Study Abroad in Italy: History of Art & Italian Studies in Siena – Contact Alumni

Siena Alumni

Melanie Bianco
University of Virginia
2010 Fall, History of Art & Italian Studies in Siena
E-mail Melanie
Hi! My name is Melanie Bianco, and I am a fourth year student (senior) at the University of Virginia. I am a history major, a leadership minor, and I studied abroad with CET during the fall of 2010 in Siena, Italy, studying the Italian language and art history. Some of my most memorable moments during my time abroad were the times I was able to travel and see so many incredibly beautiful places. One of my favorite memories while in Italy is when our group went on a bike tour through the crete senesi riding all around the clay hills of Tuscany, stopping to see panoramic views and vineyards, and finally at the top, resting for lunch and picking fresh figs off the trees. Delicious!

Jill Brandwein
University of Michigan
2011 Spring, History of Art & Italian Studies in Siena
I am a senior at the University of Michigan where I am an Art major. My semester in Siena was more than I could have hoped for, and I found in Siena beauty and charm I’ve never seen, but also a warmth which made me feel at home in this medieval jewel. When I think of Siena, I remember first all of the particularly beautiful places in the city, especially those I discovered on what seems like every walk I took through the city. The longer you spend in Siena, the more you realize it is not at small as you first thought. One experience that sticks out is when my friends and I were celebrating a birthday in a local osteria where photos of regular customers and friends of the owners are on the walls, and the picture that the owners took of us and ended up on the storefront window! The proud Sienese were happy to have new lovers of their city and that was all I needed to know to confirm how I felt about Siena.

Nick Carullo
University of Virgina
2011 Summer, History of Art & Italian Studies in Siena
E-mail Nick
My name is Nick Carullo and I go to the University of Virginia. I studied in Siena, Italy during the Summer of 2011. My favorite memory abroad was dinner with my homestay family every night.

Sara Guenoun
Johns Hopkins University
2011 Summer, History of Art & Italian Studies in Siena
E-mail Sara
I am a Romance Languages major at Johns Hopkins University, and during the summer of 2011 I attended the CET History of Art & Italian Studies in Siena. I attended travelled all around Italy, but the best part of the summer by far was attending the renowned Palio surrounded by the dynamic Sienese people.

Julie Hooper
Bowdoin College
2010 Fall, History of Art & Italian Studies in Siena
2011 Spring, Intensive Italian Language & Culture Studies in Catania
E-mail Julie
I am a Bowdoin senior who loves to travel and just returned from a year abroad, where I studied in both Siena and Catania, Italy. I can now say I am fluent in Italian as well as proficient in Sicilian bargaining, a skill which I honed to perfection arguing with crusty Sicilian fishermen over fillets of swordfish in the markets of Catania.

Ali LeBlanc
Vanderbilt University
2011 Spring, History of Art & Italian Studies in Siena
E-mail Ali
Hello! My name is Ali LeBlanc and I am a member of the Class of 2012 at Vanderbilt University. I studied abroad in Siena, Italy for two semesters, in Summer 2010 and again for Spring 2011 — one semester was not enough! I fell in love with the town of Siena and cannot wait to find a reason to return again. My favorite memory of my time abroad was seeing the Palio in Summer 2010. It is an event that is awe-inspiring and can’t be understood until experienced.