SAI Study Abroad at Siena Italian Studies in Tuscany, Italy

An Apicius alum whose internship with a famous butcher led him to reinvent the Northern California meat industry; a Milan fashion student who now has her own brand and store; an interior design student who completed her MA in Milan and now works in LA designing the interiors of celebrity homes. The list goes on and on.

This is like asking who your favorite child is - impossible! But, I feel my arm twisting, so I choose Siena, Italy! This program offers students the unique and wonderful opportunity to live with a host family.

I would love to become part of the daily life in this small town, volunteer at the local school teaching English, and take part in the extensive list of excursions that are offered as part of the program.

I really appreciate the more intimate programs that SAI offers and their ability to gift students with such exclusive insight into the local life. Students in these programs become part of the “story” of the town.

Not only are students evolving and learning, they are, in turn, remembered and acknowledged as the locals glean wisdom and advice from them. It is a beautiful exchange of cultures that is so easy to partake in while studying in a small town.

Simply put, our staff and our size are what make us unique.

Most staff at SAI are “lifers”, as we affectionately refer to each other. We are one big family and our students become an extension of that family as they are treated with a sense of familiarity that a larger company is not as easily able to offer.

We know that each student is working within different parameters, fears, requirements and it is our job in admissions to take all this into account and guide the student in the appropriate direction. Doing this successfully on a daily basis is what makes me so very proud to be part of such a dynamic, bright team.

We are small by design so we choose our programs very carefully and tactfully allowing us to become true experts in each program offering.