Classics, Humanities, and Italian Studies with UNH

Name: Classics, Humanities, and Italian Studies with UNH
Brand: University of New Hampshire: Center for International Education
SKU: 61117
Rating: 10 (2 reviews)

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A beautiful medieval city in the province of the Marches, Ascoli Piceno is an unspoiled provincial capital, enjoying much of the cultural richness and vibrancy of larger cities, while preserving the charm and authenticity of a medieval city off the usual tourist itinerary.

It is a piece of the real Italy that few foreigners ever see, and provides participants with an authentic Italian experience, while still keeping them well connected to national and European transportation networks.

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In the fall of 2012 I lived in Ascoli Piceno through a study abroad program with the University of New Hampshire. My time spend in Ascoli was one of the best experiences of my life. It's hard for me to put into words exactly what made this experience so great for me because in reality it was a combination of everything about my stay in Ascoli that made it perfect. I made amazing friends, both from UNH and from Ascoli, I learned a beautiful new language, the food was the best I've ever had in my entire life, I gained a deeper understanding for the amazing history and culture of Italy and most importantly I had the time of my life. I was so relaxed and stress-free and just truly able to be myself in Italy. I have been searching for something that gives me the same high as when I walked the streets of Ascoli, but I have yet to find it. Even now, two years later I still think back to my time in Italy and look upon it fondly, wishing every second of everyday that I could go back to that beautiful place.

What would you improve about this program?

The only way this program could be better was if it was offered for a year rather than only one semester.

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UNH in Italy was a wonderful program because it gave me an option to study in real Italy - away from the tourist areas of Rome and Florence. I studied for my spring semester in Ascoli Piceno - a three hour bus drive from Rome. Here, the twelve other students and I were the only foreigners in town and thus needed to improve our Italian immediately in order to get around town and get our daily errands accomplished. Because it was a small program, my classes were very personalized and accommodating to my needs. My intermediate italian class was only myself and one other student and I feel I improved a lot with daily instruction from Monday-Thursday.
Because we weren't engulfed in other american school programs, I had the opportunity to create local friends and enjoyed my nights out around the beautiful medieval town as well as gallivanting off into the Italian countryside in little white Fiats every night my friends were free. It was an incredible experience that allowed me to truly experience Italian culture and improve my language skills. I recommend this program highly.

What would you improve about this program?

The program could be improved with a little more understanding between italian staff and american students. I feel that sometimes a middle-man would've been beneficial to explain cultural differences on both sides of problems in order to aid some miscommunication we had through my stay.

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Sydney Holloman-Pressley

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Classics, Humanities, and Italian Studies with UNH

Sydney Holloman-Pressley studied abroad in Ascoli Piceno, Italy from September 2012 until December 2012. She grew up in Concord, Massachusetts. In the fall of 2009 she moved to Durham, New Hampshire to attend the University of New Hampshire. She graduated from UNH with her Bachelors degree in Sociology and her Masters in Elementary Education. Sydney, currently 23, is now living in Osaka, Japan teaching English to Japanese children and adults.

Describe your most meaningful souvenir and why you love it?

My most meaningful souvenirs are all my pictures from Italy. Once I returned home I printed off all the pictures my friends and I took while in Italy and I put them in to a photo album.

During the first month or two of being home I was really missing Italy, more than I could have ever anticipated. Having all those pictures in one place that I could look at whenever I wanted was extremely helpful. When I looked at the pictures it was almost as if just for the second I was back in Italy again.

If you could do-over one thing, what would it be?

If I could do-over one thing, it would be my entire trip. Here’s the catch though, I wouldn’t change a single thing about it; I would just re-live it all again. I had the best experience in Italy and if I were given the chance to do it all again I would do it exactly the way I did it the first time.

While I was in Italy I took a trip with two of my very close friends to Bologna and Parma and at the end of the trip I decided to return home early. Unfortunately, my Italian was not very good at this point in my stay in Italy so I ended up getting on a train that dropped me off about 7 hours away from where I actually lived. And consequently I ended up having to pay way more than I anticipated to get back to Ascoli. But even with that experience, I would do it all again, exactly the same, because being lost in Italy was by far the best time I’ve ever had being lost!

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What is one piece of advice you'd give future students traveling with your program?

My first piece of advice is, if you are hesitant about going…GO! You will not regret it. Italy is an amazing country with a beautiful language, and culture and people. With the particular program I went with through the University of New Hampshire you stay in a town called Ascoli Piceno which just so happens to be one of the most amazing towns in Italy (although I will admit I am quite biased after having lived there for three months).

Another piece of advice I would give them is to travel as much as you can while you are there. Traveling in amongst the various European countries is fairly cheap if you are already in Europe.

But even if you don’t have any desire to see the rest of Europe then just travel around Italy. While Ascoli is amazing, my experience in Italy wouldn’t have been even half of what it was if I didn’t travel all around Italy as well.

Describe your favorite must-have food that you tried abroad.

My all time favorite food I had in Italy was a pasta dish called Amatriciana. I could describe it in great detail now or anyone and everyone who is thinking about traveling to, working in or studying abroad in Italy could make the right choice and GO and try it for themselves.

I think I’ll pick the latter option. I will say this though, it is the best pasta dish I have ever had in my entire life and I’ve eaten a lot of pasta.

Location

Location:

Italy

Currency:

Euro

Weather:

Jan-Mar

59 F / 37 F

Apr-Jun

82 F / 46 F

Jul-Sep

88 F / 61 F

Oct-Dec

72 F / 41 F

Airports:

Rome Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino

( FCO )

Milan Malpensa

( MXP )

Venice Marco Polo

( VCE )

Italy has long been a bucket list item for people, and its no wonder with the ancient ruins, astounding scenery, and renowned museums; all accompanied by the beautiful Italian language. When visiting Italy, be prepared to see big differences in accents and food while moving between regions.

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Classics, Humanities, and Italian Studies with UNH

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