STUDY ABROAD

Summer Study Abroad Program in Siena, Italy 

This 4-week study abroad seminar and workshop is based in Siena, in the central Italian region of Tuscany, where the distinctive coloration of the houses and buildings comes from the red clay “burnt siena” of the Sienese hills and countryside. Founded as the Roman colony “Sena Julia” by Augustus Caesar, Siena was a Lombardic kingdom in the early medieval period, a self-governing commune in the 12th century, and a major banking center at the eve of the Renaissance. In its churches, civic architecture and city walls, Siena has as maintained its jewel-like medieval atmosphere and architecture through the centuries. The city-center’s streets are cobblestone, and no cars are allowed within the walled city: residents and visitors walk or ride bicycles.

Siena is approximately 50 minutes south of Florence, 3 hours south of Milan (by train) and 3 hours by bus from Rome. Summer Siena program will be based in Siena’s center and participants will visit other major cities (Florence, Rome, Venice, and Verona) in Italy.

Interdisciplinarity and Integration:
The goal of this Fine Arts program is to integrate critical study with creative practice, fostering a holistic sense of artistic method that is at the heart of a Fine Arts education at Seattle University. The global perspective and cultural experiences gained by studying and working abroad, coupled with the reflective, exploratory and collaborative nature of the coursework, will provide the intellectual and intercultural growth vital to the Jesuit Catholic vision.

In the past years, Fine Arts department has offered variety of classes such as Book Art, Drawing and Painting, and Photography. Every year, the topic of the program rotates among visual art disciplines. Check out some sample images from the past Siena programs.  

If you have any question about the program, please contact the program director Naomi Kasumi, kasumin@seattleu.edu (206)296-2282 or Education Abroad office: (206)296-6460, Gina Lopardo: glopardo@seattleu.edu, or visit website www.seattleu.edu/abroad.