Katie and friends in front of the Colosseum. (image credit: Katie Fiducia)

Rome or Roma is Italy’s capital. It is a cosmopolitan city with almost 3,000 years of globally influential art, culture and architecture.

Some of the historical and touristic destinations of Rome are Rome Forum, Colosseum, Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basili­ca, The Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain where people throw a coin to assure their return to Rome.

“When you’re living in the same city as the things you’re learning about, the education you are receiving is like no other,” said sophomore Kath­ryn Fiducia, a SNHU student who studies abroad in Rome this semester. “I recently had a professor teach class on Capi­tol Hill right next to the Roman Forum.”

The American University of Rome (AUR) is a newer part­ner to SNHU than FUA. The partnership started in 2013.

“About five SNHU students study abroad in Rome every academic year,” said Stefano Parenti, the director of Study Abroad/Exchange Program.

Location wise, AUR sits neatly upon Gianicolo (Ja­niculum) Hill, offering beau­tiful views of the historic city of Rome. It is a few steps away from Trastevere, a neighbor­hood popular among interna­tional students for its good res­taurants and night lives.

“Rome feels like my home away from home,” said Fidu­cia. “From the cobble-stoned streets to the charming open air markets, you just cannot find anything like that in the U.S.”

This university is a small­er school than SNHU with 500 undergraduate students in 2016, including 250 study abroad students.

“AUR is like a normal col­lege. I have tons of homework to do, projects to present,” said Fiducia. “I really experience the knowledge first hand and that’s something I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

AUR delivers programs in Archeology and Classics, Art Management, Art His­tory, Business Administration, Food Studies, Intensive English Studies, Communication, Ital­ian Studies and many more.

At AUR, students will have the opportunity to experience Roman culture. The school is a diverse community where stu­dents represents more than 40 nations.

SNHU students who stud­ied abroad encourage their fellows to at least spend a se­mester in one of the 13 host countries. “If I didn’t study abroad, I wouldn’t have met my best friend, Dina. Every­one who has the chance should study abroad,” said senior Gab­by Perry.

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