Three days can be enough to change the way you see Europe.

From 14 to 16 April, the students of the Sibillini Europa Summer School 2025 took part in the Brussels Study Trip. For many participants, it was the first opportunity to step beyond headlines or social media debates and experience the European Union from the inside.

Brussels is often called the capital of Europe. You hear it so often that it risks sounding empty. Then you arrive, move from institution to institution, sit in rooms where policy is discussed, and the phrase starts to make sense in a very practical way. 

The first stop was the European Committee of the Regions. Monica Tiberi and Gianluca Spinaci opened the discussion on how regions fit into EU governance. Later, our students had a conversation with Nunzio Guglielmi (General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union) and Fabio Massimo Castaldo (Permanent Representation of Italy to the EU) about European defence and the everyday complexity of institutional decision-making.

After that, SESS’25 students discussed with Simone Gobello (Meta), Matteo Mussini (MUST), Luca Perego (European Commission), and Rachele Tesei (European Commission) how to start their own careers in Brussels. After that, MEP Matteo Ricci joined the exchange, and the day slowly spilled into an informal networking evening.

The second day began at the European Commission. Filomena Chirico, Head of the Digital Markets Unit, spoke about regulation in the digital space. Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, Spokesperson of the Commission, followed with a discussion on how the communication service works in practice – namely, how information is prepared, coordinated between services, and eventually shared with the public. Lastly, the students met Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto for a discussion on the Commission’s current priorities.

In the afternoon, the visit to the House of European History offered a different perspective by placing today’s institutions in a broader historical context. Afterwards came the European Parliament, with an exchange with MEP Salvatore De Meo. 

One of the most memorable moments of the trip was the meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.

The final day took place at the Permanent Representation of Italy to the European Union. The discussion there focused on how national positions are coordinated within the EU framework, and how negotiations work from the inside.

However, what often stays with participants is what happens outside the official programme. Conversations on the way between institutions, over lunch, or at dinner. And especially the karaoke night, where everything becomes informal very quickly. By the end of the evening, the group already feels different.

That’s where cohesion really forms. In these simple moments. By the last day, the group felt like something that had come together naturally along the way.

And for those considering SESS 2026, this is part of what awaits: a programme that opens doors to European institutions, but also creates space for informal moments where people actually get to know each other and become a cohesive team.