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Italy

Living and Learning in Siena: Independent Stay and Language Study

Program No. 24536RJ
Live like a local in Siena, Italy! Stay in an apartment and take local language classes while experiencing the culture, people and history of this region of Tuscany.

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We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.

DATES & PRICES

Standard
May 26 - Jul 9, 2024
Standard 10,299
Itinerary Note

This date includes the “Palio di Siena” a historic tradition that dates back to 1633 and is a competition among the city’s districts. This program does not allow roommate matching.

Jul 14 - Aug 27, 2024
Standard 10,999
Itinerary Note

This date includes the “Palio di Siena” a historic tradition that dates back to 1633 and is a competition among the city’s districts. This program does not allow roommate matching.

Sep 15 - Oct 29, 2024
SOLD OUT
Standard 9,999
Itinerary Note

This program does not allow roommate matching.

DATES & PRICES

Standard
May 26 - Jul 9, 2024
SOLD OUT
Standard 12,999
Itinerary Note

This date includes the “Palio di Siena” a historic tradition that dates back to 1633 and is a competition among the city’s districts. This program does not allow roommate matching.

Filling Fast!
Jul 14 - Aug 27, 2024
Standard 13,699
Itinerary Note

This date includes the “Palio di Siena” a historic tradition that dates back to 1633 and is a competition among the city’s districts. This program does not allow roommate matching.

Sep 15 - Oct 29, 2024
SOLD OUT
Standard 12,499
Itinerary Note

This program does not allow roommate matching.

At a Glance

If you have always dreamed of living in Tuscany, experience the very best of this Italian region as you live like a local in Siena! Located one hour from Florence, Siena is central to Tuscany while maintaining a small-town feel. Take in its medieval architecture and pedestrian-dedicated streets as you get an apartment and live like a true Siener for six weeks. Attend daily language classes to improve your conversational Italian, and use these skills as you navigate local markets, public transportation and museums. Join your fellow Road Scholars for lectures, occasional happy hours and meals, and embark on field trips to learn about local vineyards, olive oil mills, cheese factories and more. Become immersed in Tuscan cuisine, culture and way of life during this unforgettable living abroad experience!
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Get around the city on foot and via public transit daily; you’re likely to walk at least a mile or two per day. On field trips, walking up to two miles with some uneven terrain and stairs. Activity level is based on included program elements only.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Attend Italian language classes that will enhance your conversational skills and ability to navigate through daily life in Siena.
  • Enjoy lectures that deepen your understanding of local life and culture on topics from local history to the art of Michelangelo.
  • Embark on field trips to the medieval towns of Lucca and Pietrasanta, visit an olive oil mill in Gaiole in Chianti, and enjoy a cheese tasting in Poder il Casale and a wine tasting in Montalcino.

General Notes

Our “Living and Learning” programs give you the experience of living in a foreign country independently. Included: an apartment; a local, full-time Group Leader to support you; a few meals; 22 language classes; a weekly expert-led field trip; a weekly cafe social; weekend excursions to Florence, Lucca, Pietrasanta, Pienza, Montalcino, Perugia and Arezzo including hotel accommodations; a city handbook and public transit pass. Due to the special nature of this program, we regret that we are unable to match solo participants with roommates. Two 2024 dates of this program coincide with the “Palio di Siena.” This historic tradition dates back to 1633 and is a competition among the city’s districts. The twice yearly event (July 2, 2024 and August 16, 2024) is rich in history and pageantry.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Mario Carniani
A native of Fiesole, Italy, Mario Carniani graduated with honors from the University of Florence with a focus on foreign languages and literature. After pursuing studies on Elizabethan drama in England, he moved on to teach Italian at the British Institute of Florence and English in Italian State schools. He has conducted courses on Italian literature and history for numerous international institutes based in Florence, including Georgetown University and Dartmouth University.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Mario Carniani
Mario Carniani View biography
A native of Fiesole, Italy, Mario Carniani graduated with honors from the University of Florence with a focus on foreign languages and literature. After pursuing studies on Elizabethan drama in England, he moved on to teach Italian at the British Institute of Florence and English in Italian State schools. He has conducted courses on Italian literature and history for numerous international institutes based in Florence, including Georgetown University and Dartmouth University.
Profile Image of Giovanni Guidetti
Giovanni Guidetti View biography
Giovanni Guidetti is an expert in travel with decades of experience. He specializes in Renaissance and Baroque Florentine art as an art historian with a Master’s in Art History from the University of Florence. Giovanni loves to share the beauty of the Tuscan landscape as a professional leader in Florence, Fiesole, and Prato. Currently, he is the Scientific Director at the Museum of Sacred Art of San Donnino. Giovanni has also led lectures and presentations on Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical artists and monuments.
Profile Image of Erika Cennini
Erika Cennini View biography
Erika Cennini has worked in travel since she graduated. In addition to being a Club Med children’s animator, she has been a hotel receptionist, travel agent in Paris where she lived for ten years, an exploration manager around her beloved Italy, a local expert in her native Tuscany, a hiking leader just for fun, and a teacher for Italian students. Erika likes to travel as much as she can and. when working, enriches herself with the stories of people she welcomes in Italy.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
A day in Tuscany: more confessions of a chianti tour guide
by Dario Castagno
Living in Tuscany
by Bruno Racine
Siena and the Sienese in the thirteenth century
by Daniel Philip Waley
Under the Siena sun
by T.A. Williams
Living in Tuscany
by Barbara and Rene' Stoeltie
Living the Palio: a story of community and public life in Siena, Italy
by Thomas W. Paradise
Catherine of Siena: a life of passion and purpose
by Andre' Vauchez





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.