From Italian lower-league football to American campuses, and ultimately to the creation of an international university in the heart of Rome. Stefano Elio Radio, President of the Rome City Institute, recounts the journey that led him to build a concrete bridge between Italy and the United States, combining sports, academic education, and a global vision. In this interview, he retraces the origins of the project, its innovative educational model, and future challenges, including international growth and the development of new talent.
President, your story shows that you yourself are a living bridge between Italy and the United States. How did this relationship begin?
Like many things, it started by chance. I arrived in the United States in 2013 thanks to Giorgio Antongirolami, one of the people with whom I later built everything we have created. He had been coaching at an American college since 1996 and, at a certain point, offered me a scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree in Business through soccer. At the time, I spoke very little English and was trying to become a professional footballer in Italy: I had played in recent years in Lega Pro, so I was one of those players who were good, but not quite good enough to play at the highest level. I seized the opportunity and left.
Once I arrived in the United States, I realized that very few Italians were playing sports at the university level, while there were students from all over the world—English, Spanish, Brazilian, German. We asked ourselves why Italians were not taking advantage of this opportunity, and the answer was simple: there was no bridge.
From there, we created College Life Italia, now one of the largest agencies in the world, with the idea of helping Italian students obtain scholarships through sports. Since 2013, we have helped around 350 students per year, with the goal of offering an alternative to those who are talented but not quite enough to become professional athletes, because sports can still be a pathway to becoming professionals in other fields.
In 2018, we took it a step further: creating the reverse bridge, bringing American student-athletes to Italy. That’s how the Rome City Institute was born, starting with a Master’s in Sports Management. Today, we are a university with American accreditation, with 400 students across 11 disciplines, 90% of whom come from the United States and Canada, with the goal of reaching 1,000 students within two years.
If you had to define the Roma Institute, how would you describe it?
It’s a question we asked ourselves for years. Then a Texas entrepreneur gave us a key insight: he told us that we had done what the ancient Romans and Greeks used to do—placing sport at the center of the community.
One hundred percent of our students are athletes, but we don’t want to be labeled as a sports university, because that would be limiting. It doesn’t mean that those who practice sports should only study sports. In fact, our most popular major is International Business.
The idea is to work with athletes—because we were athletes ourselves and believe in the values of sport—and to shape future leaders: entrepreneurs, economists, politicians. Those who practice sports develop skills that cannot be learned from books and will always have an edge over those who have never done it.
So you are focusing on a new kind of athlete, one who can also become a business professional?
Absolutely. In Europe, the problem is that many professional athletes do not have an academic education and stop competing at 35–37, often finding themselves in difficulty. In the United States, on the other hand, 99% of athletes graduate because between the ages of 18 and 22 they compete at the collegiate level.
This changes everything: even those who become professionals are already prepared for what comes next. And most will not turn professional, so having a parallel academic career gives you an extra advantage in the job market.
What is the target student for the Rome City Institute?
The typical student is an American high school graduate who plays sports at a good level. They can choose the traditional path in the United States or come to Rome and have a similar experience, earning an American-accredited degree.
Rome is essential for two reasons: it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and offers a unique international experience. Living abroad, even for just one year, gives you a significant advantage over those who follow a traditional path.
What sports are most commonly practiced by your students?
Soccer, basketball, volleyball, American football—where we have also become owners of 15% of a new league—tennis, swimming, golf, lacrosse, rowing, and field hockey.
An interesting fact is that 40% of our students are female, a very high percentage and quite rare for a university of athletes.
The United States will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer. Has soccer in the U.S. changed in recent years?
With the arrival of Messi, something has changed. Soccer has always been widely played, especially at the women’s level, but it has been less followed compared to American football, baseball, and basketball.
Today, however, it is the most practiced sport among under-14s. The movement is growing, even though the economic gap compared to other sports remains. There are soccer academies with thousands of kids, and the system is developing.
With Serie A, we are working to increase visibility in the United States through the “Serie A Elite” program, bringing the brand into local communities and selecting young talents who can gain experience in Italy.
And what about the level of the U.S. national team?
There are players like McKennie and Pulisic, and more will come. The United States has 300 million people: it is natural that they will become competitive in soccer as well. It will be interesting to see the results in the coming years.
What is the perception of Serie A in the United States today?
The Premier League dominates the market: most Americans follow English teams. Serie A is trying to grow, also thanks to an office in New York, but it is not easy because we are competing both with other leagues and with other sports.
The key is to create fans: a person follows a league only if they have a team they care about. If you don’t support a team, you won’t watch Lecce vs. Verona. But if you are a Lecce fan, then you will. It’s a complex but important challenge.
Going back to you, why should an American student choose the Rome City Institute?
Having an international experience is essential for a young person’s success. For those who want to combine sports and education at an international level, we are the only institution outside the United States offering this model.
Here, students train every day with nationally recognized coaches and study in an international environment. It’s a different path, and those who make unconventional choices are often viewed more favorably in the job market.
An experience with us can open doors that a traditional path cannot.
What is the vision that drives you, and what kind of impact do you hope to leave in the long term?
For me, creating a university from scratch is something extraordinary, and today it is rare. The goal is to leave a legacy—something that can last even after me, perhaps for the next 500 years.
We started with 15 students, then 30, and today we are at 400. We have built a model that works, with satisfied students and a community that is different from the traditional one.
We may be less academic in a formal sense, but we are very serious in terms of content: we want to show that it is possible to approach higher education in a different way, combining study, sport, enjoyment, and a sense of community.
Your campus is located in the heart of Rome, in a very striking setting. How important is this aspect?
Very important. The campus used to belong to Temple University for 50 years. This, too, came about almost by chance: when it became available, we didn’t yet have the numbers, but we believed in our vision.
Today, many American students come to Italy for short periods, the so-called “study abroad” experiences. We, on the other hand, focus on students who complete their entire degree in Rome.
Our 400 students are all degree-seeking, meaning they complete their full academic program here. The goal is to reach 1,000 students and become the American university with the highest number of these students in Italy.
In the future, we also want to increase the number of Italian students, from 5% to 20%, because studying in an international environment provides a tremendous advantage, even for those who plan to remain in Italy.
