This Program is Directed by
Ansley Rubinstein
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
Join us in Tuscany for an insider’s experience of Italy on this Pre-College summer program for high school students. Based in Siena—a stunning, walled medieval city in the heart of the Tuscan countryside and home to the University of Siena—broaden your horizons with in-depth, field-based seminars ranging from Italian Language to Farm-to-Table. Choose a seminar and—with the nooks of Piazza del Campo or golden hills as your backdrop—dive deep into your subject matter through engaging discussions, site visits, excursions to Florence and Rome, and hands-on projects that immerse you in Italian life.
- Highlights
Practice your Italian language skills with vendors at the local market
Visit an olive farm and learn from local agrotourism experts as you sample delicious oils
Take a cooking class and learn how to make pici, a pasta that originated in Siena
Learn crafts from local artisans like paper marbling, leather making, and ceramics
Visit an olive farm and learn from local agrotourism experts as you sample delicious oils
Take a cooking class and learn how to make pici, a pasta that originated in Siena
Learn crafts from local artisans like paper marbling, leather making, and ceramics
“Her exposure to the food and culture of Siena, past and present, are significant and we continue to hear about what she learned.”
—Gouri & Alexander E., New York, NY
Seminars
Choose a seminar and explore Siena and the surrounding Tuscan countryside through the lens of your chosen subject. Putney seminars combine experiential learning and global perspective, and are intentionally designed to deviate from classroom-centered and text-heavy learning, which many students are used to. Instead, Putney students learn by doing. Begin with discussions that frame your seminar concepts and identify key issues. Take the learning beyond the classroom with site visits, meetings with local experts, guest lectures, and field trips. Siena’s rich historical, architectural, academic, and cultural background makes it the perfect setting for our field-based seminars. Cap off your studies with a final project to share your work with your instructors and peers.
Featured
Instructors
Our Pre-College instructors are accomplished academically and professionally. They bring to each seminar deep content knowledge and experience in their field, as well as enthusiasm for their subjects, a passion for teaching, and a proven capacity to connect with and inspire students. They are dedicated and caring individuals who also live in dormitories with students, sharing in their lives and fully participating in extracurricular activities.
Featured
Instructors
Our Pre-College instructors are accomplished academically and professionally. They bring to each seminar deep content knowledge and experience in their field, as well as enthusiasm for their subjects, a passion for teaching, and a proven capacity to connect with and inspire students. They are dedicated and caring individuals who also live in dormitories with students, sharing in their lives and fully participating in extracurricular activities.
What to Expect
Review specific program expectations here. For more general information:
What to Expect
Review specific program expectations here. For more general information:
Program Structure
Seminar groups meet each morning to introduce and frame key concepts for the day, then head out into the city of Siena or surrounding areas for field-based learning, putting the day’s ideas into practice. Seminar activities are supplemented by fun excursions and immersive cultural experiences in Siena and around Tuscany, including a day in Florence.
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening
Program Structure
Seminar groups meet each morning to introduce and frame key concepts for the day, then head out into the city of Siena or surrounding areas for field-based learning, putting the day’s ideas into practice. Seminar activities are supplemented by fun excursions and immersive cultural experiences in Siena and around Tuscany, including a day in Florence.
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening
“Cecelia left with an understanding and inspiration of how to be a caring positive leader, a deeper love for Italy and the Italian language and a desire to return and experience more.”
—Gianna & Lee A., Longmeadow, MA
This Program is Directed by
Ansley Rubinstein
If you have questions or would like to talk further about this program, please get in touch!
