The Institute at Palazzo Rucellai
Palazzo Rucellai, designed by
Leon Battista Alberti in the 15th century
The Institute at Palazzo Rucellai comprises the piano nobile or main floor of the grand urban mansion, and classes are held there for visiting students from around the world. Roanoke students may take courses in art history, political science, history, Italian, architecture, drawing, business and other fields. Students are housed with other program participants in centrally located apartments in Florence, equipped with kitchens.
Location
Florence is the historic center of the Italian Renaissance, the capital of Tuscany, and the home of famed works of art such as Michelangelo's David, the Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti, and Donatello's Mary Magdalene. The campanile (tower) of Giotto is paired with the celebrated dome of Brunelleschi in the cathedral group called simply, the Duomo. Florence is a city of over 500,000 population, famed for its goldsmiths on the bridge over the Arno, and for its leather craftsmen in the public market. Students at the Palazzo Rucellai make the city their classroom.
Cost
Roanoke College students pay their tuition, fees and room to the College. Payment for board is done in Italy since students share a kitchen and prepare their own meals. A limited number of students may request to have their financial aid applied to the costs of a term or year with the Institute at Palazzo Rucellai. The competition for award of financial aid to support study abroad takes place each fall term with a deadline of December 1 for the completed Roanoke College application.
Application Deadlines and Procedures
Roanoke students must apply to Umbra Institute through the College's study abroad office in Room 206 of the Administration Building. An initial application to the College for permission to study abroad is followed by the formal application to Umbra, accompanied by a letter of recommendation, an official transcript, and four photographs. The deadline for applying financial aid to study abroad is December 1. The deadline to apply to Palazzo Rucellai without financial aid is April 1 for the fall term (begins in August) and October 1 for the spring term (begins in January). Students must have a 2.5 GPA to study abroad. For more information go to www.palazzorucellai.net
