Italy is a beautiful country known around the globe for its astonishing architectural landmarks and, of course, Vatican City, the world’s smallest city. It is one of the most visited countries in Europe because of its top tourist destinations, such as the Colosseum, the Grand Canal in Venice, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and more, and its top-notch Italian cuisine like cannoli, tiramisu, pizza, risotto, and gnocchi.
Because of the country’s rich culture and history, one of the well-known study fields provided here is the study of humanities. This subject is centered on the many aspects of human society, including archaeology, history, language, philosophy, religion, and more. A humanities graduate has many career options, which typically vary depending on what major they pursue.
This article will list some of the best humanities institutions in Italy providing this study program for local and international students, so let’s take a look at them!
Top Schools Offering Humanities Programs in Italy
1. University of Turin
Located in Italy’s Piedmont region, the University of Turin is one of the top public universities in the country and one of the oldest, founded in 1404. Moreover, it is known as one of the nation’s largest centers of learning. More than 81,000 students currently attend this higher education provider.
Furthermore, the University of Turin is a prestigious humanities institution in Italy with an extensive list of successful alumni, such as banker and CEO of Telecom Italia Franco Bernabè; Italy’s first female advocate, Lidia Poët; Holocaust survivor, chemist, and writer Primo Levi; politician Augusta Anita Laura Montaruli; and Nobel Prize winner and virologist Renato Dulbecco.
The university’s Department of Humanities offers several undergraduate degree programs, all of which are three years long, and its various postgraduate degree programs can take two years to complete.
2. University of Trento
The University of Trento is an excellent humanities school established in Italy in 1962. It began as a private institution and only became public twenty years later. More than 16,000 students and over 800 professors are at the center of excellence, and it offers excellent facilities, such as laboratories, libraries, sports and language centers, study areas, and more.
The Department of Humanities focuses on advancing and overseeing programs and research in cultural heritage, history, literature, linguistics, philology, and philosophy. The department has also recently been working on adding more course offerings.
3. University of Florence
The University of Florence is a public research institution and one of the best humanities schools in Italy, with roots dating back to 1321. Presently, UNIFI has different schools offering degree programs for students at the tertiary level, including the School of Humanities and Education. This department offers many courses, such as bachelor’s and master’s degree courses, single-cycle study courses, and other postgraduate courses.
Many of its graduates have become well-known individuals in their respective fields. Some of these include filmmaker, writer, and professor Alexis Krasilovsky; biochemist and founder of Australian Monoclonal Development Alessandra Alberta Pucci; relativist and cosmologist Cosimo Bambi; architect and Emet Prize laureate in architecture Nitza Metzger-Szmuk; and lawyer and judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf.
4. University of Milan
The University of Milan is one of the best public research universities and a leading school for humanities in Italy. It is famous for being one of Europe’s most prominent schools. Besides this, UniMi is a consistently top-ranking institution in international rankings, such as Academic Ranking of World Universities, QS World University Rankings, and Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
UniMi’s Faculty of Humanistic Studies has five departments and 16 study programs for bachelor’s and master’s level students. It has a long list of noteworthy alums, including ENI CEO Claudio Descalzi, former Italian Minister of Health Umberto Veronesi, award-winning astrophysicist Marco Bersanelli, businesswoman and politician Letizia Moratti, and UniMi’s Center for Stem Cell Research pharmacologist and co-founding director Elena Cattaneo.
5. University of Perugia
The University of Perugia, founded in 1308, is a public-owned institute for tertiary education and among the best schools for humanities in Italy. Around 25,000 students are pursuing their education at the said center of learning. Courses and programs are spread out across the 14 departments. In line with this, the Department of Humanities offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
As it has been around for quite some time, it has had its fair share of notable alums throughout history. Some of these are Pope Gregory XI and Pope Pius III. At the same time, some recent graduates include doctor and cancer researcher Pier Paolo Pandolfi, artist Susan Elizabeth Rotolo, and former journalist Michaëlle Jean.
FAQs: Humanities in Italy
What Career Path Can You Follow After Studying Humanities?
You can follow several careers depending on the kind of humanity you choose to specialize in. You can follow your interest path and become a human resources specialist, high school teacher, copywriter, or any other career you choose.
International students can have a rich cultural experience studying the humanities at prestigious Italian universities, where they can explore centuries’ worth of art, history, and philosophy. Because of this environment, learners can have an excellent and fulfilling educational experience studying this study field in Italy. If you want to pursue humanities here, consider the universities we listed above!
We hope this article on the best humanities universities in Italy was helpful. Also, make sure to check out the Italy Page and Available Programs for International Students in Europe to learn more about learning opportunities in the country and Europe!
