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Bridge Ponte degli Alpini at river Brenta Bassano del grappa Italy. Panoramic view at old town with vintage building and tower and wooden bridge at background Alpine mountains scenic landscape evening

Italy

Bassano del Grappa

$4,499

Overview

Bassano del Grappa, a jewel set between the Venetian plains and the foothills of the Alps, is a vibrant cultural and economic center in northeastern Italy offering a lovely setting for students seeking a pre-health program abroad. Famous for its iconic wooden bridge, the Ponte Vecchio, and for its centuries-old tradition of artisanal distillation, the town combines medieval charm with a lively, modern atmosphere.

With its riverside setting along the Brenta and its panoramic mountain views, Bassano offers an inviting backdrop for pre-health students looking to shadow doctors in Italy. Rich in history, artisan culture, and culinary excellence, it provides a uniquely authentic Italian experience.

Destination Information

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Local Time Now:

9:22pm

Official Languages:

Italian

Almost all alumni have not spoken the local language.
Download Typical Weekly Schedule

The City

Set at the base of the Venetian Alps with the Brenta river running through it, Bassano del Grappa is a stunning city located in the northern region of Italy. The city offers a mix of medieval charm and alpine scenery that appeals to visitors who seek history, culture and nature in one place.

Elegant piazzas, Renaissance buildings, and lively cafes are found throughout its historic center, making the arcaded streets an easy place to wander for hours.

Known for its culinary traditions, such as its namesake “grappa” – a strong local spirit, the city features dishes that feature mountain cheeses, white asparagus, and unique Veneto flavors.

Museums, artisan workshops, and small boutiques add depth to the city’s cultural life, while the surrounding countryside invites exploration of vineyards, trails, and historic villages. Altogether, Bassano del Grappa feels like a perfect balance of culture, scenery, and everyday Italian life.

Dates & Availability

  • Summer Break 2026

Dates

Price

Availability

June 27, 2026 - July 10, 2026 2 weeks

$4,499

Full

July 11, 2026 - July 24, 2026 2 weeks

$4,499

Full

July 25, 2026 - August 7, 2026 2 weeks

$4,499

Full

You may pay over time, fundraise, consider scholarships, and more. Learn about our significant partial need-based scholarships here.

Financing & Aid
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Add a 3-credit online course to your Atlantis program (university dependent). Learn more.

 

What’s Included

Atlantis programs include ~20h/week of shadowing, housing, some meals, transportation, travel health insurance, and more. Airfare is not included but can be very affordable.

What’s Included

On Program Components

  • Approximately 20 hours of AAMC-compliant observation-only shadowing each week, usually in a different department each week
  • In most locations, small groups of 10–15 students
  • Student-doctor ratio of 1:1 or 2:1
  • A small set of our programs are not shadowing-based but rather “Service-Research Projects”, and these substitute the 3 above bullet-point items with a full-time project
  • 1 excursion per week: usually on Fridays + 1 excursion on the Sunday after arrival
  • Housing with rooms separated by gender (with 1–2 roommates or several housemates, depending on housing type)
  • Transportation in and around the city for certain program activities
  • Small daily breakfast, lunch during the excursions, + 2 weekday group dinners per week (including one farewell dinner)
  • Health insurance if traveling abroad: covers certain medical expenses due to accidents and sickness (conditions apply)
  • Staff available to greet and assist students at the recommended arrival airport for each location during a specific window.
  • Atlantis Site Managers in your city will be available when you arrive, assisting during the program, and on-call if any issues arise

Pre/Post Program Components

  • HMX online course for pre-med students, with the potential to earn a certificate from Harvard Medical School upon completion. This course is not-for-credit, and is only available in some of our programs; our cities page clearly identifies programs that include HMX
  • Support for requesting course credit from your university wherever this is possible

