaneum class. I had never had such and in-depth class over a somewhat smaller topic. Going into this trip, Pompeii in specific was by far the most rewarding experience. Walking on the actual streets and seeing the actual frescoes on the walls after knowing so much about them but only passively viewing them on a projector screen or computer was seriously one of the most unbelievably awesome moments in my life.
Spring Break 2023 Participant
I greatly enjoyed getting to see all of the most relevant sites in Rome and Italy. I had a fantastic time abroad and I recommend this program to first time travelers and to people who want a very guided study abroad experience. I enjoyed having my instructor there because I was able to direct all of my technical questions to her and overall felt well taken care of and safe.
Spring Break 2026 Participant
I learned a lot! I think one of the most important things is to use the free time you have when you are not moving as a big group. Rome (and Italy for that matter) is a lot, so take every chance you have to absorb it. Enjoy the food and take advice from the travel agency your program is working with on good restaurants--there are also a significant number of allergen-friendly places in Italy. There are so many beautiful cathedrals around that I highly recommend seeing simply for their art. Make sure you take tons of pictures of everything! You will not regret having a bunch of photos on your camera/phone, but you will regret not taking enough--a small digital camera is fantastic to have too if you own it (I wished I utilized mine more). I also suggest you bring a battery pack for your phone, because especially if you are sharing your location with some of your peers (which is a very good idea, especially if you get lost on the metro, etc.) and taking photos, your battery will drain quickly. Personally, one of my favorite days was when I took the time to experience a museum, the Palazzo Massimo (National Roman Museum), mostly alone. We did so much as a group during the trip where we weren't able to take the intense amount of time I wanted to absorb the site/museum, but the important perk was that we were able to see everything: I recommend using your extra time/extra day to visit one or two places for an extended period of time as there is so much to see! The Palazzo Massimo was incredible and I truly encourage you to see it as they have so many amazing pieces (in a manageable amount), but the upper floors are hot, so be warned. Overall, acquire some ideas of places/things you might want to see and schedule some things out in advance (make sure you check opening/closing times!)--or, alternatively, tag along with your peers to wherever they're going. Overall, be flexible and take some time to rest as well!
