Having wanted to go to Italy for literally years, I couldn't have been more excited about going to study in small-town Viterbo, deep in the Lazio region. This is without even knowing what the town looked like, what USAC was or that I was going to be the only Kiwi in the middle of a gang of USA students and Italians.
I didn't think I'd forget what my own accent sounded like in just four months, or become addicted to gelato, or live-in with two great (if bogan) Italians, but I did know I was in for the time of my life.
Right from the start, the team on the ground in Italy were there to help, going above and beyond to give us travelling tips as well as orientation and general knowledge about Italian life.
Academically, studying in a university which used to be a monastery was a huge highlight, as was taking classes in Italian - both challenging but immensely rewarding, as it ignited a passion for learning the language, which I continue to study to this day.
My group of fellow students was another highlight - I made so many lifelong friends in a short period of time and they were all so much fun to travel with.
In short, I couldn't recommend this program more. Study in Viterbo, it will change your life!

USAC Viterbo was a lifetime memory. I cannot say enough good things about Viterbo and the support system put into place there. The field trips were so thought out- with amazing professors leading them. The USAC office was right near our classes, and I felt so comfortable walking in with any concerns or questions I had. When I got sick, they were right there for me, taking me to the doctors, etc.
This program is so intimate and filled with close connections. The city is small, the group is small, but it makes it that much better. They put their students in apartments all around Viterbo, with wonderful roommates and they do their absolute best to accommodate any of your needs.
Truly, I could not have imagined a better support system. They made such an effort to make sure the whole group was connecting and having a good time. This was my first time abroad for around 4 months, it is a perfect combination of support and a sense of independence. I was able to get an internship as an English Teacher, and I know many other students in my program had internships created for them based on what they were looking for! (Radio host, article publisher, etc.)
10/10 for Viterbo. At first, I thought is this place too small, or in a location, I wouldn't prefer, but all those thoughts went away the second I got there. I love Viterbo!

I’d recommend going to a small city like Viterbo in Italy. I was forced to communicate in Italian and I learned a lot of Italian and of the culture (I also rarely saw tourists). I met so many people from all over Europe and made so many American friends as well. It’s important to make those extra choices and step out of your comfort zone, because you’ll never know what could happen. After taking the initiative to travel on the weekends, sometimes by myself, I now have the itch to travel the world. Once you study abroad, you’ll catch the travel bug!

I absolutely loved my program and I am so happy I chose it. My university offers a number of programs in Italy to choose from, but the USAC: Viterbo program had the best of everything Italy had to offer. It's not a huge city full of tourists, so we had an authentic experience away from massive tourist towns like Rome. The USAC staff on-site were wonderful. They helped us with everything we needed and were incredibly friendly. I loved the selection of classes and the fact that we could go on field trips to see what we were learning about in person. There are so many beautiful places around Viterbo to visit, we always had something to do and were never bored. Viterbo is a lovely city with an amazing history, lovely city center, and great social scene. The locals were friendly and we made a lot of friends with the other university students. The city is a perfect place to study in Italy and have the best experience possible.

This program was incredible, and life changing in ways that I had never expected. I took the intensive Italian language track 1, and drawing and painting Viterbo. Both of my professors were extraordinary people, and educators. I got tons of 1 on 1 feedback from them, and they cared about me enough to notice when I was withdrawing a bit in class because of homesickness. I learned an incredible amount of Italian, and although I did not leave feeling as if I had become part of the Italian community (any self-aware person will come to the realization that it's impossible to become fully integrated into a culture you have only known for 4 months), I met incredible people, who gave me a whole new faith in all the people around me. I came back to America with a new intrigue in my peers, and a willingness and desire to listen to other's stories. This is such an eye opening program if you let it be, and get past all the traps of falling back into your own comfortable culture while you're there! Thank you so much to my professors, family, and friends who were with me during this formative time in my life!

This was my first experience in Europe and it was amazing. I loved meeting students from both Italy and across the US. It was a memorable experience that gave me perspective when I met new people from different cultures. Learning Italian in the country where I could practice it made the trip both challenging and fun. I hope to travel back to Viterbo, Italy again to visit friends and have the experience of living abroad once again.

What makes living in Viterbo unique? Well, lets start with it's not well known. And then let's get a kick out of telling people I've lived in a little medieval city in Italy for 9 months and haven't stopped going back there since. I love watching people's eyes widen when I tell them that, and then of course I immediately I start looking for flights to Rome. I think this is one of the things about studying abroad and living in a place like Viterbo; you can't get enough of it.

You all need to know that you're going to fall in love, and I don't mean with an Italian boy like I did (unless that happens to you, I support you!), but you're going to find your self falling in love with another way of life. You will learn to adapt well to their cultural hours, festivities, eating habits, pisolini (naps), and gelato eating so rapidly that when it's time to leave, you've acquired more culture shock going home than when you arrived in Viterbo. I would say, be prepared for some unexpected feelings going home. I couldn't express more literally that my life has taken a full 360 in almost every way.

Let's move on to some serious stuff though; academics! I personally had a great academic experience studying in Viterbo. The courses offered by USAC lean more toward liberal science, art, and history, but of course they do. I mean look at the place! Viterbo is so rich in history, beauty, art, and love. My course load, however, was not as packed as others, so I had more free time to go away on the weekends, which I didn't do much because I enjoyed spending time in Viterbo, near by cities, and Italy in general. Yet, the workload can be challenging, which is a good thing! I know some students had their personal issues with professors and the way they teach and blah blah, but you got to make it work, and you will.
To sum up, it's completely manageable studying in Viterbo, being academically challenged, and fitting in you're travelling and fun all at the same time.

Tips:

1. Listen and learn the language. "La lingua Italiana sia bellissima!" Most of the young generation speak little English, with some cute grammar mistakes, but the older Italian man who owns the local printing shop down the street and who loves to talk you ear off doesn't know what you're talking about.

2. You will be stared at. Don't take this personally, all Italian's stare and it's what makes them intimating, but in a beautiful way (can I say that?). And if at first they don't smile, not to worry, they'll come around and notice. It took me about a week to get the barista at Happiness Cafe to smile at me every time I walked by.

3. Localize yourself and get in with the locals. Some people are so shocked that I could speak Italian pretty fluently after a semester and that's because I not only studied the language to the core, but I spent 80% of my days speaking it. I traveled mostly to Italian cities and if not I was in the center of Viterbo chit-chatting it up with everyone I could. I mean, I heard Sicilian and some Italian growing up, but never truly picked it up. So, I spent most of my time hanging out with the local Italian students and Viterbesi. It's fun, honestly, and localizing yourself is worth while; people start to know who you are and want to hang out. I got friends all over the place now. I think I sent more graduation announcements to Italy than in California.

4. Food tip: MANGIA! (EAT, obviously). And find a cute Italian boy, or girl, to make you Carbonara like I did. Also take all food, cuisine, and cooking courses that USAC offers. The cuisine exam is a joke because there's so much information for a multiple choice, but you will pass I promise and it's so wonderful tasting wines and eating cheeses in class!

Attending USAC Viterbo for my junior year of college was by far the best decision of my college experience. The on-site staff are incredible--knowledgeable, helpful, caring, and always ready to go out of their way to help make this the best experience possible. The housing is lovely, the field trips are enriching and well planned, and Viterbo will feel like home sooner than you ever thought possible. I made friends here that I will have for the rest of my life and I have never felt more safe than I did walking through these medieval walls. You will never regret attending this program and all of the incredible memories made here.