Students from around the United States, including Montana and Alabama, are enrolled in the same four-week program in Siena, Italy this month. They're learning about the Palio horse race as they stroll through the Piazza Del Campo (below, left). They're also trying to make sense of the different flags and the idea of neighborhood contrade. But not McCann (above, left). He feels right at home.
"I 100 percent feel a connection to campus being here. From day one, I was already familiar with the traditions. Honestly, walking through the city and seeing the contrada flags, if feels like you're walking to class at Siena College. It's very interesting how familiar it all seems."
Which is perfect for McCann, because it's that Siena feeling that's keeping him tethered to campus during the academic year.
"I'm such a big fan of Siena. I love the College so much. I was not on board for missing a whole semester on campus, so that's why I looked into study abroad programs that allowed me to travel and see the world in between semesters. It was always a dream to go to Italy."
On the weekends, he's traveled to Florence and Rome as well as Budapest, and during the week, McCann is taking two courses through SIS (Siena Italian Studies) Intercultural Study Abroad: Italian Language Course and History of Italian Cuisine. Most tourists travel to Italy to eat the food, not study it. McCann's doing both.
"We sampled different meats in class the other day. Capicola was definitely my favorite."
The students are tracing the history of Italian cooking from the Etruscan era (as far back as 8th century BCE) to modern day through tastings, lectures, and excursions – which include trips to farms, wineries, and a chocolate museum.
McCann and Andy Zygmunt '27 (above, right) are staying with the same host family in Siena, and they'll be living together back on campus in the fall. Their host mother, Sonya, belongs to the Onda (wave) contrada, but McCann and Zygmunt were both assigned to the Chiocciola (snail) contrada as freshmen.
"They sell the flags everywhere here. Andy I just recently bought a snail flag to hang in our room this year."
For Saints, Siena, Italy feels a lot like home. It's nice to know that in the fall, their room back on campus will feel a bit like Siena, Italy.
