Accademia Belle Arte di Perugia
An Immersive Studio Art Program in Italy
Accademia Belle Arte di PerugiaAn Immersive Studio Art Program in Italy
The studio art program at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Perugia (The Academy of Fine Arts in Perugia) offers students the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the prestigious environment of one of the oldest Italian institutions for fine arts and to experience firsthand the European style of education. Participants will live and study with Italian and international students. Although much of the program is taught in Italian, many students are international and many professors speak English and Italian.
Students may choose to enroll for an extended spring semester or for a full academic year. The program includes preliminary Italian language review courses at the Università per Stranieri, tutorials and support sessions at the Umbra Institute, and courses at the Academy of Fine Arts. This particular Direct Enrollment program is designed for motivated and mature students who are interested in immersing themselves fully in Italian culture and the Italian higher education system. And as with all Umbra students, the Institute will be with you every step of the way including pre-departure assistance, orientation, help desk and emergency services, cultural activities, and more.
Late January: Arrival and Orientation
February: Pre-program Language Workshops
Late February-Mid June: Classes at the Accademia di Belle Arti
Late June: Exam period and program ends
Students can select from an extensive list of fine art courses taught at the Accademia, from practical courses such as painting, drawing, sculpture, and jewelry-making, to theoretical courses such as art history, aesthetics, web design, fashion, and more. Courses are held at the Accademia facility, housed in the beautiful former convent of San Francesco al Prato, and are taught entirely in Italian. The program yields between 12-18 semester credits. Feel free to browse the full selection of courses.
Students should have a minimum of two semesters of Italian language courses and have achieved a B1 proficiency in Italian based on the Common European Framework.
Before beginning classes at the Accademia, all students are first enrolled in an Italian language program at the Università per Stranieri or another preparatory institution. This preliminary program is dedicated to improving language skills and introducing students to the European university setting. Additional tutorials will be held weekly and led by Umbra professors at the Umbra Institute for the duration of the program.
Tutorials and workshops are useful academic support to facilitate integration into the Accademia system and to help students succeed in all their courses. Students will also be introduced to hundreds of other international students studying in Perugia.
“Studying at the Accademia was for me the realizing of a long-held dream. Here in Perugia and especially at the Accademia, Italy’s centuries of contribution to the worlds of painting, sculpture, and aesthetic philosophy are constant, palpable sources of inspiration. My professors were passionate about their subjects and included excursions and volunteer opportunities in their courses, such as finger-painting a giant tree with schoolchildren and visits to local museums.”
Catherine Tartaglia
New York University, Class of 2018
Students will continue the immersion experience by living with Italian and/or international students in shared apartments. This placement will further improve their language proficiency and ensure that Italian is practiced both at home and at school. It also allows students to experience university student life in Italy as an Italian with peers from the same academy. Apartments come with fully-equipped kitchens for cooking at home and all students will have access to the University cafeteria which offers wonderful meals – this is Italy after all – at low cost.
Program participants have access to all social and sports activities offered by the Università, which include the Chamber Music Group, University Musical Association of Perugia (Agimus), University Social Center (concerts, shows, plays, exhibitions, and Italian films are shown; students can participate free of charge in the events and can also exhibit their artistic works), excursions (weekend trips organized by the Università to important Italian cities and historical and artistic monuments of Perugia and Umbria), and sports (all students have access to the University Sports Centre of Perugia, the CUS, which organizes athletics, basketball, soccer, swimming, judo, tennis, cycling, volleyball, etc.).
All students receive an ESNP Card (Erasmus Student Network Perugia) for access to all activities, socials, group travel and field trips, local discounts, and more!
