Faculty-Led and Custom Programs

Specialist Courses

Workshops and Study-Days

Cultural Events

EXEDRA Mediterranean Center

sits at the heart of Ortigia, the historic island-center of Siracusa, “the greatest of the Greek cities and the most beautiful of all”. Siracusa was for a long time the most important city of Sicily, the largest island of the Mediterranean Sea, known since classical times as “the island of the sun”. Over the centuries Sicily has been a meeting place for people of different cultures, languages and faiths, and it continues to act as host to intercultural dialogues at the center of the Mediterranean today.

Study at

EXEDRA Mediterranean Center’s mission is to foster international connections and understanding by hosting custom and faculty-led programs for universities, colleges and schools, and offering continuing-education opportunities to participants from all over the world. The EXEDRA team has years of experience in organising study-abroad programs, workshops, conferences and cultural events. We work closely with home institutions and academic faculty to design the ideal program and provide support for organisers of events, whether educational or cultural. EXEDRA aims to promote the cultural and naturalistic wealth that the island of Sicily has to offer to students of all ages and all areas of interest.

ACADEMICS

EXEDRA has a network of fully-qualified instructors who can contribute to custom and faculty-led programs in subjects ranging from Italian language to volcanology and nutrition, art history and archaeology. EXEDRA also has expert guides who can accompany groups around the historic and naturalistic sites of Sicily and beyond.

LOGISTICS

EXEDRA deals with all aspects of the organisation of the program, workshop, conference or event, using their network of qualified local professionals to arrange transport, catering and accommodation. Visiting faculty and instructors can therefore concentrate on teaching and program content, knowing that their course is fully supported by the EXEDRA team.

ACCOMMODATION

EXEDRA knows that housing is fundamental to the well-being of students as they cope with their new surroundings, culture, language and study-requirements. Students are housed on the island of Ortigia within a short walking distance of the center, so they can appreciate the beauty of living and working without needing a car or public transport. EXEDRA aims to guarantee quality accommodation, whether self-catering accommodation or local B&Bs.

STUDENT LIFE

EXEDRA is proud of its close links with the community, especially with local schools and associations, because through these links, students can reach out into the local environment and contribute to and learn from the community in a way that is enriching for both.

Location
Local Life
Home

Why Choose EXEDRA?

EXEDRA Mediterranean Center is located in Ortigia, almost a ‘village’ in the larger town of Siracusa. Ortigia is intimate and welcoming and students rapidly become part of the community as they get to know the local shopkeepers and their neighbours. The environment is safe and friendly – and what could be better than studying right next to the Mediterranean?

Local Life

Ortigia is a small island just off the mainland, linked to it by two bridges. One of the fives cities of Greek Siracusa, the ‘pentapolis’, Ortigia has a magical atmosphere with its baroque architecture and winding lanes that open up to stunning views of the Mediterranean. Sleepy and quietly evocative in the Winter months, it livens up in the Summer when tourists come to enjoy the Greek tragedies performed in the Greek theatre of Siracusa. All year round however, students at EXEDRA enjoy the relaxed life-style, the cafe-culture of the squares and the quality of local food and the fresh produce sold at the Ortigia market. We encourage our students to learn about the Mediterranean way of cooking and to take full advantage of what is on offer at the local stalls.

Home

The 14th-century Palazzo Francica Nava, overlooking the beautiful baroque Piazza Duomo, is home to EXEDRA Mediterranean Center. Despite its long history and some rooms reminiscent of a former stately home, it is equipped with wifi, digital projectors and screens, whiteboards, and everything required for the modern classroom. There are two terraces which provide quiet havens for reading or simply enjoying the mild weather. The small library has an interesting collection of books, mainly dedicated to subjects connected to Sicily and the Mediterranean, especially art, architecture and archaeology, the classics, Italian and specifically Sicilian literature, political science and earth sciences such as volcanology.

Video Tour of Ortigia

Explore the island of Ortigia, home to EXEDRA Mediterranean Center

Help us help others

EXEDRA aims to create a fund to improve access and resources for students who wish to study in Sicily.

Upcoming Events

20Nov

Empedocles in Sicily

8:00 am - 5:00 pmExedra Mediterranean Center
03Ott

Sicily in the Flavian World

8:00 am - 5:00 pmExedra Mediterranean Center
06Set

Sostenibilità ecologica – scienza, scenari e partecipazione

10:30 am - 6:00 pmMonastero dei Benedettini, Università degli Studi, Catania

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