Holistic leadership & service-learning study abroad program
LEAD Italy
2027 Dates & Prices Publicly Available on August 24th, 2026
Quintessential Italian Experience
Vibrant Culture
Vineyards and Renaissance
Best For
Students seeking a holistic study abroad experience in Europe
Confidence building and clarity
Students who want to easily explore iconic cities in Italy
Highlights
Four weeks
-
Six hours of academic credit
-
Travel to Rome, Florence & Tuscany
-
Like-minded community of students
-
Innovative curriculum focused on your learning and personal development
-
Step into rich history and vibrant culture
Overview
LEAD Italy is a 4-week study abroad experience designed to balance travel, personal growth, and six credit hours focused on leadership, global citizenship, and civic engagement. Spend two weeks in Rome, living near the Vatican and exploring iconic sites, followed by two weeks in Florence. Spend your days immersing yourself in the art, culture, and culinary treasures of the Renaissance city. Between travel, cultural excursions, and opportunities for independent exploration, this program offers the perfect mix of structure and freedom to make the most of your Italian summer. Connect with your program group through daily shared experiences focused on building friendships within the program. With each shared experience through visiting the Colosseum, countless museums, sight seeing through the cobblestone streets of different Italian cities and frolicking through a vineyard of Tuscany. You’ll leave Italy with countless memories, meaningful friendships, and a stronger foundation in leadership and personal vision.
Next Steps
Request a Sample Itinerary and Join the Priority List!
LeadAbroad makes it easy to study abroad. To learn more about our programs, fill out your information and our team will be in touch soon!
What's Included
Let us do the planning so you can stress less and travel more. Your program fee covers many of the expenses of your time abroad.
Academic Credit
You will enroll in two courses for a total of six credits from Oglethorpe University. Typical LEAD classes are centered around leadership, global citizenship and civic engagement. To provide more flexibility in your course selection, you can choose to label these courses in a variety of disciplines on your transcript under the subjects of leadership, history, politics, sociology or philosophy. Past students say that they have learned more about themselves from our LEAD courses than any other class taken during their college career. Courses focus on who you are as an individual and where you want to go in life. They allow you to define your vision and values in a way that you may have never thought about before, and they provide you with direction after you return home.
Tours & Excursions
Maximize your time abroad as you hop between program locations in Italy with all of your included activities and tours. You’ll feel like you have stepped back in time when you see the Colosseum in Rome and the Duomo in Florence. You will also have opportunities to stretch your comfort zone with independent travel opportunities on several weekends of the program. Our staff is available to help you plan your trips with new friends you meet on the program.
Accommodations
While in Rome, you will stay in safe, comfortable, dorm-style housing with 24/7 security. You will be located in the heart of the city and walking distance from the Vatican, the Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona. Our neighborhood is full of delicious cafes, great coffee shops and the city’s best gelato. You will stay in a single, double, triple or quad room. The housing facility has a shared kitchen, laundry facilities, courtyard and common space. The GO Rome accommodations are located in a safe neighborhood with wireless internet to make it easy to stay in touch with family and friends at home.
Program accommodations are safe, comfortable and centrally located. In Florence, you will stay at Plus Florence near the center of town. In around 15 minutes, you can walk to the Duomo, leather market and some of the most amazing restaurants that the city has to offer. There is also a gym and great common spaces for you to enjoy at our accommodation including a rooftop with incredible views of the city.
Behind the Scenes:
An inside look into life as an Italy student!
