Student Life

Love ancient Rome? Want to throw yourself into all Italy has to offer? Then you’ll find a home at the Centro.

The Spirit

Is a toga or stola your go-to Halloween outfit?  Does Pupienus rank among your favorite emperors?  Do you have strongly-held opinions about gelato flavors?  Many Centristi come from institutions with a small albeit dedicated group of Classics students; others come from larger programs.  At the Centro, they bond together in a cohesive cohort, exploring sites ancient and modern, owning their nerdiness, and dashing off for weekend trips to Florence, Venice, and beyond.

The Food

The Centro’s kitchen staff is loving, generous, and perhaps too talented.  Monday through Friday, you enjoy three hot meals daily, including three-course dinners.  Lunch and dinner are family-style in the Centro’s mensa.  When the Centro hits the road for day-trips, a complimentary bag lunch keeps Centristi energized.  On the weekends, Centristi explore open-air markets, dine at picturesque Roman restaurants, or whip up a meal with the Centro’s refrigerators, microwaves, and barbecue.

The Building

Situated on Rome’s Janiculum Hill, the Centro’s physical home is a former convent.  Students sleep, eat, and attend some classes here.  Double and single bedrooms are furnished with beds, dressers, desks, and vanity, and there are both communal and private full bathrooms on each residential floor. The Centro’s extensive library, stunning garden, and student lounge offer popular spots for studying and hanging out.

The Centro is proud of our gender-inclusive housing policy.

The Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies is committed to providing gender- inclusive housing for its students. As part of their housing questionnaire, all students are invited to share in their own words their gender identity, gender expression, and any preferences they may have with regard to roommates both at the ICCS center in Rome and on field trips. Students who identify as transgender, non-binary, gender non- conforming, or genderqueer are also invited to share with ICCS faculty and staff their preferred rooming groups for overnight field trips in advance of those trips. Every attempt is made to match students to housing that fits their individual needs.

“The Centro is a full-package deal -- A full semester of room, board, education, travel, and access to some of the most amazing historical, architectural, cultural, and just plain bizarre sites one can imagine. And most importantly of all, as a student, you are not in some foreign land all alone without a support network or companionship. At the Centro, you are instantly part of a community of like-minded people who share a love and curiosity for all that is Rome, ancient and modern.”

– Lauren MacKenzie Petit, Smith College

The Neighborhood

The Centro building is located in Monteverde Vecchio, a quiet residential neighborhood filled with cafes, restaurants, grocery stores, gelato shops, and its own fifth-century basilica (with catacomb!) – all within walking distance from the building. 

Rome’s largest public park, the Villa Doria Pamphili, is just a three-minute walk up the block from the Centro building.  It is the perfect place to go on a run, kick a soccer ball with friends, try out your Italian, spread out a blanket for a picnic, and explore. 

Public transit stops across the street from the Centro building, and all Centristi are given prepaid public transit passes for the semester.

A short walk downhill from the Centro building lands you in Trastevere, a vibrant neighborhood boasting a beautiful piazza, lively restaurant and bar scene, and shopping.  On weekends, you’re sure to meet undergraduates from other study abroad programs, as John Cabot University and the American University of Rome have large campuses nearby.