Middlebury - Ferrara
Region: EuropeCountry: Italy
City: Ferrara
Language: Italian
Term: Spring-Full Year
Semesters of language study required: 5 semesters of Italian
Sponsoring Institution: Middlebury
Notes:
Students will take all of their classes at the Università degli Studi di Ferrara alongside Italian students. Single-semester students will take In Lingua, a grammar course, as well as four university courses. Year-long students will enroll in four university courses only during their second semester. They select their courses from a wide variety of disciplines including: Anthropology, Architecture, Art History, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, History, Law [Politics], Linguistics, Literature, Mathematics, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, and Physics.
By choosing to study in Ferrara, students expose
themselves to a relatively tourist-free city of 130,000, located on the
Po river only thirty minutes by train from Bologna and one hour from
Venice. Ferrara was once described as "the first modern city of
Europe." Long associated with the Este family, who built the famous
castle, this independent city state, which had been a center of
learning and the arts, went into a long decline at the end of the
renaissance and only reinvented itself in the second half of the
twentieth century as a vibrant agricultural and industrial trading
center. Ferrara's historic center is located within the old city wall,
a favorite walking venue, and is filled with medieval and renaissance
monuments, palazzos, churches, and a renowned cathedral while its
museums, exhibitions, festivals, and theater reflect both its rich
artistic, musical, and cultural heritage and its continuation in the
present. The old city is made even more attractive by being devoid of
automobiles and full of shops and cafes. Bicycles are, thus, a primary
means of transportation, giving the center the feel of a small and
friendly community. The university, which is also located in this part
of the city, was first established in 1391 and today enrolls
approximately 12,000 students
Accommodations will be available in student apartments near the university.
For more information, see the Middlebury Italy site or contact an