This is the student zone – here they write about their experiences during the program in Volterra – and their travels, while at the program
The final trip that our class took as a group for Social History of Art in Italy was to Florence and it was different from the rest. This trip was different because we arrived in Florence on a Thursday and our group activities ended after Friday was over, so everyone only had to stay the Thursday and Friday night. This...
Siena, Italy was most successful as a city during the middle ages into renaissance era because of their famous bank, but is still thriving to this day. In order to get there from Volterra we had to take two separate buses and wait in the hot sun for that second one, yet it ended up being worth it. Siena, is...
Part of our Social History of Art in Italy course is visiting places within Volterra and getting to know it, not only the cities in the surrounding radius. So, our main trips within Volterra were the Etruscan Museum, the Roman Theatre, and the Pinacoteca. Volterra was a significant part of Etruscan civilization, and has a rich history with many relics...
The first two days of our Rome trip were packed with learning as was day 3, and then day 4 was more relaxed. Sunday, day 3, we started off early with the Palatine Hill followed by the Roman Forum. We finished at the Roman Forum right at lunch time which was perfect because it was peak heat and everyone was...
When people say that all roads lead to Rome it is hard to believe, but once there we realized it might just be true. Rome is a city where people kept building on top of each layer of the past creating multiple street levels and a rich history. As we journeyed from the train station to the monastery where we...
Cold, gloomy, and rainy is the only way to accurately describe the weather on Friday, May 15th when we had our first group trip for our Social History of Art in Italy course. This trip was a day in Pisa to learn about the city and see the way that the architecture changes from area to area. When we arrived...
This semester us students have five classes: Social History of Art in Italy, Italian Language and Culture, Urban Sketching, Design Studio, and Alabaster which is our sculpture course. However, even before our classes started we had opportunities to explore the town on the Saturday of arrival and the Sunday. Every one of us took advantage of these two free days,...
“Hello and welcome to Volterra,” is what this Summer’s group of study abroad students heard on Saturday May 2nd, 2026 when they moved into their dorms. After many long, tiring hours of travelling and trying to adapt to a new environment it was finally time to get settled into their home for the next three months! This year there are...
Throughout our time in Volterra, our classes were very unique, with many of them taking place outside the classroom. This made the experience much more engaging, and we really appreciated this hands-on way of learning. Our Social History and Art in Italy class brought us to the Museo Etrusco Mario Guarnacci, which houses one of the most important collections of...
We’ve officially made it to our final trip destination with Social Art History in Italy! Florence is the city our class knows best, as we often travel here on day trips. This time, however, we have a full end-of-week stay, giving us a chance to explore the city from a new perspective. Our very first stop was the Cattedrale di...