ECU Tuscany: Fall 2026
Program dates: August 25 – November 21 – allows 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, right in Certaldo! Unlike the spring term when weather is cooler, in the Fall we enjoy weather warm enough to swim in the Mediterranean Sea and also to visit Lake Garda and Lake Como!
After landing in Rome, we will 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 day trip to nearby Civita di Bagnoregio, a tiny village sitting high on an eroding crest of rock. After settling into our apartments and classes in Certaldo, we continue to take advantage of the warm weather and spend 3 days exploring the Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera, hiking, swimming and kayaking this memorable world heritage site.
Students will have some free weekends and a 5-day fall break for independent travel after our group trip to Lake Garda and Lake Como. Trips to Lucca, Pisa, Florence, and Siena, are easy trips from Certaldo and we will explore the Chianti countryside around Volterra and San Gimignano together. We close the semester with three days in Rome and 4 days in the enchanting city of Venice, 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 stunning fall season!
Application Instructions
Fall Semester 2026
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: December 1, 2025
- Notification Deadline: On or around December 15, 2025
- Commitment Deadline: (within 2 weeks of acceptance) by December 30, 2025
- If the program fills during this application period, further applications will be closed.
Standard Application Review:
- Application Deadline: February 15, 2026
- Notification Deadline: On or around March 1, 2026
- Commitment Deadline: (within 2 weeks of acceptance) by March 15, 2026
- 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.
- Note: all students will be required to meet with staff in the study abroad office prior to your application being reviewed. The link to schedule a meeting is within your application.
- If you are accepted, you will be emailed a letter explaining how to confirm your spot with an online payment of the $100.00 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
$12,000.00 + $100 study abroad application 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 2026 Payment Schedule
- Upon Acceptance – $100.00 non-refundable study abroad application fee due along with $200.00 non-refundable housing deposit. All ECU Tuscany scholarship applications are due March 1.
- May 18, 2026 – $2,500 payment due
- July 13, 2026 – $9,300 remaining balance due
Students can pay the full amount at any time after acceptance and up to the final payment date of July 13, 2026. If you are on financial aid, we will know, and your program payments can be delayed until the aid is awarded. Please note that the application fee and deposit cannot be deferred for financial aid.
Fall 2026 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 24 | Flight Departs USA-overnight to Rome |
| August 25-28 | Orientation trip on the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii |
| Auguts 29-30 | Classes in Orvieto |
| August 31 | Bus to Certaldo |
| September 1 | Orientation day in Certaldo |
| September 14-16 | Classes in Cinque Terre |
| October 1-5 | Classes in Lake Garda and Lake Como |
| October 6-11 | Free time for Independent Travel |
| October 16-17 | Classes in Lucca |
| November 9-12 | Classes in Rome |
| November 17-20 | Classes in Venice |
| November 21 | Departure to USA from Venice after 11am. |