Famous students at Bologna include Saint Thomas Aquinas, Dante, Petrarch, and Torquato Tasso. The poets Carducci and Pascoli both taught there. Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica , whose offices are in Rome. This means that in theory, all Italian universities are more or less equivalent. Most university classes are very large.
Faculty members are often more remote than in the States.
Italian students, previous participants in the Brown program have pointed out, though more politically aware, also tend to be more passive in class than their American counterparts. This should not be interpreted as a lack of enthusiasm and interest. The more conservative older professors do not always encourage dialogue. Fortunately, this is changing and there are many dynamic young faculty members eager to interact with their students. Bologna, Italy . . .