Top Ten Reasons to Study Abroad  

Faculty-led, world-focused

Penn State faculty-led programs offer students the guidance of trusted faculty, with the freedom to explore the world. Our faculty will create the ideal itinerary for you.

Rome, "the eternal city," is a magnificent example of cultural continuity. Now more than 2,700 years old, Rome was the heart of classical civilization and antiquity in the Western world. Evidence of life throughout these years are found in the modern city: a Roman bridge with an archaic Latin inscription; a modern wall built into a medieval wall, itself built into a pre-Roman wall; a column from a Roman temple holding up the ceiling of a medieval church; richly decorated tombs of pre-Roman peoples, the Etruscan; and in nearby Tuscany, remains places of worship, entertainment, leisure, business, and pleasure. The city of Rome and its environs hold all of these and more, and they are waiting for students who enroll in the Rome program.

The itinerary and logistics of this study tour have been designed by faculty in the Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Penn State. The program is designed specifically to enhance and extend previous classroom studies by a unique travel experience, through which students can earn 3 or 6 credits. The program aims at offering qualified students an opportunity to study firsthand the physical remains of ancient Roman cities in central Italy.

The students will stay in the heart of Rome, within walking distance of many ancient remains, museums, and other cultural sites. The daily activities will be built around visits to the important archaeological and museum sites in Rome and at other nearby sites (the Roman port and suburb of Ostia, for example). There also will be a three-night trip to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other important sites (often not accessible to the average tourist) around the Bay of Naples.

In Rome the students will visit the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill, the Colosseum, and the Baths of Caracalla. Guided tours to several museums — the Capitoline Museum, the Vatican Museums, and the Museo Nazionale Romano — form an essential component of the program. In addition, there will be opportunities to visit several early Christian churches and sites.

Historical and archaeological lectures will accompany each site visit. The students will be required to participate actively in site and museum visits, based upon readings assigned and other exercises.

Application deadline is February 18, 2010. Participation is limited to twenty students.