On Friday, January 30 Florence University of the Arts (FUA) officially launched its Cinque Terre Program located in La Spezia. The official inauguration was conducted by La Spezia's mayor, Pierluigi Peracchini and FUA's Founder & President, Gabriella Ganugi. Associate Director of the program, Angela Manion, who set up the inauguration, spoke on the creation of it, "We managed all the logistics and setup required for the inauguration, and it was a great success.  The event was well-received, and we were honored to host a guest appearance by the mayor, who gave a short presentation about the area."

With 23 students in this first semester, enrollment continues to grow with each session's release, allowing for the university's mission of experiential learning, community engagement, and cultural integration to spread from Tuscany to Liguria. This smaller campus allows for students to gain closer connections to their instructors as well as classmates, fostering academic and personal growth. With three interconnected classrooms, students are encouraged to collaborate frequently as well as take the walking classes and in-person lectures offered similarly to FUA’s Florence campus.

Emma Tierney, a current Cinque Terre study abroad student from Plymouth State University adds, “everyone kind of knows each other. We get really excited when we see each other in public. We all go to Orange Cafe every day.” Orange Cafe is one of two restaurants available to students to use their FUA credits for meals while studying within the Cinque Terre Program.

The campus is ideal for a year-long warm climate, and has lots of walkable shops and culture at its fingertips, just like any other abroad program. The town is home to 93,000 residents, the Naval Museum, CAMeC contemporary art center, Castello di San Giorgio Archeological Museum, and the National Museum of Transportation. In addition, students have free access to all museums within La Spezia; a note that Mayor Peracchini reminded the students of during his inaugural address.

This location has all the benefits of an urban school experience, with its small scale feel. The campus, located in La Spezia, has access to transportation to get students anywhere they need to go. Transportation options for students and staff include both a port and a train station within minutes from the campus building, encouraging exploration and additional learning opportunities. This coastal study abroad experience will give students the ability to live near mountains and the sea, all while experiencing old Mediterranean traditions of seafood, markets and a close-knit community.

Tierney explains, “I really enjoy a small class because it helps me learn and engage my brain so much more, because I'm not scared to talk in front of so many people.” This unique perspective on life and culture will allow students to grow and understand a world that came thousands of years before them. 

If you are unsure choosing between the Florence or Cinque Terre Program, there is are options to spend 3 weeks, 11 weeks or all 15 weeks of your study abroad experience in either location. Like the typical Florence program, students have the option of staying in apartment-style housing or with a host family. The course work will be the same as students should expect at FUA, with both walking and in-person courses available to help understand the culture of the city around them.

University of Tampa student, Grace O’Keefe is taking a different approach to studying abroad with FUA. She is enrolled in the school’s 2-city semester program where she will spend her first 3 weeks in La Spezia, then the final 11 weeks in Florence. She mentions her experience enrolled in the Cinque Terre Program’s Food, Wine, and the City: Riviera Neighborhood Walks  course as a highlight of her initial 3 weeks abroad. “We walk around to cultural sites and learn the history there, where they're from. And then some days, we're either doing wine tasting, food tasting, coffee tasting, and we're just learning the history of where it comes from, why it's here,” she explains.

One week travel experiences can still be added on to this program before or after the sessions, allowing for built-on experiences to encourage students' knowledge.

Manion states, "being in a small group gives you a good opportunity to have a good relationship with your peers and your teacher, and you know, it's a little bit more personalized in that way.” Classes can be mixed and matched in the categories of mediterranean studies, liberal and fine arts, writing and poetry, hospitality, food, and wine studies, marine and environmental sciences, engineering, business and supply management, digital media, design, and architecture, finance, marketing and trade. As with the Florence campus programs, internships are offered within Cinque Terre and are to be arranged with program directors.

Student services include a 24/7 emergency services line, on-site advisors, virtual access to the counselor in Florence, housing near the campus, two local shops that accept student meal vouchers, extracurricular activities, and even educational field learning trips on weekends.

Tierney adds, “I'll go to class, and then my group from the class will sometimes even go with the professor to the (school) cafe. We've been doing that recently to practice our Italian, and we all just hang out there.”

Students also have the options of organized student life activities similar to FUA’s Florence campus such as sport nights on Tuesdays, Wednesday city walks, and Thursday movie or yoga nights. Manion says, “For the movie night, we actually bring the students to the movie theater and we'll watch the movie there.”

Located in the northern coast of Italy, the town and port is that of the working class. O’Keefe states, “it's not very touristy in this season, even though it is more touristy in the summertime, but going to visit there, it's so fun running into people and they're like, Oh, where are you from? Why are you here? Everyone's just really welcoming, and they want to help you.”

Surrounded by the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea, students get the best of both geographical features. Major cities can be found and easily accessed through the town to give students the opportunity to explore; with the famous villages of Cinque Terre being home to many famous writers such as Shelley, Montale and Byron, allowing for students to get historical visitations to these famous sites.

Along with this being the birthplace of the Italian futurist movement and holding a rich deep history, this can be your authentic study abroad experience. FUA's newly launched Cinque Terre Program can be your home for a short time or a long time depending on your wants, and is accepting enrollments for next semester and beyond.

The inauguration celebration is just one of the many small moments marking the expansion of FUA into the region of Liguria. This opportunity is one that no other university can offer, and is special, offering a unique perspective and understanding to your study abroad experience.

Interested to learn more? Click here and launch your Italian journey in Cinque Terre today!