Benvenuto!
The da Vinci Residential Learning Community celebrates Italian heritage and culture with a focus on science and engineering. Although the academic interests of our residents reflect those of the famous Leonardo, and many of our members major in science or engineering, others study the arts, humanities and business. Some non-resident students belong to da Vinci, participate in our events and make Casa Italiana their home base while they’re on campus.
Many da Vinci students stay together throughout their four years at Santa Clara. Freshmen usually live in suites with sophomores; this helps younger students make new friends and learn from their more experienced peers. Moreover, older students pass on our community traditions to new members. These include frequent community events including the weekly "Atom Blast" gaming night and the da Vinci Café. Other programs occur less frequently. For example, on the first night of every quarter, Prima Notte, half of the residents cook a spaghetti dinner for the other half. Also, at the beginning of the academic year the entire community comes together to celebrate da Vinci Day with various competitions such as a bocce ball tournament, a pizza dough throwing contest, a pasta sauce cook-off and an egg drop contest, as well as a variety of other games and races.
