CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations on your selection as a 2024-2025 Paideia Rome Fellow. We are thrilled to work with you in the coming year. Please read through the following information carefully and fill out the form at the bottom of the page by May 1, 2024. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]. 

OVERVIEW OF THE FELLOWSHIP YEAR

FALL TERM

The fall term, lasting from September to December, is designed to familiarize fellows with the multi-layered and complex city of Rome in all periods, from Romulus and Remus to Pope Francis. The curriculum includes:

• A Fellowship seminar
• A Latin seminar
• Italian classes
• Site visits and day trips in and around Rome
• Multi-day trips to the Bay of Naples and Florence

Fellowship seminar. The fellowship seminar consists of a series of lectures on various topics relating to the city of Rome, including:

• Topography
• Archaeology
• The history of Rome and Italy, with an emphasis on post-classical history
• The origins and development of the Christian church
• Art and architecture

Some time during each seminar will be set aside for discussions of readings on a given topic assigned for that week.

Latin seminar. The goal of the Latin seminar is to read a wide range of Latin authors from all periods, to review Latin grammar, and to increase proficiency in active Latin.

Italian classes. Fellows will attend formal Italian classes throughout the fall term.

Site visits. Weekly site visits acquaint fellows with all of the major sites and monuments in Rome and its environs. There will be two short site visits per week in the city of Rome, as well as a number of extended day trips to important sites in and around Rome, such as Ostia, Tivoli, and the Via Appia. You will be asked to prepare at least one site report per week on an assigned topic--usually involving some artifact, monument, or other item of interest encountered during a weekly site visit--and to deliver the report on site.

Multi-day trips. The fall term also involves multi-day trips to the Bay of Naples and Florence.

• The trip to the Bay of Naples (9 days) includes visits to Cumae, Baiae, Vesuvius, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento, Capri, Ischia, and Naples.
• The trip to Florence (5 days) provides a comprehensive introduction to the museums and monuments of the city, with a focus on Renaissance art and architecture.

You will be asked to prepare and deliver additional site reports for these multi-day trips. You will be provided with a detailed schedule of site visits, day trips, and multi-day trips at the beginning of the program.

LOCI IN LOCIS

During the fall term, you will be asked to write a short article for Loci in Locis, a column in Paideia’s online journal, In Medias Res. Articles for Loci in Locis pair classic “places” in Rome -- sites, monuments, artifacts, or works of art -- with classic texts that bring these "places” to life, replicating on a small scale the context-based learning experience provided by Paideia’s Living Latin and Greek programs. You will collaborate with the editors of In Medias Res in selecting an appropriate topic and writing and refining your article, which will be published online in the spring. An archive of past submissions to Loci in Locis can be found here.

WINTER AND SPRING TERM: CLASSICAL TOURS

While the fall term is spent exploring the sites and monuments of Rome (as well as the Bay of Naples and Florence), the winter and spring term will give you the opportunity to gain on-the-ground teaching experience with high school and college students. 

From January to June, you will be involved in leading groups of high school and college students around Rome, the Bay of Naples, Florence, and elsewhere as part of Paideia’s Classical Tours program. The weeks leading up to each tour will be spent designing the tour curriculum in conjunction with the head teacher, developing text packets to be used on tour, and making logistical arrangements for the tour. Once students for a particular tour arrive in Rome, you will accompany the group for the duration of the tour, facilitate housing, transport, and other logistical issues, and lead walking tours and visits to sites and monuments in Rome, the Bay of Naples, and Florence.

LIVING LATIN IN ROME HIGH SCHOOL

Fellows will also be involved in teaching in the Living Latin in Rome High School (LLiRHS) program, which takes place in the first two weeks of July. For more information on the LLiRHS program, please visit the website.

OPTIONAL PROGRAMS

You are invited to participate as a student in one of the Institute’s flagship programs, Living Latin in Paris, which is held in Paris for one week in late December and early January. The fellowship award includes a full scholarship to this program covering tuition, housing, and travel expenses from Rome to Paris. If you would like to join us for this program, please fill out an application by the deadline.

Fellows with a strong background in ancient Greek may also be asked to teach in the Living Greek in Greece High School program, which runs for two weeks in the second half of July. Fellows interested in teaching in this program should discuss the application process with the Director of European Operations. 

PREPARATION

RECOMMENDED READING

We highly recommend that you read the following books prior to your arrival in Rome:

• Mary T. Boatwright et al., The Romans: From Village to Empire
• Nancy Ramage and Andrew Ramage, Roman Art 
• Lawrence Cunningham, An Introduction to Catholicism 
• Eamon Duffy, Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes 
• Robert Hughes, Rome: A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History 

Above all, it is essential to be familiar with the history of Rome, so make it a priority to read The Romans: From Village to Empire.

