Welcome to the Study Abroad Program in Sicily website!

This site has been especially developed for U.S. University students who want to learn Italian in Italy and attend a study abroad program in Italy, and particularly in Sicily, and have their Italian studies in Italy granted academic credits.

This site has also been developed to support U.S. teachers of Italian, teachers and students in AP Italian programs, Italian Departments and Study Abroad Offices in the USA, in establishing their own faculty led programs in Italy and particularly in Sicily. Our Center for Italian Studies is a hosting institution for several Italian Departments and Study Abroad Programs, for whom we have developed faculty led customized programs.

In 1992, when I founded the Center for Italian Studies "Babilonia" , my intention, as a native Sicilian, was to offer those who love the Italian language and Italian culture an opportunity to discover the island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea where the entire Italian culture has its roots . Since 1992, we have passionately dedicated ourselves to promoting our Sicilian heritage and culture along with the study of the Italian language. We strive to offer opportunities for learners of the Italian language to also become learners of the Italian culture and Italian life. A language is the result of a culture and not just the result of a set of grammar rules.

Studying abroad is an experience that broadens our knowledge and our spirit. For more than 2500 years, Sicily has shared its spirit with travellers from many lands. Situated in the center of the Mediterranean, Sicily has served as a meeting place and a bridge for three continents, each of which has contributed to Sicily's unique history and culture. There are few other places which have been impacted by as great a number of civilizations: the Sicani, the Sicilians, the Greeks, the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Normans, the Spaniards – all influenced the vibrant Sicilian culture. Our study abroad programs in Sicily reflect Sicily's magnificently rich 2500 years of knowledge, poetry, art and traditions.

Our Center for Italian Studies "Babilonia" is situated in Taormina, Sicily, the perfect place to study Italian and discover Sicily and to combine a beautiful and exciting study abroad experience with a high quality Italian program of study recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education. BABILONIA is the only school in Sicily which is a member of A.S.I.L.S.(Association of Schools of Italian as a Second Language) and IALC (International Association of Language Centres), absolutely guaranteeing exceptional teaching quality. Taormina is also perfectly situated to offer students easy access to the magnificent and historically important treasures throughout Sicily. The unique atmosphere at our school has been praised consistently by our students and by the Institutions and Universities that work with us. The main goal of our study abroad programs in Sicily is to provide the opportunity to study Italian language and culture while fully immersing in Sicilian life, in its culture, in its history, in its traditions, in its territory.

Our Academic Advisor for Study Abroad programs in Sicily, Donnamarie Kelly Pignone, will be happy to answer all of your questions and all of your requests from our office in the U.S. (tel/fax 603-894-5552, cell 978-828-3228). Don't hesitate to contact her!

We wish to welcome you soon in Taormina, Sicily and give you the opportunity to discover our island so full of history, so full of culture, so full of linspiration!

Alessandro Adorno
founder & director