A Home in Rome: The Partnership That Built Road Scholar’s Presence in Italy
Back in the early 1980s, when Road Scholar was still known as Elderhostel, the model for most programs was to use college campuses as home base when school was not in session.
As Elderhostel began to expand its offerings internationally, first in Canada, then in the U.K. and soon after on the European mainland, that practice continued.
The organization’s first foray into Italy, for example, was done in partnership with Hartford, Connecticut’s Trinity College, which had established a campus in Rome in 1970. Starting in 1983, Road Scholar participants used the campus as a base to explore the city, enjoying lectures and other learning experiences in the classrooms and staying in the Trinity dormitory — a former convent.
The popularity of those early Rome programs led Road Scholar to look beyond the city for other educational opportunities throughout Italy. For help, they turned to their Trinity College partners, who were well-versed in program development and, even more important, well-connected throughout Italy to the kinds of people who could create meaningful, authentic experiences for participants.
It was also around this time (the early 1990s) that a change in the travel preferences of Road Scholar participants was occurring. The baby boomer generation was less keen on staying in college dormitories and more interested in overnighting at well-regarded hotels and lodges. The logistics of arranging those stays in Italy — and the in-country travel that would be required for multi-stop programs — were also things Road Scholar was able to put in the capable hands of the Trinity team.
As new programs sprang up virtually everywhere in Italy, from Tuscany to Umbria, Florence to Venice, Sicily to the Dolomites, the Trinity-Road Scholar partnership flourished. So much so, in fact, that the college established Cultural Programs in Italy (CPI) as an entity separate from its student-focused operations, to work almost exclusively on Road Scholar programs.
Fast-forward to today, when CPI manages roughly half of all Road Scholar programs in Italy; fittingly, the number will reach 26 in 2026. According to Sarah Rita, program manager at Road Scholar, the number of annual participants stands at 2,500 and rising, spread out over roughly 130 departures.
The team at CPI works with site coordinators in Italy who have extensive personal networks that enable them to secure unique educational opportunities for Road Scholar participants. Jules Miller, director of the CPI, says: “Our site coordinators work magic. Personal relationships are everything in our program-building. I just recently had a site coordinator tell me she had used her connections to secure some tarantella dancers for a new Grandparent Adventure program in Amalfi. No idea how she pulled that off.”
Longtime site coordinator and Group Leader Mara Mori shares some insight into how it happens. She says: “I’ve always relied on friends and local contacts. For instance, the enchanting concert we offer in Malcesine at a stunning 15th-century venue came about through my friendship with the pianist, who is a conservatory professor, and the local mayor. On an island in Lake Maggiore, a lifelong family friend runs a restaurant where he serves our participants a unique lake fish menu he never offers to other guests.” Marveling at her work, one participant offers, “Mara seems to know everyone, and we are welcomed as her friends, not just tourists.”
Jules’ team regularly finds and delivers special experiences like that. A visit to a shoemaker’s workshop in Sicily. A pizza-making class in Sorrento. A swim at a Tuscan farm on a hot summer afternoon. These are the kinds of signature touches that set Road Scholar apart, and that make CPI such an important partner.
For site directors, the rewards come in the form of joyous reactions from program participants. One of them took the time to share this with us: “The food and wine were particularly fantastic since Mara customized the food to the region and made sure that we got to experience the local flavor of each of the regions we visited. This attention to detail was what made Mara so valuable to our learning experience. She knows this region of Italy like the back of her hand and was so willing to engage with everyone, getting to know us so that she could add something special, unique and personal for each Road Scholar. The fact that Mara has her Ph.D. in history added so much to the insights we got from her. I came back with a list of about 20 books and movies that I will take as ‘homework from the professor.’ Wow!!! Having been on other RS trips with very good Group Leaders, I can say with confidence that this is the best trip I have ever taken, and it is largely because of Mara Mori. Grazie mille.”
From a modest home in Rome to a countrywide menu of fascinating learning experiences, Road Scholar’s growth in Italy has been steady, and we owe much of it to our dedicated partners at Trinity. It’s a relationship we will be proud and happy to continue long into the future. Grazie mille from us, as well!