LATIN

A strong command of Latin is crucial for the fellowship year.

• Fellows who would like to brush up on their Latin should read Hans Ørberg’s Lingua Latina per se illustrata, Pars I: Familia Romana and/or Lingua Latina per se illustrata, Pars II: Roma Aeterna. The latter volume is doubly useful, as it provides an accessible account in Latin of Rome’s early legendary history. 
• For a review of the basic rules of Latin grammar and syntax (with exercises), try working through the first ten chapters of Marianthe Colakis’ Excelability in Advanced Latin.
• If you would like to review the most commonly used words in Latin, the core vocabulary compiled by Dickinson College Commentaries is an excellent resource (available as a Quizlet set of flash cards here).

As for primary sources, we would recommend reading Eutropius’ Breviarium Historiae Romanae, which gives a concise, straightforward summary of Roman history in classicizing Latin from the founding of the city until the fourth century CE. 

ITALIAN

It is crucial for fellows to develop a working knowledge of Italian during their time in Rome. To that end, fellows will take formal Italian classes during the fall term of the fellowship year. Fellows will also have the opportunity to take Italian lessons during the summer before the fellowship officially begins (details TBD). 

RESOURCES

The following books are just a few of the resources that will be available to you in Rome, but feel free to explore some of them ahead of time. 

• Peter J. Aicher, Rome Alive: A Source-Guide to the Ancient City
• Amanda Claridge, Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide
• Filippo Coarelli, Rome and Environs: An Archaeological Guide
• Augustus Hare, Walks in Rome
• Tyler Lansford, The Latin Inscriptions of Rome: A Walking Guide
• Alta Macadam, The Blue Guide to Rome
• Adrianus van Heck, Breviarium urbis Romae antiquae

BEFORE COMING TO ROME

APPLYING FOR A STUDY VISA 

You are required to apply for a study visa to live in Italy. Your first task is to find the Italian consulate nearest you (visit this site). Call that consulate, or visit the consulate's website, to find out exactly what the consulate requires for your visa application and to schedule an appointment for the visa. A housing letter and enrollment letter are normally required, which we will provide. If your consulate requires anything more, please let us know immediately, as it may be necessary to mail original copies of certain materials to you from Rome. Please schedule a visa appointment by May 31, 2024 and let us know when your appointment will take place. 

TRAVEL PLANS

The Paideia Institute will provide you with a single roundtrip flight from the United States to Rome. Give your travel preferences in the form below, indicating your preferred departing and returning dates and your preferred airport for departure and return. 

The official start date of the Rome Fellowship is September 16, 2024, and the official end date is July 14, 2025. You are permitted to arrive before the start date or to depart after the end date, as long as you inform us of your plans in advance. Your airline tickets will be booked very soon, so please let us know your travel plans as soon as possible. If you do not yet know the exact date of your return flight, make your best estimate now; the reservation can be changed later.

FIRST AID TRAINING AND BACKGROUND CHECKS

All fellows are required to get CPR-First Aid training, Epipen training (a separate online course), and a standard background check. Please send your certificates and documents to [email protected] before your arrival in Rome. We will reimburse you the costs for these certifications, so please keep your receipts along with the certifications. 

IN ROME

HOUSING

Rome Fellows will live in a homestay with an Italian family for the first part of the Fellowship (September-December). The cost of the homestay will be covered by the Paideia Institute. The homestay includes a private room, ten meals provided by the homestay per week (breakfast and dinner Monday-Friday), and access to the kitchen and laundry facilities.

Starting in January, Fellows will transition to arranging their own housing in apartments in the city of Rome. The Paideia Institute will help offset the cost of the apartment by means of an increase in the monthly stipend during the spring term (see below).

STIPEND

During the fall term, while living in homestays, Fellows will receive a stipend of €700 per month. This stipend is meant to cover the cost of meals not provided by the homestay (i.e. lunches throughout the week and meals on weekends) and other incidentals. 

Starting in January, when Fellows begin living in apartments in Rome, the stipend will be increased to €1500 per month. This increased stipend is intended to cover the cost of the apartment, plus meals and other incidentals.

Paideia will also cover health insurance, a phone plan, and round-trip airfare to Rome. 

STAYING IN TOUCH

Cell phones. Paideia will provide you with an Italian SIM and phone plan. Please make sure your phone is unlocked to work with an international sim before you leave the US by calling your provider.

Internet Access. The Paideia office and your homestays are equipped with internet access.

Mail. Students can receive mail and packages while in Italy via the Paideia office at: 

The Paideia Institute
Viale di Trastevere 203
00153, Roma (RM)
Italy

ROME FELLOW INFORMATION FORM

Please submit the following form by May 1, 2024.

Rome Fellow Information Form