• Overview
  At a glance
  • Program at a Glance
  • Interactive Map
• Academics
  Courses, transcripts & more
  • University
  • Orientation
  • Academics
  • Courses
• Living Abroad
  Housing, meals & more
  • Living Abroad
  • Housing & Meals
  • Resident Director
• Beyond the Classroom
  Travel, excursions & activities
  • Beyond the Classroom
  • Cultural Excursions & Travel
• Dates & Fees
  Itinerary, flights & discounts
  • Itinerary
  • Program Fees

Viareggio or Siena Orientation Courses

Students attend 4 hours of class Monday through Saturday, taught in Italian. The language courses are required of all students in the fall semester and open only to incoming students in the spring. Students must take an online entrance test in order to be admitted to register for any level higher than Elementary Italian I. Students will receive a login and password by email at the end of registration week. Since language requirements are strict at the University of Pisa and the Società Dante Alighieri in Siena, students are often placed in a level lower than requested. Students should make sure their advisors at their home institutions are informed about this to avoid problems concerning transfer of credits.

Online Registation

Please note that students must register online for classes, otherwise they will not be admitted to the courses. Students can register for classes at the following website: www.richmond.it/registration/

Registration week is June 13-19 (fall semester) and November 21-27 (spring semester).

Semester Courses

With the exception of Italian language (which all students must take), courses are taught in English. A minimum enrollment of 10 is required for each course. Semester credits are in parentheses after each course title.

Studio Art

Courses require 25 hours per academic credit. Students purchase their own materials; in some cases, there may be a studio fee. All studio art courses require a minimum of 10 students. Students should budget approximately 130 euros for supplies.

Final grades and evaluations are based on student progress, technical ability, attendance, attitude and adherence of the final product to the material as well as projects given in class. Students enrolling for intermediate or advanced courses must supply evidence of previous study at college level. Students should bring slides of their work to show the instructor. Painting courses use only water-based paints.