The Rooney Family Center in Arezzo is where OU’s Study Abroad in Arezzo program is based out of. It is a refurbished, 12th century monastery, with literal layers of time within the building. I’ve been told that during renovations, they found remains of an older building that the current building was built over. Today, you can see an old, Roman-style column that was found, and a cistern. One could say that the purpose of the building has consistently been one form of education or another, transitioning from mostly religious education to that which is more consistent with a university setting with some opportunities for cultural enrichment.
The building was one of my favorite parts of studying abroad, as the layout to the building is very chaotic and organic, and there is plenty of natural lighting throughout the building. My favorite parts of the building included the tower, from which you could see much of the landscape surrounding Arezzo, and the Mensa, where I made many good memories either running events or just eating with friends.
