Saint Mary's study abroad program in Rome, Italy, will change its living arrangements for students in Fall 2013 for the first time since the program's establishment in 1970.
Rome program director Portia Prebys said the Palazzo Pacelli, which housed the Hotel Tiziano where students lived, was recently sold and will be gutted for renovation by the new owners.
"After 44 years, the Hotel Tiziano will no longer exist," Prebys said.
Peter Checca, Rome program counselor, said returnees have always remarked that the location of the lodgings in the heart of Rome was a perfect setup.
"Students have always appreciated not only the accommodations of a four-star hotel, but also the delicious food served there and the friendly and caring atmosphere," Checca said. "I am sure that all of us who have stayed at the Hotel Tiziano will surely miss it, and Rome will not seem the same."
Checca said the Hotel Tiziano's staff will be missed by all, who have been like family to the Program's students for years.
The Hotel Tiziano lies along the central street in Rome that is nearly the equivalent to Michigan Avenue in Chicago, sophomore Audrey Kiefer said. Kiefer, who studied in Rome last semester, said living along such a hectic and exciting road was one of the best parts of the program.
"It was so thrilling to walk outside every morning and have to fit into a sea of businessmen, seminarians and Roman residents," Kiefer said. "And, better yet, all the most desirable historical sites were within a 10-minute walk."
Junior Malea Schulte, who studied in Rome in spring 2012, said she was shocked to hear the news of the changes.
"I can't imagine living anywhere else but the Tiziano while studying abroad in Rome," Schulte said. "I was looking forward to staying there again sometime in my life."
Now, similar accommodations near the program campus in Rome's Largo Argentina area are being produced for future groups of students beginning in the fall of 2013, Prebys said.
The new location will still be a hotel and will have the added perk of laundry facilities, though it is further away from the campus and classrooms and does not have a restaurant for student meals, junior Lauren Coppinger said.
Coppinger, who plans to return to Rome next year to study, said the changes will not affect the program in a negative way.
"Obviously, the Hotel Tiziano was an amazing place to live, and the staff were great, but when it comes down to it, Rome is Rome, and I know that Dr. Prebys and the other program coordinators would not place students in a bad location," Coppinger said.
Keifer also said the experience in Rome doesn't depend on the familiar housing setup.
"Any place in Rome is a prime spot to experience all the wonders of the city," Kiefer said. "I know that future students will love it no matter where they stay."
