Build Your Own Semester | Umbra Institute in Italy

The staff at Umbra, whether professors or office administrators, is incredibly friendly and helpful for anything you may need. You will absolutely have opportunities to explore Italy between the trips planned by the student services team or from the trips that may be a part of your classes. Or even if you are looking for information about your own travels, the professors and staff members are full of great recommendations and bits of advice for your travels.

Had such an amazing study abroad semester with the Umbra Institute! Having participated in two of this program's community engagement commitments, I was able to learn more about Perugia's culture and the people through my major. Along with this, the professors I had cared deeply about our learning and were passionate about what they taught (especially props to Italian Prof. Livia). Likewise, I loved Umbra Institute for its tight-knit community, which I was involved in through a work study job as a front desk receptionist. Overall, the program provided me with so many opportunities to immerse myself with the school and Perugia as a city! If you are seeking a study abroad program that values fostering a close community, I highly recommend the Umbra Institute!

Had a great time with Umbra. They are very helpful and have always been there to provide help with resources and advice on how to navigate the city of Perugia. They have always been very transparent about class and schedules!

The city, the people, the classes, the staff— you cannot even begin to describe how incredible this program is and how it has changed my life. I have built long-lasting relationships while working and serving a community that now means the world to me. The smaller city vibe makes the most authentic experience possible. I always wanted to study abroad in Rome or Florence, but Perugia was the only city available. And thank goodness it was. Being at the Umbra Institute was the biggest blessing in my life so far. I was able to become very close with my classmates, professors, and staff members that would not have been possible in other places. I have found meaning and authenticity in my studies, balanced travel, a social life, and felt SO supported in my time here.

I loved so much about my experience here. There were so many wonderful opportunities to visit cool places, and tons of events to go to. The classes were very interesting and all of the professors and staff are lovely. I had so much fun seeing and trying all the new things.

I had an incredible experience with this study abroad program and would highly recommend it to anyone considering going abroad. From start to finish, everything was well organized, and I felt supported every step of the way. The program made it easy to adjust to living in a new country, and the staff were always available to help with any questions or concerns. One of the best parts of the experience was the opportunity to fully immerse myself in a new culture. I was able to explore the city, try amazing local food, and meet people from all over the world. The program also did a great job of balancing independence with support, giving me the freedom to grow while still providing helpful resources. Academically, the courses were engaging and offered a unique perspective that I wouldn’t have gotten at my home university. I learned so much both inside and outside of the classroom. Overall, this program exceeded all of my expectations. It helped me grow personally, academically, and culturally, and it’s truly an experience I will never forget. I would absolutely give it 10 stars and encourage others to take advantage of this opportunity!

Umbra made sure to make the student feel welcomed and at home right away. The staff is always available if you need help. They’re always planning different activities to bring the students together which is great. They’re always giving you recommendations for places to go to so you don’t feel lost. Overall I’m very happy that I chose Umbra and wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

My experience in Perugia, Italy was absolutely incredible! The program that I chose was the perfect fit for me. The courses that I took abroad really interested me and I feel that I gained so much more knowledge from them. Many of the courses provided included hands-on activities and real life applications. We had the opportunity to go into the Italian community and apply everything we had learned in the classroom. The program provided cultural immersion experiences by hosting Tandem events where Italian students and Umbra students would get together for an aperitivo and practice having conversations in Italian or learning more about the Italian culture. The apartment I lived in was wonderful. It was right by the city center and the Umbra Institute. This location was very convenient and I loved being in the center of a small Italian city. The staff and professors are very helpful, friendly, and overall very supportive of their students. If you are looking to improve your Italian, live in a small city surrounded by stunning nature and panoramic views, and take classes that really enhance the application of your learning, the Umbra Institute is the perfect program for you!

