Living Latin in Rome

Course Description

Living Latin in Rome is an intensive Latin experience set in the city of Rome. In two seminar-style meetings every day, participants read and discuss Latin literature and Roman history and culture. To the extent possible, the language of instruction in these seminars is Latin. 

In addition to the daily seminar sessions, the program includes a variety of optional programming designed to build students’ facility in speaking and understanding Latin, as well as lectures on topics relating to Roman history and culture, and visits to historical sites in Rome. The program also features a trip to an important site outside of Rome that is relevant to the program’s theme. 

The theme for Living Latin in Rome 2027 will be posted here in October. 

Prerequisites

Participants should know the basics of Latin grammar. This usually means the equivalent of one year of college, two years of high-school Latin, or completing Paideia’s self-paced online Living Latin course. No experience speaking Latin is required, but experienced Latin speakers are also encouraged to apply. Paideia alumni and Nexus members are particularly encouraged to apply.

Participants must be 18 years or older. Students under the age of 18 should consider Living Latin in Rome High School.

Classrooms

Classes for Living Latin in Rome take place in modern, air-conditioned classrooms at Cornell University’s Rome campus. 

Teachers

Jonathan Meyer

×

Curriculum Designer / Fellowship Manager

Jonathan Meyer

Jonathan Meyer holds degrees from Calvin College, Yale University, and the University of Kentucky, where he took part in the active Latin program at the Institute for Latin Studies. He is primarily interested in Latin of the Renaissance to the modern period. He was a regular member at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece, and a fellow at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Neo-Latin Studies in Innsbruck, Austria. He also studied under Reginald Foster. Since 2014 he has been an instructor for Living Latin in Rome and has taught occasional courses for Telepaideia. He is currently the primary instructor for Paideia's Rome fellowship. 

Francesca Barbara Ortalizio

×

Reservations Assistant

Francesca Barbara Ortalizio

Francesca is a PhD student in early modern history at the Sapienza University of Rome. She has been collaborating with Paideia since 2022 as a logistics coordinator. Her classical education influenced her entire academic career. Her current interests range between English literature and history of the early modern age. Her doctoral project investigates the first diplomatic relations between India and England around the beginning of the seventeenth century.

Marina Garanin

×

Teacher, Living Latin in Rome

Marina Garanin

Salvete omnes, my name is Marina Garanin, graduated from Heidelberg (Germany) and Oxford. I have been teaching living Latin with Telepaideia and at “Living Latin in Rome”; also, I taught Latin metre and Latin verse composition. I have been practising spoken Latin since the beginning of my studies, and I have been taking part in different Latin (and Greek) speaking events. As I love acting, I also participated at “Thalia” in 2022 (Vicenza, Italy) and this year (Vilnius, Lituania), a Latin theater competition organized by the Schola Humanistica with two original tragedies, “Medeae Daemones” and “Agave”, written by Stefano Vittori, in which I played the parts of Medea and Agave. I write metrical poetry in Latin myself (some of the poems are published in the periodical “Vox Latina” from 2019 on), and I am translating graphic novels into Latin for the editorial “NUBES”. Some of my recitations are available on the app “Legentibus” by Daniel Pettersson from Latinitium. In my free time, besides writing poetry and acting, I like drawing, singing, writing music, and dogs. Also, I have a Latin YouTube channel (Musa Pedestris) where you can find poetry recitations, latin vlogs, livestreams, and other videos in Latin.

Tyler Patterson

×

Instructor, Living Latin in Rome

Tyler Patterson

Tyler is a PhD student in Classics at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and a Senior Rome Fellow of the Paideia Institute for 2021–22. He is an alumnus of numerous Polis, SALVI, and Paideia Institute programs worldwide and is a passionate advocate for active approaches to ancient languages. Broadly interested in the Latin literary tradition as well as the history and legacy of the Roman world, Tyler’s doctoral work focuses on the representation of the city of Rome in Latin literature, especially from c. 1100 to 1455.

Photos

Tuition and Fees

The tuition for Living Latin in Rome is: $2500. This includes instruction, transportation to and from site visits, museum and site admissions, housing during the program’s weekend trip to Sulmona, and three group meals. It does not include housing in Rome. Airfare and transportation to and from the airport are not included, and participants must bring their own edition of the course’s main text.

