First Edition – Academic Year 2026-2027
General Information
The Summer School ISCiS: Smart tourism in a digital age will explore key topics related to processes linked to the theme of smart tourism in order to promote the development of tourism according to an interdisciplinary approach, aiming at the development of sustainable and resilient cities and territories through the use of the most suitable technologies according to a strategic and systemic vision. The program will include lectures led by internationally recognized researchers, providing a balanced mix of theoretical insights and practical applications through a co-working lab. Beyond the technical program, the Summer School will be an opportunity for: networking with the lecturers and other students, improving general research work skills, and enjoying a nice stay in Norcia!
Mode of delivery: the course will be held in person
Dates: 5-6-7-8-9 October 2026
Lecture timetable: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Total duration: 38 hours
Venue: Norcia - Digipass, via Solferino
Participants: maximum 20*
Cost: free registration
*10 participants will be selected by the Università per Stranieri di Perugia and 10 by the partner institutions (Villa Vigoni, Centro Italo-Tedesco per il Dialogo Europeo, Fondazione Bettino Craxi, Istituto Italiano di Studi Germanici and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin).
During the course, participants will be provided with:
- meals (lunches and dinners)
- accommodation
- return transfers between Norcia and Rome Fiumicino Airport and/or the main railway stations
- experiential tasting dinner
In addition, participants selected by the partner universities will be offered travel expenses (by train, plane or bus) from their home institution to the course venue in Norcia.
The winter school is designed for graduates holding a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline or an equivalent qualification, who are interested in developing specialist skills related to the role of the Italian-German partnership in the transformation of the European and global order.
The programme is also open to early-career professionals and officials working in the public sector, international organisations, European institutions and research centres, as well as professionals in the private sector, institutional relations and companies engaged in internationalisation processes and the energy and digital transitions.
The winter school aims to train participants in the ongoing changes in European and international diplomacy, with particular attention to the partnership between Italy and Germany within key European (economic, energy and technological) policies, providing tools to understand multilevel decision-making processes, the interplay between national interests and European governance, and the role of bilateral and supranational institutions.
This initiative further aims to prepare profiles capable of working in research and public policy, fostering dialogue between universities and institutions and raising awareness of the strategic value of Italian-German cooperation for stability, innovation and sustainable development in Europe.
The course defines the following learning objectives:
- to provide historical, political and legal tools for analysing mechanisms of diplomatic cooperation among European Union Member States
- to offer an in-depth understanding of the functioning of multilevel decision-making processes and the interaction between national, bilateral and European frameworks
- to illustrate the role of institutional, economic and strategic actors in shaping common policies
- to build the ability to interpret and simulate negotiations, promoting the integration of academic knowledge and practical application
Holding a three-year undergraduate degree in any degree class or an equivalent qualification (bachelor’s degree).
The following qualifications are considered preferential, in order of importance:
- Master’s degree or equivalent (master’s degree)
- Doctorate
- Enrolment in a doctoral programme
- Possession of language certifications
Notice: the following priority criteria will be applied for candidate admission:
- residence in the area affected by the 2016 Central Italy earthquake, as identified in appendices 1, 2 and 2-bis of Decree-Law 17 October 2016, no. 189, converted into Law 15 December 2016, no. 229
- chronological order of receipt of admission applications
- carefully read the Call for Applications (to be published soon)
- submit your application for admission (using the template that will be published with the Call for Applications)
Monday, 5 October
- History of German-Italian Cooperation
09:00 - 13:00
Federico Niglia, Full Professor of History of International Relations (SSD GSPS-04/B), Università per Stranieri di Perugia - Sustainability Governance and Industrial Transition in Europe: The Italian-German Dimension
15:00 - 19:00
Marzia Traverso, Full Professor and Head of Institute (INaB) at the Institute for Sustainability in Civil Engineering, RWTH Aachen University
Tuesday, 6 October
- Diplomacy on Resources, Sustainability and the Green Transition
10:00 - 12:00
Francesco Asdrubali, Full Professor of Environmental Technical Physics (SSD ING-IND/11), Università per Stranieri di Perugia - Italy, Germany and the Politics of the EU
15:00 - 19:00
Matteo Scotto, Director of the Department for Research and Projects, Villa Vigoni – Italian-German Centre for European Dialogue
Wednesday, 7 October
- Cultural Diplomacy
09:00 - 13:00
Luca Crescenzi, Full Professor of German Literature (GERM-01/B), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice - Cultural Transfer, Literature and Intellectual Exchanges between Italy and Germany
15:00 - 19:00
Esther Schomacher, Professor of Italian Literature and Cultural Studies, Institute of Romance Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
Thursday, 8 October
- Digital Diplomacy
10:00-13:00 and 14:00-20:00
Alessia Chiriatti, Researcher and Head of the Training Programme – Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)
Friday, 9 October
- Technological and Industrial Diplomacy
09:00-13:00
Lucrezia Ranieri, RTT Department of Social, Political and Cognitive Sciences – University of Siena - Public Diplomacy
14:00 - 20:00
Giovanni Battista Bronzini, PhD candidate, Department SUSI – Università per Stranieri di Perugia
Scientific Director
Luigi Mundula (University for Foreigners of Perugia - Course Coordinator)
Scientific Committee
Luigi Mundula (University for Foreigners of Perugia)
Carlos Pineda (University of Murcia)
Sonia Grotz (PAR University)
Norberto Santos (University of Coimbra)
Rosa Marcela Ramos Hidalgo (University of Murcia)
Magdalena Duda-Seifert (University of Wroklaw)
Scientific Director
Scientific Committee
Prof. Federico Niglia, Scientific Director – Università per Stranieri di Perugia
Prof. Chiara Biscarini, Università per Stranieri di Perugia
Prof. Francesco Asdrubali, Università per Stranieri di Perugia
Prof. Luca Crescenzi, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia