ECU Tuscany: Fall 2025
Program dates (August 26 – November 23 – allow you to be home for Thanksgiving with a long holiday break before the spring semester begins on campus.
Fall is our favorite season in Italy, warm and golden, with brilliant colors on the vineyards as grapes are harvested and the weather turns crisp and cool. It’s the time when Italians host many seasonal celebrations; street festivals, food festivals and Medieval games in full costume. Unlike the spring term when weather is cooler, in Fall we enjoy weather warm enough to swim in the Mediterranean Sea!
After landing in Rome, we begin the program on the Amalfi Coast in a lovely hotel overlooking the bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius. The cliffs and rugged shoreline are covered with pastel colored fishing villages, and we have a spectacular view of them during our boat trip from Positano to Amalfi. Nearby we can tour the ancient ruins of Pompeii before traveling to Orvieto, one of the jewels of Umbria, and a favorite of our students. From there it’s a fun day trip to nearby Civita di Bagnoregio, a tiny village sitting high atop an eroding crest of rock. After settling into our apartments and beginning classes in Certaldo, while weather is still warm we will spend 3 days exploring the Cinque Terre, hiking, swimming and kayaking this memorable world heritage site.
Students have some free weekends and a 5- day fall break for independent travel after our group trip to Lake Garda, where paragliders and sailboats dot the skies above and the water below. Trips to Lucca, Pisa, Florence, and Siena, are easy to take from Certaldo and we will explore the Chianti countryside around Volterra and San Gimignano together on a day trip. We end this semester with three days in the enchanting city of Venice, and 3 days in Rome before flying back to the states. Both cities are especially lovely during November, with fewer tourists and quieter streets as cool weather and the holiday season begins.
Don’t miss this opportunity to study in Italy during the stunningly beautiful fall season!
Application Instructions
FALL SEMESTER 2025
There will be TWO application review cycles, on dates listed below. If the program fills after the first review date, applications will close. If the program is still not full after the second cycle, applications may remain open until filled. We may have long wait-lists for this program, so apply soon.
Priority Application Review:
- APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 1, 2024
- NOTIFICATION DEADLINE: On or around November 15, 2024
- COMMITMENT DEADLINE: (within 2 weeks of acceptance) by November 29
- If the program fills during this application period, further applications will be closed.
Late Application Review:
- APPLICATION DEADLINE: December 6
- NOTIFICATION DEADLINE: On or around January 3, 2025
- COMMITMENT DEADLINE: January 17, 2025 (within 2 weeks of acceptance)
- If the program is not filled, the application deadline may be extended.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
- Fill out the application
- Be sure you answer all questions and that your application is COMPLETE
- It will be listed pending until all signatures and questionnaires are filled out.
- Please carefully complete the 200 word statement of interest in your own words, about your own personal experience -with no AI assistance.
- Completed applications will be reviewed, and you will be notified of your application status by the dates listed above.
- If you are accepted, you will be emailed a letter explaining how to confirm your spot with an online payment of the $75.00 application fee and the $200.00 housing deposit. These payments must be paid within the two weeks of acceptance, or you will be moved to the waiting list.
- While you are waiting for your application to be reviewed, you should be preparing to make the application fee and the $200.00 housing deposit that will confirm your spot – you will have only 2 weeks after acceptance to make that payment before being moved to the waitlist.
Course Registration
Download the complete list of course offerings here
Cost for the fall semester
$11,800 + $75 study abroad administrative fee
Cost includes:
- Transportation to and from airports in Italy
- International health insurance while abroad-no copay and no deductible
- Lodgings and utilities in beautiful apartments in Certaldo
- Lodgings on all overnight trips
- Tuition
- Transportation on all school trips in Italy
- Dinners on all class days
- Breakfast and dinners on overnight trips
- Museum entrances and tours
- 3 days in Rome
- 3 days in Venice
- 3 days in Cinque Terre
- 3 days on Lake Garda and 2 days on Lake Como
- 5 days on the Amalfi Coast, Naples, Pompeii, and Umbria
- Day trips to San Gimignano, Bagnoregio, Volterra, Florence, Siena, and Orvieto
- Entrance to Cinque Terre National Park on the Mediterranean
Students budget for their own lunches and breakfasts in Certaldo. Our apartments have washing machines and full kitchens available for cooking and grocery prices are very reasonable. Group dinners are provided on all scheduled class days as well as both breakfasts and dinners on all overnight trips.
Fall 2025 Payment Schedule
- Upon Acceptance – $75.00 non-refundable study abroad administrative fee due along with $200.00 non-refundable housing deposit. All ECU Tuscany scholarship applications are due March 1.
- April 18, 2025 – $2,300 payment due
- June 13, 2025 – $9,300
Students can pay the full amount at any time after acceptance and up to the final payment date of July 13, 2025. If you are on financial aid, we will know, and your program payments can be delayed until the aid is awarded.
Fall 2025 Itinerary
Do not book flights until you hear from the director to do so. We need to arrive at about the same time to take advantage of group transportation from the airport.
Date | Itinerary |
---|---|
August 26 | Depart from USA (after acceptance you will receive flight info) |
August 27-29 | Orientation trip on the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii |
August 30-31 | Classes in Orvieto |
September 1 | Bus to Certaldo |
September 2 | Orientation day in Certaldo |
September 9-11 | Classes in Cinque Terre |
October 4-8 | Classes in Lake Garda and Lake Como |
October 9-13 | Free time for Independent Travel |
October 25-26 | Classes in Lucca |
November 10-12 | Classes in Rome |
November 19-22 | Classes in Venice |
November 23 | Departure to USA from Venice after 11am. |