Housing and Other Costs

Participants must arrange their own housing in Rome (housing during the weekend trip will be provided by the Institute). The Paideia Institute has negotiated discounted group rates with trusted housing providers in centrally located hotels. Approximate rates for each type of lodging for the duration of the program are listed below. Contact information for housing providers and group discount codes (if available) will be provided upon acceptance. Participants will also be able to contact each other to arrange shared housing if desired.

Estimated costs of housing at suggested hotels are below (subject to availability):

Dorm accommodation: $700-900
Hotel room shared with another program participant: $1200-$1600
Single Hotel Room: $1900-$2500
Apartment: $2400-$3300 (total price for a 60 square meter apartment for 3-4 people)

Airfare, transportation to and from the airport, daily expenses for meals, and spending money are not included in the cost of tuition. The cost of life in Rome can vary greatly depending on one’s tastes, but at the very least we recommend that participants budget €25/day for food. Please consider the exchange rate when planning your budget.

Scholarships

The Paideia Institute is able to offer a number of full and partial scholarships to participants with demonstrated financial need. High school Latin teachers interested in attending Living Latin in Rome are encouraged to apply for the Amy High Scholarship. Please visit our scholarships page to learn more and to submit an application. Scholarship applications must be submitted in addition to the admission application by March 1, 2027.

Request an Application

The application will be posted here in October. 

What People Are Saying

“I am already trying to plan my next Living in Latin opportunity! The immersion in the Latin language while simultaneously visiting the sites that were being read and discussed was an unmatched experience. The instructors and participants were all so welcoming and excited to be on the journey together.” --Stephanie Mercer ‘26

“Fantastic experience reading and speaking Latin at the sites where the language was forged. Regardless of your skill level, you’ll find something here to stretch you.” --Theodore Janiszewski ‘26

“A great experience that is definitely worth its price. A deep dive-in into Rome and Roman culture.” --David Stulz ‘26

“The Living Latin in Rome program has been one of the most rewarding educational experiences I’ve ever had. What makes it exceptional is its ability to make Latin feel like a living language. Through constant immersion, I gained confidence speaking, thinking, and interacting in Latin in ways that years of traditional study never achieved.

The curriculum was outstanding. Reading Ovid while walking through the Roman Forum and Sulmona and exploring the city’s monuments and museums alongside the texts brought Latin literature vividly to life. Rome itself became an extension of the classroom. Just as impressive were the instructors, whose scholarship, enthusiasm, and encouragement created an environment where students felt challenged, supported, and inspired every day.

I leave the program with stronger Latin, a deeper appreciation for Roman literature, and renewed excitement to continue reading, speaking, and teaching the language. I recommend this program without reservation to anyone who wants to experience Latin as a living language.” --Tally Beck ‘26

“I am so glad I participated in this program, not only for a wider breadth of Latin knowledge, but also because of the spoken Latin I can now infuse into my classes.” --Amy Skillicorn ‘25

“Spoken Latin combined with various site visits pertaining to our classical studies creates a profound learning environment in which one is constantly reminded why they chose to partake in classical literature. One can use such an experience to raise their Latin learning journey to profound heights.” --Sutherland Smith ‘25

“This has been the best summer school I have ever attended. Latin came to life in a way that it never has before, and I was able to experience it as a living language that can be used for textual exegesis and for everyday communication. This program has reminded me why I became interested in Latin in the first place, and I look forward to continuing my study of the Latin language and its amazing epic tradition.” --Sam Lewis ‘24

“Reading Virgil at sight, discussing him solely in Latin, and doing so before sights that his own eyes may well have beheld -- all sweet delights afforded me by the Institute this summer, over which presided three professors matched in energy only by their erudition. Paideia succeeds in offering an experience delicately poised between labour and leisure: in the classroom rigorous devotion to language and poet feed the mind, while thematic expeditions -- Palatine vistas and Avernal depths -- nourish the soul. All this, too, is enjoyed alongside the hearty camaraderie of newfound friends. Not the most academic of courses -- one does more than sit in a classroom from dawn till dusk -- but sincerely recommended to any who wish to know a work as much through ('lived') context as through text itself.” --Marko Trandafilovski ‘24

“My teaching in general, and of Vergil for AP Latin in particular, has been reinvigorated and energized.  We got through a lot of the Vergil curriculum and visited associated places like Cumae, and discussed all of that in Latin extensively, and intensively!  I will be a better teacher because of the program.” --James Hunt ‘24