Hospital Overview

San Bassiano Hospital

As part of the Atlantis pre-med program, students complete their shadowing at San Bassiano Hospital, a well-regarded regional medical center known for high-quality, patient-focused care. The hospital hosts a fully equipped Emergency Department with an OBI (short-stay intensive observation) unit, recently recognized as the best ER in Italy. San Bassiano also ranks among the country’s top 50 hospitals, supported by its strong emergency services, a 24/7 interventional cardiology unit (Emodinamica), and a wide range of medical and surgical specialties serving the Veneto region. Through this experience, participants gain meaningful insight into European healthcare while immersing themselves in the cultural, artistic, and natural beauty of Bassano del Grappa.
Alumni Favorite

Ponte degli Alpini

The Ponte degli Alpini, or Ponte Vecchio, is Bassano del Grappa’s famous wooden bridge that stretches across the Brenta River. The iconic renaissance architect Andrea Palladio originally designed it; however, it has been reconstructed multiple times due to destruction caused by floods and wars. However, it has maintained it’s same traditional style and today stands as a powerful symbol of the town’s resilience. Enjoy the lovely views of the river and mountains as you walk across the bridge – a favorite place where locals and tourists have gathered throughout history.

 

Bridge Ponte degli Alpini at river Brenta Bassano del grappa Italy. Panoramic view at old town with vintage building and tower and wooden bridge at background Alpine mountains scenic landscape evening

I absolutely loved my experience. My site managers did an amazing job giving us a real authentic Italian experience and were also very helpful with any questions we had. My group overall was fantastic, and it really made the trip that much better. I am so happy to have been able to see a different kind of healthcare system and use what I’ve learned in the hospital in my future career in medicine.

Hannah

Pavia Atlantis '19

Savannah State University

Alumni Outcomes
Atlantis students walking through the hallway of the hospital where they are shadowing (Genoa, Italy).
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Excursions

Our excursions are designed to offer a deeper look into your host culture, for both the educational benefit and the enjoyment of exploring a new place with others who share your interests in travel and medicine. Excursions range from historical tours to culinary and cultural explorations.

Your Site Manager will inform you of the excursions they have planned during your program orientation. If you make travel plans outside of your city for a weekend and it conflicts with the events your Site Manager has planned, notify your Site Manager several days in advance so that they can plan accordingly.

Atlantis students on a program excursion.
Atlantis students on a program excursion (Genoa, Italy).

Language Skills Not Required

Most participants do not speak the local language at their Atlantis program. English levels vary within the hospital, but no knowledge of the language is required for Atlantis to be valuable. There is enough English spoken in the hospital for participants to benefit from the programs, as you can read in our testimonials. 

Many patients in your future career will not speak your language and will come from a different cultural background, so the Atlantis experience prepares you for that intercultural perspective. Any slight language barrier you may encounter at Atlantis also helps you develop “resilience and adaptability,” an AAMC core competency.

Alumni Outcomes

Clinical Experience that Stands Out to Schools

Medical schools want 3 things: healthcare exposure, GPA/MCAT, and certain competencies. Uniquely, “360 Shadowing” gives you the best version of the 1st, frees you to focus on the 2nd, and cultivates/shows the 3rd to medical school admissions.

What Med/PA Schools Want
Why 360 Shadowing?
Two students walking out of a hospital wing.
Atlantis students in a hospital wing (Lisbon, Portugal).

Funding Your Future

The cost of Atlantis isn’t too dissimilar from the cost of many study abroad programs that you may find. And we’re here to help: from our extensive fundraising guide to flexible payment plans and financing options, we make the process simple and easy, allowing you to focus on what really matters.

How Financing Works
An Atlantis student smiling while shadowing abroad.
An Atlantis student on an excursion experiencing culture while shadowing abroad (Athens, Greece).

Bring a Friend

Consider bringing a friend to the same program you’re applying to. Although the vast majority of Atlantis alumni have gone on programs without knowing someone in their cohort, bringing a friend allows your experience to be shared in a unique way, while still allowing you one of the benefits of Atlantis: meeting new pre-health friends from across the country. Consider sharing this idea with your friends.

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students walking and smiling.
Atlantis students exploring together on a program excursion (Athens, Greece).

Med School Interview:
Atlantis Alum vs. Typical Pre-med

Compare a possible medical school interview of an Atlantis alum with that of a typical applicant by looking at responses to common questions.

Medical School Interview Impact