Italy La Dolce Vita: Gelato, Food, and Culture

Orientation in Rome

Italy is a sensory experience. Spend three days exploring Rome. Hike from the Forum to the Vatican to see the vivid scenes in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Stand in the Colosseum, imagining its dramatic history. Taste your first gelato at one of the cafés in Piazza Navona. By the time you leave Rome, you will be prepared to become fully immersed in Italian life and culture.

La Dolce Vita

For many, Italian gelato is the best ice cream in the world. The bright colors and fresh ingredients reflect the vibrancy of Italian culture and the rich bounty that grows from Italian soil. Spend a month immersed in Italian culture through its food, architecture, and ice cream.

Homestay

For two weeks, you become deeply integrated into the daily life of an Italian family. Spend your afternoons exploring the community with new friends and the evenings cooking fresh meals with your host family.

Sample host communities:
Treviso, Asti, San Benedetto del Tronto

Culinary Adventure

Famous for black truffles, parmigiano cheese, tortellini pasta, and exquisitely preserved historic city centers, Parma and Bologna are important gastronomic centers in Italy. Spend a week sampling regional delicacies, learning how food is made, and exploring the rich cultural history of the region.

Sample activities: Visit a parmigiano cheese maker; take in a sotto il cielo di parma, an open air concert in a local park; learn how balsamic vinegar is produced in Modena; visit Europe’s oldest university in Bologna

Gelato and Travel

Satisfy your sweet tooth and learn all about gelato and Italian pastry. For 10 days, work side by side with an Italian ice cream maker and chef to learn about the differences between industrial and artisanal gelato. Experiment with fresh ingredients, sample pastries, and design your own flavor of gelato. See the incredible mosaics in Ravenna and visit the tiny Republic of San Marino. Spend your final few days exploring the canals and markets of Venice.