Italy
Living & Learning in Trieste: Independent Stay & Language Study
Program No. 25254RJ
Immerse yourself in the Italian port city of Trieste! Live in your own apartment, take language lessons, enjoy lectures and field trips and uncover the city’s fascinating history.
Enroll with Confidence
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
45 days
44 nights
16 meals
6B 7L 3D
1
In Transit to Program
In Flight
5
Italian Language Class
Trieste
6
Italian Language Class
Trieste
8
Italian Language Class
Trieste
10
Weekend at Leisure
Trieste
11
Weekend at Leisure
Trieste
12
Language Class
Trieste
13
Italian Language Class
Trieste
15
Italian Language Class
Trieste
16
Italian Language Class
Trieste
17
Weekend at Leisure
Trieste
18
Weekend at Leisure
Trieste
19
Language Class
Trieste
20
Language Class
Trieste
22
Italian Language Class
Trieste
At a Glance
In the far northeastern corner of Italy sits Trieste, for thousands of years a flourishing port city coveted by a succession of empires. Spend six weeks here beside the Adriatic Sea, immersing yourself in local culture, learning the language and discovering the remarkable history of the city and surrounding region. Explore Roman ruins, relax in the city’s historic cafes, and marvel at the architecture, much of it reflecting hundreds of years of Austro-Hungarian rule. With other participants, you’ll enjoy weekly happy hours, cooking classes, an exclusive concert and field trips to important historical sites like 8th-century Cividale del Friuli. Live the life of a Triestino!
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Get around mainly on foot; you’re likely to walk at least two miles per day over uneven terrain with slopes. On field trips, walking up to three miles daily with cobblestones, steep slopes and stairs without handrails.
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…
- Live in the heart of Trieste, strolling its piazzas, savoring coffee in its renowned cafes, and exploring centuries of magnificent architecture.
- During classes with your fellow Road Scholars, learn the fundamentals of the Italian language, then practice it as you engage authentically with Triestini in daily life.
- Enjoy a field trip to the 8th-century UNESCO World Heritage site at Cividale del Friuli and the star-shaped Renaissance city of Palmanova.
Suggested Reading List
(21 books)
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.
Living & Learning in Trieste: Independent Stay & Language Study
Program Number: 25254
Saving Italy, The Race to Rescue a Nation's Treasures from the Nazis
In this intense history, Edsel brings readers into WWII-era Milan, the Vatican and beyond, discussing the near destruction of The Last Supper and other timeless works at the hands of the fascists.
Zeno's Conscience
This novel was originally published in 1923. The story is told in the form of a psychological confession by the protagonist, Zeno Cosini, who is a middle-aged man reflecting on his life.
Follow your heart
The novel explores themes of love, personal growth, and the search for meaning in life. It is presented as a letter from an elderly woman aiming to offer wisdom to her granddaughter.
La Bella Lingua
Inebriated with the sounds of Italian, lovesick for its phrases and enamored of its earthy idioms, Hales, "a sensible woman of sturdy Polish stock," dives into the Italian of the piazza, literature, movies and streets in this charming memoir.
Toscanelli's Ray
Wilde-Menozzi’s critically acclaimed novel explores traditional themes of expatriation, immigration and evil within the microcosm of late-20th century Florence and within the span of 15 hours.
The Great Beauty
After his 65th birthday, witty and arrogant novelist Jep Gambardella is blindsided by an ex-lover’s secret. He begins re-examining his lavish lifestyle (nightclubs, parties and cafes) and looking for a different side of Rome. Originally released in 2013.
The Art of Travel
A digressive riff on desire, happiness and how best to experience travel by the Proust scholar and philosopher Alain de Botton who asks: "What is the point of traveling?"
Ernesto
First published in 1975, the novel follows the story of a young boy named Ernesto, set in the backdrop of early 20th-century Italy.
La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind
Italians themselves love this guide to the Italian character, which addresses their never-ending passion for beauty, disorder and high emotion. The book opens with a snapshot of Malpensa Airport, then moves on to Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Sardinia.
Trieste
This novel blends fiction, history, and documentary material to tell the story of the Holocaust. The book follows Haya Tedeschi, an elderly woman in the Italian city of Gorizia (near Trieste), who is searching for her lost son.
The Birth of Venus, A Novel
A rich novel of art, passion and patronage, memorably set in late 15th-century Florence and prominently featuring the famously pious reformer Savonarola.
Tea With Mussolini
Zeffirelli's enchanting autobiographical film about a boy in Florence in the years before World War II, with a cast of great English and American actresses.
The Italians
Italy correspondent for The Economist Hooper explores Italy -- its baffling contradictions, unique character and contemporary culture -- in this illuminating portrait.
Bicycle Thieves
When Antonio Ricci is unable to find work and his bicycle is stolen, the man becomes desperate to support himself and his son. Set in Rome. Winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.
In Other Words
In this complex memoir, award-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri moves to Rome and immerses herself in Italian. Her dual-language book chronicles her courtship with the language, the Italian culture and the difficulties of linguistic exile.
D.H. Lawrence and Italy
This omnibus Penguin Classics edition includes Lawrence's three travel tales, each very different in tone and all wonderful: Sea and Sardinia is a nostalgic look at traditional ways of life; Twilight in Italy, an evocation of Lawrence's memorable stay on Lake Garda; and Etruscan Places, his musings on ancient sites, including the painted tombs of Tarquinia.
As Man Grows Older
First published in 1898, the story centers around the internal struggles of the protagonist, Emilio Brentani, an introspective and somewhat neurotic middle-aged man living in Trieste.
The Agony and the Ecstasy, A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo
An overheated, page-turning fictionalized account of the life of master painter and sculptor Michelangelo -- and a good introduction to Renaissance Florence and Rome.
Survival Kit for Overseas Living
With chapters on cultural baggage, stereotypes and common complaints of American expats, this intercultural classic is perfect for study abroad.
Compact Oxford Italian Dictionary
This hefty companion covers more than 90,000 words and phrases with helpful sections on grammar and culture to better prepare the traveler for a visit to Italy.
La Dolce Vita
As his distraught girlfriend commits suicide and he becomes enamored with a film star (played by the beautiful Anita Ekberg), columnist-playboy Marcello searches for meaning. An enduring classic, set in Rome. Originally released in 1960.
