ECU Tuscany: Summer 2024

The Summer 2024 application is now open!

APPLY SOON! Once the program fills, we will begin a waiting list. Click here to apply.

In 2024 we will again offer a longer 5-week program for summer students, allowing them to earn up to 9 hours of general college credits during a travel packed itinerary! This will be the only summer session offered by ECU Tuscany in 2024.

To begin our journey, the group will fly into Venice, where we spend our first three days, exploring its romantic canals lined with Renaissance palaces, gondolas, and gorgeous cathedrals. In addition to a tour of the San Marco cathedral, students can visit the colorful islands of Burano and Murano during their free time there.

A group in Venice in May, one of the prettiest months of the year!

Leaving Venice, we will travel by bus to the Medieval Tuscan village of Certaldo. In Certaldo, our students live in beautiful apartments near our ECU classrooms, where our classes will be held. From this home base, we will study, walk in the surrounding park, and eat many delicious evening meals together while also traveling to Florence, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, and the dramatic coastal villages of the Cinque Terre. Near the end of the term we will travel further south by bus with a stop in  Umbria, before our arrival on the Amalfi Coast. There we will stay in an elegant hotel on the bay of Naples, enjoy the beaches on the coast and also visit Pompeii. Our final 2 days will be spent in Rome before our departure to the states.

Cost for our new expanded 5 week session is $6,900 + $75 study abroad administrative fee.

The Fall ’22 group getting ready to kayak in Cinque Terre.

Cost includes:

• Tuition for up to 4-9 credits
• Transportation to and from the arrival and departure airports in Italy
• Lodgings and utilities in beautiful furnished apartments in Certaldo (with washers)
• Dinners and breakfasts on all class days in Certaldo
• Museum entrances and tours
• Health insurance while abroad on the program (no copay-it covers 100%)
• Transportation on all school trips in Italy (boats, trains, buses)
• Lodgings, breakfasts and dinners are included on all overnight trips
• 3 days in Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast
• 3 days in Venice
• 2 days in Rome
• 2 days in Florence
• 3 days in Cinque Terre with entrance to the park and hiking trails
• Day trips to San Gimignano, Volterra, Pisa, Siena

Students budget for their own breakfasts and lunches in Certaldo. Our apartments have full kitchens available for cooking and grocery shopping can be done at the stores in Certaldo Basso. Apartments are completely furnished, also with washing machines. Groceries are generally less expensive in Italy than in the states and, because apartments have kitchens, breakfast and lunch costs are minimal. Students pay for their own lunches on trips. A conservative estimate of out-of-pocket costs would be $300 – $700 (depending on purchases of souvenirs).

Airfare is not included in the program cost. Flights will be recommended by the program director and should not be booked until she has sent these suggestions. It is important that we arrive and depart at similar times to take advantage of provided transportation to and from the airports in Italy. Airfare is usually $1,300-$1,700 during this season. As soon as the program fills students will be sent information on booking flights.  Please do not book flights until you hear from the director!

The Fall ’22 group on the boat ride from Positano to Amalfi.

Application Instructions

The Summer ’22 group making pasta in a Florence cooking class.

Fill out the complete application and submit it online at the ECU Pirates Abroad website. You will receive e-mail notification once your application is reviewed by program staff. If you would like to inquire about the status of your application at any time, please contact the Education Abroad Office at studyabroad@ecu.edu.

After you receive an acceptance e-mail, a non-refundable $75 study abroad administrative fee and a $200 non-refundable housing deposit should be paid. Your place in the program will not be confirmed until these funds are received. Payment should be sent as soon as you are sure you plan to attend, even before the deadline for applications. If the program fills prior to receiving your payment, even if you have been accepted, you will be placed on the waiting list. Be advised this program fills quickly and usually has a waiting list of students. In the past we have offered two shorter sessions that fill – so be mindful that this is the only session offered this year and apply soon if you want to join us!

Once you are accepted you will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to pay the two separate payments (administrative fee/housing deposit). You can also login to your Pirates Abroad application post-acceptance for payment instructions. It is very important that you make payments on time because the funds are used to book the lodgings and transportation before the beginning of the semester. If you are on financial aid, please let Mrs. Simmons know so your payment schedule can be modified based on your financial aid award.

The city council and community of Certaldo have asked that all students and participants in the program be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Summer 2024 Payment Schedule

$75.00 non-refundable study abroad administrative fee and $200 non-refundable housing deposit due once you have been accepted and are ready to confirm your spot.

February 28, 2024: $3,350

March 31, 2024: $3,350

Note: your place on the program will not be confirmed until we receive your $75 application fee and $200 housing deposit. You should plan to pay the deposit as soon as you are sure you wish to join us to ensure your spot in the program. If the program fills with paid students, you may lose your spot by waiting, but you can be added to the waitlist. (Last summer there was a waitlist of 25 students.)

Once accepted, you will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to pay the two separate payments (application fee/housing deposit). You can also login to your Pirates Abroad application post-acceptance to view payment instructions.

2024 Summer Session Itineraries

• (Do not book flights until you hear from the Director! Due to COVID travel restrictions, the itinerary may be subject to change)

Course Offerings

Classes offered are listed below. Detailed syllabi and descriptions will be sent to accepted students, and drop and add is possible, once classes meet.  You will be registered for your classes in the spring by the Study Abroad office after you have e-mailed the director your final choices. You will not register yourself for classes through the website, as you normally do for on campus classes.

ART 1910 – Art Appreciation (fine arts general education) (3 credit hours)

ART 1250 and ART 2200 – Digital Photography (fine arts general education) (3 credit hours)

KINE 1000 – Health and Fitness: Yoga (cannot be taken more than once). (1 credit hour)

KINE 1070 – Yoga – if you have already had the required KINE 1000 and want to take the yoga class with them.

ENGL 1000 – Literature (humanities general education) (3 credit hours)

INTL 2120 – Literature (humanities general education) 3 credit hours)

Yoga in the courtyard

Art Appreciation in Florence.