Experience Italy's legendary culinary traditions and vibrant culture through this immersive summer program designed for high school students. You'll spend three weeks exploring the country's most iconic regions—from the ancient streets of Rome to the Renaissance masterpiece of Florence to the gastronomic heartland of Asti—while learning to cook traditional Italian dishes and deepening your understanding of how food shapes cultural identity.

The program begins with an orientation in Rome, where you'll visit monumental historical sites like the Roman Forum, Pantheon, and Vatican Museum while beginning to practice your Italian language skills at local gelaterias and coffee bars. From there, you'll spend about 10 days living with an Italian host family in the southern regions (such as Cosenza, Ascoli Piceno, or San Sebastiano al Vesuvio), fully immersing yourself in their daily rhythms, home-cooked meals, and local traditions. This homestay experience is central to the program—you'll practice Italian naturally, learn about regional food cultures, and discover how food preparation and sharing are sources of family pride and connection.

The thematic heart of the program takes place in Asti, where you'll attend five days of intensive cooking classes at Agenzia di Formazione Professionale delle Colline Astigiane, a prestigious vocational training center. Under the guidance of professional chefs, you'll learn to prepare classic Italian dishes—risotto, focaccia, tiramisu—as well as regional Piedmont specialties like tagliarini and agnolotti del plin. The curriculum is rooted in Slow Food philosophy, emphasizing locally sourced, seasonal, and organic ingredients. You'll also visit the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo (founded by Slow Food International founder Carlo Petrini), explore the region's agritourism farms, and visit Eataly in Turin to understand how traditional agricultural practices connect to contemporary food markets.

Throughout your journey, you'll develop both technical and interpersonal skills: you'll gain hands-on culinary techniques, improve your Italian language abilities, and strengthen your intercultural communication, problem-solving, and adaptability. The program is structured around experiential learning and cohort-based experiences, meaning your fellow participants become a major source of learning and support, facilitated by trained group leaders with deep expertise in youth education and local knowledge.

This program is ideal if you're passionate about food, culture, and sustainability, or if you want to understand how culinary traditions reflect and shape community values. You'll return home with practical cooking skills, improved Italian language ability, lasting friendships with both Italian families and fellow participants, and a profound appreciation for the connections between food, land, culture, and environmental responsibility.