Italy: Viterbo - Intensive Italian Language, History, and the Arts

I felt like I was living in a movie during my time in Viterbo!! I got to draw and paint around the city in my art class, I learned how to make delicious Italian staple dishes, and I explored the town and practiced my Italian with locals and language partners. The professors in this program were wonderful, I learned so much from them. I got to explore all over Italy and even made it to Mykonos, Barcelona, and Porto! I had an adorable Italian apartment with a terrace and adorable shutters on my window. I remember greeting my neighbor Rita, whose window faced mine every morning. I would go on walks almost daily to the Terrazza del Plebescito to watch the sunset, sketch, and share with friends.

I had an amazing summer in Viterbo. Viterbo is a great location. Transportation was nearby so travel was very easy to do. The classes were nice and small. I felt like the learning environment was perfect. The professors were friendly and helpful. The USAC staff quickly addressed and issues or worries students had. I met some amazing people and made life long friends. I was able to see things I’ve only read about, history came to life. Spending the summer in Viterbo was an incredible experience I’ll never forget.

I studied abroad in Viterbo as part of a six week program. My program had about 20 students from all across the US, most of whom did not know anyone else in the program. I think this allowed us all to get to know each other better and be more open to trying new things. Viterbo is a pretty small town in a rural part of the Lazio region and its downtown core is one of the most well-preserved medieval sections in all of Europe. Our apartment was inside the city walls and walkable to many restaurants, a small grocery store, a produce vendor, and the Corso Italia, which is the main drag for shopping in Viterbo. Overall, the apartment was nice and furnished well enough, but it did not have AC. This is standard for many residences in Italy, but it was rather hot while we were there and leaving the windows open did result in a lot of bug bites. The class schedule was a little unusual in that it was not the same every week, so one week you might have a class on Monday and Wednesday, and the next on Tuesday and Thursday. I took the photography class, the cuisine class, and intro to Italian. I would highly recommend taking the intro to Italian class if you are not familiar with the language as many of the shopkeepers and restauranteurs in Viterbo do not speak English, and knowing some Italian will make your interactions smoother. The cuisine class is a great way to learn more about Italian culture, and you do get copies of the recipes to make at home if you so choose. I really enjoyed the photography class, which is the one I needed for credit at my home university. Aside from the very good instruction in the mechanics of photography, I enjoyed how this class got us out into the city and seeing different parts. It was not listed in the class description and is not necessarily required, but it will be easier if you bring your own camera. In addition to the great experience in Viterbo, the town is accessible to both Rome and Florence by rail, and from there you can go onwards to Milan, Naples, etc. In the six weeks we were there, we had time on weekends to go to both Rome and Florence, as well as Positano on the Amalfi coast, and a beach in the nearby town of Tarquinia. I would also highly recommend going to Lago di Bolsena! The program also offered multiple field trips that students could go on to different lesser known places near Viterbo - the two I remember were Civita di Bagnoregio and Marmore Falls. Overall it was a really great experience during which I felt like I got a window into a realistic lifestyle in Italy while also getting to see many of the places I wanted to visit.

I completed my BA in Art History in Viterbo last fall and I can safely say it was the best experience of my life. Viterbo is a small town, but it’s really centrally located so you can go north or south on weekend trips easily, it’s also about an hour train ride outside of Rome, so that makes for easy day trips! I would say Viterbo is really quaint but there are fun bars and local events to hang out at! (77 is the bar notorious for study abroad students to go to, Ghost Pizza and L’antica Latteria for gelato are favorites as well).
personally I loved my roommates, we are all still best friends and we made so many memories living in an apartment together, but if you’re more culture/language focused, you would love the host family there I met them a few times and they are super lovely.
Looking back to what was most memorable for me, the weekend travel and time with the friends I made within my study abroad group is at the top of the list. the culture shock is real, and can sometimes leave you feeling frustrated and lonely as you miss trains, struggle to communicate with people, or when things don’t work the way you’re used to. overall the experience is worth it, and one I’ve only grown to appreciate in hindsight.

This was such an amazing program and I couldn’t recommend it enough. If you go into the program looking for a super populated city like Rome…you will be disappointed. However, if you want to treasure an authentic experience in an amazing walled city – Viterbo is your place.
The program had wonderful language immersion. I recommend either knowing Italian prior to starting the program or taking one of the program’s Italian classes. It will make your life so much easier!
Viterbo has a train station so you can reach other Italian cities relatively easily but travel can still be tricky.
However, Viterbo itself has lots to offer and I personally recommend the Etruscan museum.
I loved my program and I wish everyone could have the same wonderful experience.

Overall, Viterbo was an amazing town to live in. While I lived with other American students, we were in an apartment building with Italians and so we were forced to use the language as much as possible. Additionally, Viterbo is not as touristy compared to other cities such as Florence or Rome, which forced us to utilize our knowledge of the Italian language which I think was wonderful and helped us get the full study abroad experience! The people of Viterbo are polite, the program's staff are delightful, and the food is amazing! The program itself was a great learning experience. The workload was to be expected while abroad. Professors expected us to attend class and put forth effort but classes were not overly challenging. They were enjoyable and allowed us to take the knowledge we gathered to immerse ourselves in the Italian culture.

I'm not sure how accurate my review will be since my program was still largely affected by covid. If you want to study abroad, do it and do it with whatever program fits your degree best. For me, this program was the best way to get the Italian and gened credits that I needed, but I didn't particularly like who ran the program. They did their best they could with the situation they were given. Classes are at most 4 days a week, but you can always arrange them to be less. There's barely any homework, and a lot of the classes go outside the classroom. The teachers are really nice too. This program is probably best for people looking more into the travel side of study abroad than the cultural or language. I had a great time using all my travel time, but I do wish I would've learned more Italian.

My time studying abroad in Viterbo was one of the best times of my life! Highly highly recommend if you get a chance to study abroad you take it! It was very beneficial to take the language classes if you are studying in a smaller/less touristy town but it was the most rewarding part. Viterbo was a quiet town, but the USAC program made sure we got to experience all that Italy had to offer through field trips and tours around town. Great program, great staff and a wonderful time abroad. Thank you Chico for the great memories!