Warwick in Venice: Why you should apply to the University’s oldest international scheme

A handful of Warwick students, including me, had the opportunity to take one of our second-year modules in the beautiful city of Venice this summer. Admittedly, I did not know many details of the course before it began. Indeed, I only discovered the actual location of the campus after my phone suddenly connected to the University’s Eduroam Wi-Fi when I was aimlessly exploring the streets of Venice. (And yes, it’s just as bad in Venice as it is back in the UK.)

The building is the Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, and it is a fixture of the waterfront of the Grand Canal right next to the famous Ponte dell’Accademia bridge. The building is almost 400 years old and is inextricably tied to the musical culture of Venice. As a result, most of the site serves either as a library for musical literature or the home of a charitable foundation dedicated to music studies.

The surprisingly inexpensive city-wide museum pass gives you access to almost all of the great historical and cultural locations in the city. If that doesn’t take your fancy, then a quick boat trip to the Lido allows you to sprawl out on a sun-soaked beach with a cocktail in hand

However, the second floor of the building is currently occupied by the University of Warwick, and on the first day of my module, I got to explore the entire complex. Just like other Warwick buildings back in the UK, the floor is mostly comprised of lecture and seminar rooms. Unlike the buildings we’re used to, these rooms were decorated with glass chandeliers and Renaissance-style frescoes.

The rest of Venice offers an enjoyable and unique student experience. The surprisingly inexpensive city-wide museum pass gives you access to almost all of the great historical and cultural locations in the city. If that doesn’t take your fancy, then a quick boat trip to the Lido allows you to sprawl out on a sun-soaked beach with a cocktail in hand. Meanwhile, the nightlife is perfect if you’re more into pubs and bars than clubbing. It became a regular mantra among Warwick students in Venice that “You should never pay more than €4.5 for an Aperol spritz”.

The history of Warwick in Venice is almost as old as the university itself. In 1967, the first cohort of third-year History students arrived for their term abroad. By 1976, History of Art students joined the term abroad scheme as the programme was expanded to both departments.

If you eat out every night and fall into every tourist trap in the city, you will find yourself in a very costly situation. However, the average Spar shop and cheeky post-night out pizza is far cheaper compared to a trip to Tesco and a post-POP! kebab

However, do not fret if you are not a History or History of Art student. In 2025, the Warwick International Intensive Study Programme (WIISP) will be open to most students at the university, enabling almost anyone to come to Venice for short-term study.

For anyone worried that their degree is not relevant to the city of Venice, I would assure them that this is not a problem. The course I participated in only had one seminar on Venice throughout the entire module. Meanwhile, the seminar room next to us had Maths students participating in a conference on the “Hydrodynamic limits of interacting agent systems”. I have been reliably informed that this concept has little theoretical basis in the city of Venice.

Before I went to study in Venice, I was admittedly worried about the cost. However, I would now go far enough to say that living in Venice is even cheaper than living in Leamington. Of course, if you eat out every night and fall into every tourist trap in the city, you will find yourself in a very costly situation. However, the average Spar shop and cheeky post-night out pizza is far cheaper compared to a trip to Tesco and a post-POP! kebab. The city is completely walkable, so there is no expensive Stagecoach bus pass to buy. Furthermore, there is a student bursary for those doing the term abroad in their third year, although this is not available for WIISP scheme students.

Every single generation of Warwick students before us has been able to study what they love in a place with delicious food, wonderful red wine, and incredible architecture. So, what is stopping you from applying to study in Venice for your degree? Whether it is a short-term module in the summer that catches your eye or the opportunity to study there for an entire term, I would encourage you to apply as soon as you can.