Day 1: Fly overnight to Italy
Day 2: Venice region • Padua
Meet your Field Director at the destination airportEnjoy dinner in Padua
Day 3: Padua • Venice
Take a tour of Padua, a college town
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Basilica di San Antonio, one of the eight international shrines
- Prato della Valle, the biggest square in Italy and one of the largest in Europe
Visit the University of Padua, whose notable alumni and faculty include Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei
Take a train to Venice
Take a walking tour of Venice with your Field Director
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend time exploring Venice on your own
Day 4: Padua • Bologna
Travel to Bologna, well-known for its famous dish, spaghetti Bolognese
Take a guided tour of Bologna
With an expert local guide you will see:
- Piazza del Nettuno, which features a once-controversial statue of Neptune and the seductive sirens
- Basilica di San Petronio, Bologna's beloved church which was the site of Charles V coronation
- Palazzo Comunale, Bologna’s 14th-century town hall
Visit the University of Bologna, the oldest existing university in Europe founded in 1088
Enjoy dinner in Bologna
Day 5: Bologna
Industry Engagement: Attend a lecture to learn how the Italian educational system has changed over the years, and see how it has influenced our own
Visit a local school in Bologna to learn how the city’s culture impacts its educational practices—and vice versa
Day 6: Bologna
🔹 Guided learning: Visit the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, a famous meeting place known for its dedication to improving education through creativity, innovation, and experimentation
Day 7: Bologna • Florence
Enjoy a cultural food activity to learn Bologna’s culinary practices first-hand
Travel to Florence, the birthplace of the Italian language, opera, and the Renaissance
Day 8: Florence
🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Florence
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Piazza della Signoria, which is lined with classic statues
- Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge where many of Florence’s famed leather and gold artisans still keep shop
- Basilica of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo and others are buried
- Gates of Paradise, bronzed doors that depict scenes from the Old Testament and are considered an icon of the Renaissance
🔹 Cultural engagement: Tuscan cooking class & dinner
Try your hand at local cooking practices in a Tuscan cooking class, followed by dinner.
Day 9: Florence
Industry Engagement: Learn more about classroom lesson plans and activities as you meet with a local teacher and discuss what a career in education looks like in Italy
🔹 Cultural engagement: Visit a local school in Florence and learn how its culture and history impacts its educational practices
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend a half day exploring Florence on your own
Enjoy dinner in Florence
Day 10: Depart for home
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