Molise IS

Molise Italian Studies

Adult Study Abroad & Community-Based Global Learning

Buongiorno!

Transform yourself and your world.

Molise IS Adult Study Abroad, Italian Language Training, Digital Nomads, University Semesters, Summer Internships, and Faculty-Led Programs—each program centered around Global Intercultural Citizenship and based in the small and authentic Italian region of Molise.

Whether you long for a more sustainable lifestyle full of real connections and experiences, or to learn from a welcoming and hard-working people whose artisan techniques go back countless generations, or to immerse yourself in a land of magical hillside villages and stunning vistas--Molise IS where your adventure begins.

Molise IS...

Bridging the Difference

Two inevitable questions of our lifetime are how to share our planet, and, by extension, how to share a common dignity. We don’t have all the answers, but the tiny ripples each of us makes by acting on an exploration of those questions can lead to giant waves of positive change.

Our vision is a world in which all individuals can lead safe, fulfilling, and purposeful lives in mindful harmony and cooperation with those of diverse backgrounds and experiences.

As a consequence, our mission is to implement — and develop our participants’ capacity to implement — positive, effective, and sustainable change towards a more just and equitable society in which our vision can become reality.

And our passion is the preservation and promotion of Molise’s cultural heritage.

Through our broad range of immersive and transformative program options, we bring our vision, mission, and passion together in the magical land of hillside villages, stunning vistas, and welcoming people that is Molise to cultivate curious, compassionate, and effective global citizens committed to fostering a broader respect for fundamental human dignity and for our shared planet. In short, Molise IS bridging the difference to make a difference.

Which transformational experience sounds right for you? Explore our programs below!

Adult Study Abroad

* Themed and Immersive
* Slow Travel
* Conversational Italian
* Intercultural Citizenship Training

Italian Language

* Sì! by the Sea, Intensive, Conversational, or Online
* Termoli, Campobasso, or Online
* Intercultural Citizenship Training

Digital Nomad

* Immersive Local Living
* Flexible Program Length
* Learn, Engage, or Disconnect
* Intercultural Citizenship Training

Full Semester

* Customized Internship & Homestay
* Intensive Italian Course
* Local Outings & Trip to Rome
* 15 Credits Through NAU

Intercultural Competence Study Program in Molise

Summer Internship +

* Customized Internship & Homestay
* Optional Excursions
* Intercultural Citizenship Training
* 7 Credits Through NAU

Are you looking to develop as a global citizen and foster a broader respect for fundamental human dignity and for our shared planet, but you are unable to travel abroad?

The Center for Intercultural Citizenship is the virtual and domestic division of Molise Italian Studies, and through CIC you can make a global impact and develop authentic connections without leaving your home community. Earn 3 US academic credits with the powerful Difr Dive + program (and consider special College Prep or Educator cohorts); enjoy online seminars, book groups, and domestic study away with Difr Strive; engage in Deep Dive monthly coaching, book individual workshops, discover the power of the human story with Difr Live, and even add a virtual internship through our partner, Kambia.

Molise IS...

Ideal for Adult Study Abroad, Italian Language, & Digital Nomads

Anything but typical travel or tourism, Molise Italian Studies Adult Study Abroad, Italian Language, and Digital Nomad programs focus on slow travel and immersive exploration of Molise (and beyond). Participate in Italian language and Intercultural Citizenship seminars, discover the long history and fascinating culture of Molise through lessons and excursions, visit Naples and Rome, and immerse yourself in local culture. Whether you missed out on study abroad in school, you are looking for another life-changing journey, or you simply crave purposeful education and self-transformation—Molise IS all the space to learn, engage, or disconnect you could wish for.

Molise IS...

Ideal for Immersive Semesters & Internships

The list of potential areas of study and impact for Full Semester and Summer Internship + students in Molise is almost boundless. Are you a culinary arts student? Imagine laughing and talking alongside a nonna Molisana as you both knead pasta dough in the old world style. Are you an archaeology student? Imagine helping lead tours of the ruins in Pietrabbondante. Do you study hospitality & tourism, or engineering, or agriculture, or education, or art? There are opportunities in almost every field. Imagine yourself as a young professional who has learned through this service experience what is true and beautiful and good. Imagine the positive change you can bring about in your career, your life, and the world. Molise IS a small region where you can think big!

Molise IS...

Ideal for Faculty-Led & High School Programs

Our Faculty-Led and Week Without Walls Programs provide Global Intercultural Citizenship education and an authentic Italian experience for university and high school groups. Customized for any field of study, we partner with faculty to develop a framework of inquiry & reflection, as well as prepare specific background and culture-specific content to set the stage for effective community-based learning. Week Without Walls gives students the chance to address a challenging question surrounding one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals through the pre-departure preparation and on-site execution of a service project in the charming town of Agnone. Molise IS limitless opportunity!

Discover Molise

Location & Variety

Discover the incredible variety of Italy's second smallest and least explored region through Google Maps. From quiet towns and stunning mountains to plains rolling down to the Adriatic Coast, Molise IS all of these.

Inspiring Towns

Discover the magical hillside borgo of Bagnoli del Trigno. Known as La Perla del Molise, highlights include the Castello Sanfelice, the Campanile di San Silvestro, and expansive views of the Italian countryside.

Play Video

Fascinating Culture

Discover the history and cultural heritage of Molise, pronounced [moˈliːze] (i.e. mo-LEE-zay).

Perspectives...

You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.

– Angela Davis, Professor Emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz

The recognition that people are equally complex, but different, is the strongest antidote to bigotry that I know.
You are still young, free... Do yourself a favor. Before it's too late, without thinking too much about it first, pack a pillow and a blanket and see as much of the world as you can. You will not regret it. One day it will be too late.

– Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author

I believe we could paint a better world if we learned how to see it from all perspectives…. Difference is a teacher. Fear difference, you learn nothing.

– Hannah Gadsby, Comedian and Activist

My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours. We belong in a bundle of life. We say, "A person is a person through other persons."

– Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Tim Rettig on Intercultural Competence
When a group of people with cross-cultural competence comes together...they are able to “merge” their different worldviews into a “third” way of thinking beyond the constraints of each individual’s cultural conditioning.

– Tim Rettig, Editor of Medium’s Intercultural Mindset

Caminante, no hay puentes, se hace puentes al andar. (Voyager, there are no bridges, one builds them as one walks.)

– Gloria Anzaldúa, Author and Activist