High School Study Abroad
Program in Greece and Italy

Our Foundation Work begins in early spring with reading lists and periodic meetings that afford students and teachers to get to know each other and prepare for an academic adventure. Course preparation will consist of 10-15 hours (not including novel reading time) per course that will have students focus on course novels and research projects. Students have access to the course website where reading lists are posted in March. Assignments are released in May and due a week before departure.

Day 1: All of our programs begin at our study-abroad departure hub, Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. Five hours before departure, a short meeting is held at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, Terminal 3, to distribute course packs, T-shirts and MEI Journals, and to clarify travel procedures. All students are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to the Sheraton Gateway Hotel. Students making alternate arrangements must contact MEI before March 31.

Days 2 — 7: Our study of ancient world literature begins with Athena’s favourite city—Athens. Home to the birthplace of Western democracy, philosophy, art, architecture, literature and history, our academics focus on Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. We spend our days exploring the Theater of Dionysus, the ruins of the Temple of Zeus, and the Acropolis, while our evenings are spent exploring the Plaka and enjoying rooftop dinners in this ancient city.

Days 7 — 16: We continue our exploration of Greece with a trip through the Peloponnese, where we explore the pre-historic mountaintop citadel of Mycenae—from which Agamemnon launched his fateful assault on Troy—before heading on to the seaside town of Tolo. Crystal-clear waters, the freshest calamari, and genuine small-town Greek hospitality make this a favourite stop on our journey across the Mediterranean world. Leaving the coast behind, we then visit Epidaurus. Once the most important centre for healing in the ancient world, it is still home to the acoustically perfect theatre that hosts Greek plays during the summer months. We will conclude our tour of the ancient world with a visit to the monumental temple of mighty Zeus and birthplace of the original Olympic games. Here students have the unique opportunity to lace up and run the original Olympic stadium’s track.

Days 16 — 21: Voyaging across the Ionian Sea, we arrive in Bari and journey to the Amalfi coast. We will use Sorrento as our home base to visit Pompeii—one of Italy’s most significant archaeological sites and a tragically buried city. Believed to be where Homer’s mythological sirens enticed Odysseus and his crew with their songs, Sorrento is now a stunning clifftop town famous for its views and inspiring literary giants such as Byron, Goethe, and Dickens. Students study the classic story of Homer’s Odyssey, while a day trip to nearby Capri reveals why this has been a favourite holiday destination for society’s elite.

Days 21 — 27: We end our odyssey in the Eternal City, where the ghosts of Romulus, Caesar, and Augustus echo through the streets as we investigate what is perhaps the world’s finest open-air museum. Whether writing morning notes on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, performing Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in the Roman Forum or sampling the world’s best gelato at the Trevi Fountain in Rome, we journey through time as we investigate the city’s rise and fall.

Departure from Rome Airport on Day 27

Upon your return, you have time to complete additional research and pull your work together before your final one-on-one online assessment. This week allows you to reflect on your travel experiences and integrate them into the course material. MEI staff have found this style of evaluation enjoyable and the most authentic way for students to demonstrate their knowledge and academic skills.