Living and learning in Italy: Education abroad program celebrates 40 Years

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The May arrival of 13 Penn State students to the Italian hilltop community of Todi will mark the 40th summer of a partnership between Penn State and the town. Known colloquially as “The Todi Study Abroad Program,” the official program title has changed over the decades to match evolving academic and societal areas of focus. Since 1986, over 700 Penn State students have spent the summer studying Italian language, culture, art history, visual arts and history while experiencing a true taste of Umbrian culture by living with host families and joining in their daily meals, family events and local traditions.

To mark the anniversary, Penn State faculty members Jason Laine, associate teaching professor of Italian, and Guiseppe Bruno-Chomin, assistant professor of Italian, have planned reunion celebrations in Florence and Todi this summer, inviting previous students, professors, host families and local friends to join in these events.

Any friend of the Todi study abroad program who would like more information about the anniversary celebrations can contact Laine at jcl20@psu.edu.

Why Todi as a study abroad location?

The region of Umbria is often called the green heart of Italy, known for its dense forests, rolling hills and quiet natural beauty. Among its historic towns is Todi, an artistic and endearing hilltop city defined by a luminous central piazza, medieval palaces and Gothic churches. Captivated by Todi’s scale, history and pace of life, Penn State faculty created a study abroad program rooted in immersion. Students learning in Todi engage directly with Italian language and culture, the layered study of art and history, and the authentic rhythms of small town Italian life.

The program was founded in 1986 by Professor Vincent Virgulti (1942–23), then a faculty member at Penn State’s Ogontz Campus, now Penn State Abington. Having studied in Umbria himself, Virgulti recognized Todi’s potential as a study abroad destination when he visited the town of roughly 6,000 residents. Its Etruscan and Roman roots, paired with medieval and Renaissance architecture, made it an ideal setting for coursework in language, art and cultural history. The small size of Todi itself was central to Virgulti’s vision; he described it as “a practical place where students can control their environment,” allowing for deep immersion rather than surface-level tourism. With the help of painter Piero Dorazio (1927–05), Virgulti established connections with local officials, and Dorazio’s assistant and student, Graziano Marini, became the program’s first on‑site organizer.

Nearly four decades later, Penn State’s Todi, Italy, summer program stands as the longest continuously run faculty‑led program in the Penn State Global portfolio. More than 700 students have studied, lived and learned in Todi, forming generations of alumni whose undergraduate or graduate experiences abroad continue to shape their academic, professional and personal lives.

Student engagement and impact

From the outset, the program was intentionally interdisciplinary and open to all majors, with no previous Italian language experience required. As Italian professor Alfred Triolo (1927–22) noted at the time, the focus was on serious engagement rather than disciplinary specialization.

Originally titled "Cultural Heritage and Italy Today," the seven‑week program combined Italian language instruction, art history and hands-on visual arts courses in design, graphic art and majolica. Language classes were taught by local collaborators, while art practicums were led first by Marini and later by Penn State faculty. Students lived with host families or in a local pensione, participated in town life and traveled throughout central and northern Italy. Early promotional materials emphasized not only disciplinary knowledge but perspective, promising students an internationally informed way of understanding both Italy and their own cultural assumptions.

Student testimonials from the program’s early years underscore its impact. Participants consistently described the experience as transformative, citing increased cultural awareness, motivation to return to Italy,and the value of learning alongside students from different majors and academic backgrounds. This diversity — spanning undergraduate and graduate students from across the University — became one of the program’s enduring strengths.

Over time, the program evolved in response to curricular priorities and student needs. In the 2000s, the focus shifted more fully to language and culture, while maintaining coursework in art history and visual arts, and the program was renamed "Todi, Italy: Italian Language, Art History, and Culture." Excursions expanded across multiple regions, with overnight stays in Florence, Naples, Venice and Rome, complemented by local activities such as visits with violin makers, wood inlayers, majolica artists and rare book and manuscript archives in and around Todi. The guiding goal of the program remained the same: fostering intercultural competence through sustained engagement with Italy’s cultural heritage.

Re-imagining a historic study abroad program

A three‑year hiatus from 2020 to 2022, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, marked the most significant interruption in the program’s history; however, in 2023, the program was successfully re-launched by faculty from Penn State’s Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. Significant work went into rebuilding community partnerships, vetting new host families and re-establishing on‑the‑ground connections.

In 2024, collaboration expanded to include Penn State’s Department of History, broadening curricular offerings and strengthening the program’s financial sustainability. Reflecting this evolution, the program adopted its current name: "Todi, Italy: Italian Language, History, and Culture." Today, students enroll in Italian language courses at multiple proficiency levels alongside courses in art history and Italian culture or history taught in English.

What has remained constant throughout the program’s history is its relationship with Todi itself. Institutions such as the La Lingua La Vita language school, alongside generations of host families and local collaborators, have helped create an environment where students are not visitors, but temporary residents. Many alumni recall daily routines — shopping in local markets, commuting through the piazza, sharing meals with host families — as central to their learning.

Looking ahead

Penn State remains committed to providing immersive education abroad experiences for students in all majors and at all campuses. Penn State Education Abroad staff assist students in selecting study abroad programs that align with academic, career and personal goals.

As Penn State prepares to celebrate the 40th iteration of the Todi program this summer, the milestone reflects decades of trust, collaboration and shared investment between a university and a community. For the students who have called Todi home, even briefly, the program’s legacy is not only academic, but profoundly human.

For more information, visit the Penn State Global website.