Overall, my time at the Umbra Institute in Perugia was great! The staff are some of the friendliest, welcoming, and patient people I've met. Their support made the transition to living in Italy quite easy. The living situation was great! Students are housed in apartments in the city center all within a fifteen-minute walk from school. My apartment was very spacious. The academics at Umbra were not too challenging and the professors are all passionate about the classes they teach. Additionally, the Umbra Institute offers a variety of specialty programs such as the Multicultural Psychology Program and the Food and Sustainability program. Although I was not in those programs I took a class in the FSE program and it was my favorite class of the semester. Even though I wasn't in the MPP or FSE program my classes were still interesting and counted towards credit at school. This program is great for anyone looking to study abroad in a small city and be surrounded by a close-knit community.

I loved Perugia and getting to experience small town Italy. The umbra institute was very welcoming and helpful. Honestly my classes were a little boring and lack luster but everything else was great. I loved everyone I met. I had the best time getting to know Italian culture and traveling Europe.

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I loved everything about this program, it really felt like a tight knit community which is what I was hoping for when I applied. You get to know the other abroad students, the faculty, and local Italians very well. I also really got to know the city.

I submitted my application at 11: 56 on a Thursday night. On a whim, bored of my college. It was more a fantasy than anything, like making to-do lists you know you won't complete just to get that feeling of validation, like you actually have your life together. Italy is a romanticized place I think in many cultures, the old music, pasta, mamma mia. Let me tell you, best decision ever. Perugia is a town masquerading as a city, with winding small alleys, local flair, this community is more tight knit then my one back home, even with a language barrier. Through a poster hung in Umbra, I joined a speleology group. Caving. And if there is one way to learn Italian quickly, it's by hanging 100 feet above a darkened maw of abyss and your instructor speaks Italian, and you don't. Or, after being adopted as the odd american girl, being lowered from a clocktower as a trial for a local festival for La Befana, You want cultural immerion, what a way to get it. And for those not wanting to suspend their life by some rope, Umbra has so many options to get involved, just ask the kind, amazing, angels at the student services. I got to see so much of Italy and their surrounding, and not so surrounding, countries with the raveworthy train systems. The food, dear god, has made me consider who I can marry to get a visa. I got comfortable being uncomfortable here, who are you when you strip away your ability to communicate verbally, what are your habits when your culture is not there to reinforce them, how do you adapt, how do you stay the same. I say without a doubt that a semester abroad was a great thing for me, and the true Italian experience found at Umbra made it so much better. If I had gone to a city, an actual city with its globalization, I think I would have found it lacking the Italian culture I discovered here. You can find a community here, in the students, and the people.

Good classes, wonderful staff, incredible community, opportunities for further immersion. Could not recommend this program more. Some of the best few months of my life. Made lasting friends both within the program and in the local community of Perugia, learned a ton about Italian culture and sustainable food system (the Food, Sustainability, and Environmental Studies program is the best Umbra has to offer.)

Umbra Institute was an incredible study-abroad experience. I loved my time in Perugia, it is such a beautiful and manageable city. The institute was in a perfect location in a building with amazing views! The staff were so lovely and helpful at every step of the way (they even helped me navigate a foreign medical system seamlessly). The teachers were all very educated and entertaining - I truly learned a lot. The housing, though different for everyone, was a dream come true for my roommate and me - a beautiful apartment close to the center with all the appliances we could need. The size of the school was perfect for a not-too-overwhelming social life yet a very warm and welcoming community. I made amazing friends (both American and Italian), and memories thanks to the Umbra Institute. I would absolutely recommend this program to someone who is looking to study in Italy.

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My experience at The Umbra Institute in Perugia, Italy exceeded my expectations! The small class sizes and friendly staff makes the school feel like a close-knit community. And the diverse array of courses and disciplines allows you to make connections with others and broaden your global knowledge. Lastly, the charm and beauty of Perugia makes for a wonderful backdrop to an abroad experience!

While my time in Perugia was short, the wonderful people at Umbra ensured that it was rich with impactful experiences and top-notch hospitality. There wasn't a single day where I didn't have something to brag home about the people I met or the activities I participated in. I miss it already!

