Living in Siena

Siena
CET Center in Siena
Università per Stranieri di Siena
Housing, Meals & Italian Housemates
Excursions & The Palio
Traveling Seminars

Siena 
A medieval city located just south of Florence, and off-the-beaten-path from many other American study abroad programs, Siena offers an ideal location from which to view Italy's rich artistic and cultural legacy. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the city became an important political, financial and artistic center, dominating the rest of Tuscany. Sienese artists took the lead in exploring new concepts in painting and sculpture, and contributed to building the foundation of the Renaissance. The city's golden age passed in the calamitous 14th century, but not before its artists had created their most impressive achievement, the city itself. During the years leading up to the 20th century, Siena withdrew into itself, thus becoming one of the best preserved "living museums" of the Medieval and Renaissance periods.

CET Center in Siena
CET's center is located in a beautiful 16th-century building in the heart of Siena. This building houses the CET office and serves as the program's center where all art history and Italian studies classes are held. The Center is fully equipped with two public computers and wireless internet access, however some students choose to make use of the many internet cafes in town that boast special student rates.


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Università per Stranieri di Siena
CET is affiliated with the Università per Stanieri di Siena (The University of Siena for Foreigners), an 85-year-old institution located in Siena's center. The University is a public institution specializing in the instruction of Italian language and culture. A short walk from student apartments and the CET center, the University is the home of CET's Italian language classes. Classrooms are spacious and well-equipped. The University also offers CET students the use of its library and language laboratories. The laboratories offer an outstanding selection of audiovisual devices, as well as a large video library with more than 500 Italian films.

Summer term housing: Students live in apartments with other CET students, or in homestays with Italian families. Homestays require an additional fee, and students should contact CET if they are interested.

Meals: Meals are not included in the program fee. Students eat in the Università per Stanieri di Siena’s cafeteria or at local cafes, or cook in their apartment kitchens.

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Excursions & The Palio
Students take daytrips to other parts of Tuscany. They might visit wonderful, well-preserved medieval towns such as San Gimignano to see the results of the "Black Death", or Pienzato see an architecturally ideal city. Within Siena, students visit the different contrade, or neighborhoods, while learning about the history of the bi-annual Palio, the horse race which takes place in the iconic Piazza del Campo.

During the summer term, the Palio becomes a central focus of the program. Tourists flock to Siena to witness this annual tradition and CET students have the opportunity to learn about the Palio first-hand, through coursework and extracurricular activities. Learn more about the Palio by clicking here.

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Traveling Seminars
A highlight of CET Siena is the program's traveling seminars. As a part of their Italian Cultural History course, semester students journey to Sicily, exploring historic sites and ancient ruins. While in the city center of Catania, students learn the history of the famous lava stone elephant, a symbol of the city since 1200.

 During the summer term, the traveling seminar comprises day trips to towns in Tuscany.