Starting spring semester of 2016, the pilot program for Saint Anselm College’s recently announced Semester in Orvieto will kick off.

The program is being overseen by Professor David George of the Classics department and Sarah Goolkasian, Director of the Study Abroad Office.

Located in southwestern Umbria, Orvieto has been the site of an archaeological dig overseen by George and his colleague, Professor Linda Rulman, for the past ten years.

The new study abroad program will expand upon relationships those professors have made through the Institute for Mediterranean Archaeology and consist of a two and a half month trip abroad.

“Basically, you sign up for stuff at Saint A’s, you pay your Saint A’s tuition,” George said. “You keep your financial aid; the only extra thing you have to pay is a plane ticket.”

“It’s going to run similarly to any other semester abroad program,” Goolkasian said, “except that this is going to be headed up by a Saint A’s faculty member.”

For the pilot program and first few years after, George will be overseeing the program in Orvieto.

In the future, faculty members in residence will rotate.

During their time in Italy, students will take four courses taught in English, including a core course tour that will take students across Italy in pursuit of visiting major historical cities and museums.

Courses will vary from year to year, and the inaugural course list should be finalized in March.

George said the program will attempt to tailor offerings to the interests of participating students while fulfilling as many core requirements as possible.

Rulman added that all courses will “Be vetted before anyone steps foot [in Italy]. You don’t have to worry about whether a course is going to count for Saint A’s credit, because it will be a Saint A’s course.”

One such potential (and primed to be a favorite) course, Food, Wine and Culture: Ancient to Modern, will explore Italian culture, especially cuisine and winemaking in Italy, from ancient times to today.

Housing will consist of two bedroom apartments—four students to an apartment—in recently refurbished units spread across the Centro Storico (Historical District) on the mesa.

Students will do their own shopping and cooking in the apartments.

“The first day that you’re there, we give instruction on how to shop, where to shop,” George said. “It’s really cheap to eat in Italy.”

Housing is within walking distance of campus, and students will have easy access to trains that can take them to Rome (an hour’s ride) and Florence (an hour and a half), among others.

While students will be able to visit many of Italy’s landmarks through the core course tour, most weekends will be available for students to go out and explore Italy and Europe on their own.

Rulman says there are plenty of opportunities to turn the tour into an extended weekend.

For example, “The tour will go to Rome on Friday, and then you would have the opportunity of just staying there for the weekend and then taking a train back,” she said. “There’s also Spring Break.”

The program is meant for students to be able to experience another culture within the familiar educational landscape of Saint Anselm.

The location of the program is also in close proximity to major Benedictine landmarks, including the birthplace of Saint Benedict and Monte Casino.

“Along with the ancient pagan world, we’ll do the medieval Christian and the Renaissance,” George said. “We’ll make a point of going to a number of places that are important in the history of Benedictine monasticism.”

Kate Preble has participated in the Umbria dig across two summers and will be applying to go back to Italy for the Spring semester.

“Orvieto has started to feel like home,” she said. “You can learn so much about Italian traditions, culture, art and music. Orvieto is the perfect study abroad place for people who want to travel but also feel at home.”

When asked about spots to visit, she said Assisi. “That city is probably the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.”

Joining Preble on the last two digs was Kelsey Latsha. Also a junior, she expressed interest in the study abroad program and is excited to have George and Rulman leading it.

“They are great teachers who know so much about the subjects they teach,” she said. “They will make sure that the whole semester will be a great learning experience for everyone who attends.”

Sophomores, juniors, and seniors are eligible to participate, and can fill out an application to be considered for the pilot program.

In addition to maintaining a 2.0 GPA, students must also write an essay outlining their goals for studying abroad.

Goolkasian says that ten to fifteen students will participate in the pilot, and once the program has gotten its footing the number of students accepted will grow to between fifteen and twenty.

Ultimately, she hopes that the program will help expand students’ horizons.

When asked to sum up her goal for the program, she said “Getting more and more Saint A’s students out and experiencing the world beyond New England, New Hampshire, Saint A’s. To open up their eyes to see what it’s like to live and experience another culture.”