My name is Kate and I’m an undergraduate at the College of William & Mary. I’m a double English and Italian Cultural Studies major and was enrolled in the General Studies courses at Umbra. The entire Umbra faculty and staff work overtime to make sure that your stay in Perugia is an enjoyable one and their effort really shines through in all of the activities offered at the Institute. Beyond our classes, which range from the History and Culture of Italian Food to Ceramics to International Marketing, Umbra offers extracurriculars like Tandem cultural exchanges where American students can meet and practice their Italian with local Italian university students (who are just as anxious to practice their English!), choir rehearsals, Umbra soccer and softball, and tons of opportunities to give back to the community including tutoring English at a local Italian high school or making Pigotta dolls for UNICEF.

There is so much that I love about Perugia that I know it already has a permanent spot in my heart. From touring the local cafes filled with welcoming locals to finding new spots to workout (even if I look a bit silly to the Italians), I’ve walked every bit of this city. There are a lot of reasons to choose Perugia but at the end of the day it’s the city in Italy that feels the most like home. I may be an American fish-out-of-water here, but I’ll be an adopted Perugini-out-of-Italy when I get back to the States.

I’d love to answer any questions you have about studying in Perugia with Umbra!