Spring, 2023. Upon arriving into the city center of Perugia, I was filled with awe. I had made a last minute, spontaneous decision to study abroad and it had finally hit me that I was about to ride a 4 month roller coaster. The people who greeted me in Italy, Student Services, made me feel very welcome and safe. The process of transitioning into Italy was easy with their help and guidance. The living arrangement was everything I would have wanted. I didn't know a single person, so I was glad to have roommates. Good space, full kitchen, sunset views of the city from the back yard.. (I could go on but I am forced to keep this sparse). The city of Perugia has plenty of great food. What you will get in Perugia is the best Cafe experience. My second time into my favorite Cafe for a cappuccino, the owner knew my order, greeted me like I was family, and made my day. He proceeded to do that the next 50 times I went into his Cafe too. If that sounds excessive, just know that a cappuccino, the best I have ever had, was $1.30. People and locals are amazing and authentic Italian, the architecture is simply breathe taking, and the food is terrific. My only criticism of Umbra is that some of my classes had me begging for more. I am a studious student in my home university, and although I was not taking classes that were directly related to my Major, I still love to learn. Two of my classes felt a little lazy in their day-to-day activities. That being said, the other 3 classes I took were truly fun to attend. The capstone field trips that some classes have are amazing! So is the Amalfi Coast Trip that they planned for us. It seemed a little bit expensive, but everyone that went agreed that it was worth it. In General, because Umbra Institute is small, the people you meet truly become a little family. The school offers so many unique activities. My friend and I, on a whim, started our own Podcast show in the Umbra Podcast room which everyone can use. They even helped me plan a trip for me and 15 other kids to go to natural Hot Springs in the middle of Tuscany. I don't want to be negative in this review but I must include that Florence, albeit a very beautiful and rich city, is not even close to Perugia. You will be swallowed by American tourists and students at every corner. I won't ever forget my Umbra experience.

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I spent three and a half months in Perugia studying with the Umbra Institute, and there was not a single day when I didn't wake up bursting with happiness like an overripe grape. As my friend Sierra wrote below (ciao, Sierra!) there were times that I had to remind myself that this was my real life, not just a sogno, a dream! This absolute overload of happiness is thanks to the caringness of the people at the Umbra Institute. From our first wobbly steps off the plane at the Roma Termini Airport, Umbra staff members swept us swiftly under their wings. Umbra helped me enroll at L'Università per Stranieri (the University for Foreigners) where I took Italian language courses and joined the choir Voci Dal Mondo, making friends from over 12 nations. Umbra also was the one who set me up with my host family in Perugia, the wonderful Orfeo Ambrosi and Rosmunda Fontanelli, who took care of me as though I were their overgrown American grandchild! Leaving Perugia, I cried enough to become my own small aqueduct. I understood that such a beautiful experience might never come to me again. When would I ever meet such a jumble of spirits and nationalities in my life? When would I ever feel such a sense of possibility and freedom? Perhaps never again. But I am so glad that I did feel this once.

How do I even begin? My time in Perugia with the Umbra institute consistently felt like a dream (seriously, I had to remind myself that it was my reality at some points). I have never met such caring administrators and teachers, let alone people. There was never a moment I felt home sick, because the Umbra Institute created a home for me immediately upon my arrival. I was directly enrolled at Università per Stranieri di Perugia (University for foreigners of Perugia) in an intense, full-immersion Italian program. This opportunity the Umbra Institute provides is merely magical- I befriended students from China, Russia, Switzerland, Hungary, Iraq, and Kyrgyzstan- interesting, like-minded people I wouldn't have even had the chance to meet otherwise. I made sure to keep myself immersed and busy in the local community as well- I took cello lessons, participated in tandem/exchange buddy events, and volunteered as an English teaching assistant at the High School. All of these experiences have inspired me to return to Italy in the near future to pursue a masters degree. This was truly the best 3.5 months of my life, and my only regret was not staying longer. Grazie tanto a Umbra Institute per tutto!

Studying abroad at Umbra was the greatest choice I've made in my life. Staff is top notch, school is central and they make adjusting to a new country easy and stress free. While studying abroad I was constantly in a euphoric state, a feeling I may never feel again in my lifetime. Umbra provided fun activities and I couldn't dream of a better program. The community is welcoming, and I've built friendships that will last forever.

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