Sapienza University of Rome

The Sapienza University of Rome (Italian: Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza"), also known as La Sapienza (The Wisdom), is a public research university located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1303 and is one of the world's oldest universities. With over 110,000 students, it is also the largest university in Europe.

Sapienza was founded on 20 April 1303 by decree from Pope Boniface VIII as a Studium for ecclesiastical studies. Later, Pope Eugene IV expanded it to include schools of Law, Medicine, Philosophy, and Theology. After the capture of Rome by the Kingdom of Italy in 1870, the university grew quickly as the main university of Italy’s capital.

Today, Sapienza teaches and conducts research in all areas of science and humanities. It has many libraries, museums, a botanical garden, and three university hospitals. Some of its graduates have become Nobel laureates, Italian prime ministers, a pope, and leaders in Europe.

History

Palazzo della Sapienza, former home of the university until 1935

The Sapienza University of Rome was started in 1303 by Pope Boniface VIII with a special document. It was created to study religious topics and was the first university led by the church.

Later, Pope Eugene IV added new subjects like law, medicine, and philosophy. He also helped the university grow by collecting money and buying buildings.

In 1527, during a big attack on Rome, the university was closed for a while. It opened again in 1534 under Pope Paul III.

Church of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, originally the chapel and seat of the university library (until 1935)

By the 1650s, the school was called Sapienza, which means "wisdom." In 1703, Pope Clement XI created a famous garden for plants on a hill in Rome.

In 1870, the university became part of the capital of Italy. A big new campus was finished in 1935.

In 2008, a planned visit by Pope Benedict XVI was cancelled because some students and teachers disagreed with his past comments about a famous scientist, Galileo.

Campuses

The new campus of Rome University, built in 1935 by Marcello Piacentini, in a 1938 picture

Sapienza University has many campuses in Rome, with its main one called the Città Universitaria (University city). This big campus covers 44 hectares (110 acres) near the Roma Tiburtina Station. The university also has smaller campuses outside Rome, especially in Latina.

There is a special library called the Alessandrina University Library, built in 1667. It holds 1.5 million books and some very old collections.

The university also has interesting places like a botanical garden, old buildings used for classes, and a beautiful palace from the 1800s where some teachers work.

In 2022, Sapienza University helped start a group called Centro MedioEvA. This group studies old books written by women from the time between the 6th and 15th centuries. They want to learn more about women’s roles in history and share this knowledge with students and teachers.

Academics

Since 2011, Sapienza University of Rome has had eleven main areas of study and 65 departments. Today, it is the largest university in Italy, with over 140,000 students and 8,000 staff members. The university is known for its research in engineering, natural sciences, biomedical sciences, and humanities. It also offers ten special programs called Masters, all taught in English.^{[citation needed]}

Ranking

In 2025, Sapienza University of Rome was the top university in Italy and Southern Europe according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities.

In 2024, Sapienza ranked 134th in the world overall. It was the best in the world for Classics and Ancient History and placed well in subjects like Archaeology, Physics & Astronomy, Arts and Humanities, and Psychology.

Admission

To manage the many students who want to join the university, some departments have entrance exams. These tests help decide who can start the undergraduate courses. For some departments, the test just shows how prepared the students are. Students who don’t pass the test can still join their chosen courses but need to pass an extra exam in their first year.

Publications

Archaeology

Vicino Oriente (lit. 'Near East') journal

Notable people

Some of the notable alumni and professors

Selection of Alumni

Sapienza University has had many famous professors and students over the years. Some well-known names include Nicolaus Copernicus, Maria Montessori, Luigi Pirandello, and Tullio De Mauro. Many who have won the Nobel Prize either taught at or graduated from Sapienza, such as Guglielmo Marconi, Enrico Fermi, and Mario Draghi.

Nobel Prize Winners

Guglielmo Marconi – 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics; taught Electro-magnetic Waves - Physics at Sapienza 1935–1937.
Enrico Fermi – 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics; Chair of Theoretical Physics at Sapienza 1926–1938.
Daniel Bovet – 1957 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology, Chair of Psychobiology at Sapienza 1971–1982.
Emilio Segrè – 1959 Nobel Prize in Physics; Chair of Physics at Sapienza 1928–1935.
Giulio Natta – 1963 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Chair of Physical Chemistry at Sapienza 1935–1937.
Carlo Rubbia – 1984 Nobel Prize in Physics; Assistant Professor of Physics 1959–1960.
Franco Modigliani – 1985 Nobel Prize in Economics; graduated in Law in 1939.
Barry C. Barish – 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics; Fermi Chair of Physics at Sapienza 2019.
Giorgio Parisi – 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics; Chair of Theoretical Physics 1992–2018.
Serge Haroche – 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics; Fermi Chair of Physics at Sapienza 2022.

Politics, Diplomats & Administrators

Giulio Andreotti (1919–2013), politician.
Laura Boldrini, politician.
Giuseppe Conte, politician.
Francesco del Bene, law firm founder.
Mario Draghi, economist, politician.
Paolo Gentiloni, politician.
Gianni Letta, politician and journalist.
Sergio Mattarella, politician, 12th President of Italy.
Firmin Edouard Matoko, Congolese diplomat and Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations at UNESCO.
Federica Mogherini, politician and rector of the College of Europe.
Antonio Rodotà, European Space Agency Director General.
Francesco Rutelli, politician.
Antonio Tajani, politician.
Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, French Minister.

Journalism

Paolo Mieli, journalist.

Economics

Mario Draghi, economist, politician.
Ignazio Visco, economist.
Enrico Giovannini, statistician.

Literature and Arts

Barbara Jatta, historian of art.
Alberto Angela, paleontologist.
Emma Castelnuovo (1913–2014), mathematician.
Porpora Marcasciano, sociologist and LGBT activist.

Business

Luca Montezemolo, entrepreneur and Ferrari's CEO
Pierpaolo Piccioli, Valentino and Balenciaga creative director

Entertainment

Luca Guadagnino, director.
Antonello Venditti, singer-songwriter.
Carlo Verdone, actor, director.
Claudio Baglioni, musician.
Edoardo Leo, actor.
Cristiana Capotondi, actor.

Science and Academia

Maria Montessori (1870–1952), physician and pedagogue.
Eugenio Pacelli (1876–1958), Pope.
Cesare Bazzani (1873–1939), architect.
María Casanova de Chaudet (1899–1947), director of Argentina's first petrographic laboratory.
Barbara Jatta, historian of art.
Alberto Angela, paleontologist.

Sports

Caterina Banti, sailor, Olympic champion.
Andrea Stella, Formula One engineer and executive.

Faculty and staff

Among the well-known teachers at Sapienza University are architects Ernesto Basile and Bruno Zevi; chemist Emanuele Paternò; jurists Antonio Salandra, Sabino Cassese and Giuliano Amato; mathematician Vito Volterra; pharmacologist and Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine Daniel Bovet; chemist and Nobel Laureate Giulio Natta; philosophers Luigi Ferri and Augusto Del Noce; physicist and Nobel Laureate in Physics Enrico Fermi; political scientist Roberto Forges Davanzati.