ISA Study Abroad in Florence, Italy

Studying abroad with a provider like ISA is great for students who need that little extra boost of support to get abroad. Their staff is lovely and kind and want to make you feel like you're at home and comfortable.

COURSES: Take classes that are fun and exciting that you wouldn't be able to get at your home campus. I studied Cultural Psychology, Gardens of Love, Italian Language, and Wine Appreciation. Yes, all of them transferred back to my home campus at BHSU with a little creativity!

EXPLORE: Purchasing a bicycle was the best way for me to experience as much of Florence as I could. I was able to seek out the roads less traveled on the outskirts of the city center. This is also an important hobby to me back home, so it was an important way for me to feel like I could enjoy my hobbies, get outside of the city center, and work off all that food I was eating.

HOMESTAYS: Although you will make life-long friends with the other American students, try to avoid spending all your time with other study abroad students in your program. It is important to step outside your comfort zone and meet local friends. They will be the ones to help you grow in your language abilities, experience true cultural activities, and enjoy some of the best local eats. Homestays are the perfect way to set yourself up for success. Some of my best memories were at my home with my Italian family.

SAFETY: Florence is a superb city for safety and wellness as a first-time independent traveler. Just be sure to watch your alcohol intake and be responsible. Many of the new students want to enjoy drinking legally for the first time, and it was a little scary to see some of the situations intoxicated students put themselves in. It's always important to be alert and cognizant. Also, remember that as visitors, we are ambassadors of our home countries. Represent yourself and your country well.

FOOD: The food scene is absolutely incredible. I ate and learned to cook some of the best food of my life in Florence. Regional ingredients based on history and geography of the people is such an important aspect to understanding culture. Parmesan, pesto, chianti, fresh olive oil, prosciutto, truffles, balsamic... are you kidding me?!?!

It's really difficult to sum up such an amazing program in such short space. The people who work with ISA in Austin and in Florence are very helpful through every step of the way. I emailed and called the ISA Austin office so many times leading up to my semester abroad that I lost count, as did most of the people that I talked to. The excursions that ISA puts on are tons of fun, well organised and creative. My apartment here was great, it had a very central location and was actually very spacious considering it housed 6 girls total. The people you meet here will become some of your best friends before you know it. If you're looking for a study abroad program I can't recommend this one enough. If you're having doubts about studying abroad and aren't sure if it's for you, just do it. Even if it's not with this program, it will be one of the best experiences of your life.

The experiences I had and the friendships I made were more significant that I could ever imagine. The excursions offered with the program allowed me to travel with my new friends without the pressures of having to plan the trips myself. The courses I took were unlike anything I've ever taken in America, I went on class trips and gave performances. I took cultures and opera. I could go on for hours about my amazing host mom. I strongly suggest living with a host family because it just adds a whole other level to your trip. I learned the language, had homemade meals, and met so many people. I wish I could go back everyday. I miss the city filled with so much art, beauty, history, and love. If you want a memorable study abroad experience this is the program you need to take.

I only spent three weeks in Florence but they were by far some of the best weeks of my life. I met amazing people and also had amazing experiences. I took an Italian wine and culture class. Going in, I knew nothing about wine, but now I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable. My teacher did a great job. We went on a field trip one day to Montepulciano and Pienza. ISA provided excursions to Cinque Terre and Rome. Both trips were amazing! Some of my friends and I also did some traveling on our own. Traveling around the country is very easy. We went to Pisa, Viareggio, and Venice, although I wouldn't suggest going to Viareggio if you don't know any Italian. My apartment was in the same building as the ISA office and was a one minute walk from Ponte Vecchio. Being so close to the city center was amazing and I immersed myself in the culture as much as I could! I would do it again in a heart beat!

Studying abroad in Florence with ISA was the best decision I could have made. The staff in both America and Italy were warm, welcoming, and extremely helpful. The trips provided by ISA (which were many- both weekend and day trips) were not only well planned and educational ( depending on the trip), but a great time to explore different areas of Italy, and learn more about the country you chose to study. The program offers a language exchange where you can be teamed up with an Italian student and practice your Italian and help them with their English. The staff is always willing to help with anything you need from housing concerns to printing a document. I can't express enough how wonderful the women that work at the ISA office in Florence are, they really make you feel at home. Walking everywhere is a bonus, you get to see all of the wonderful sites in Florence, and discover hidden gems. Plus your located close to FUA (the school you will be studying at) and my apartment specifically was extremely authentic and made me feel even more part of the Italian culture. Also, I cannot forget to mention GELATO AND PIZZA are the greatest things ever along with tons of other Italian dishes- and I would go to Pino's sandwich shop- the bomb. This experience was amazing and I highly suggest using ISA - never had one problem during my 4 months abroad, great program, great staff, and fantastic memories!!!!

Going abroad with ISA was a great decision. They provided us with activities do to a lot of the days we were there, and even planned excursions to Cinque Terre and an overnight trip to Rome. The ISA staff abroad was very helpful and were always around if you needed them. When my roommate got sick, the staff made her a doctors appointment and walked us there so we wouldn't get lost. The only difficulty I had while abroad was getting lost in the city. After a couple weeks I had learned where everything was and was able to find my way around. We had a very nice apartment in Florence, and I was able to make a lot of new friends that I will have forever. Living in another culture for a month was a great experience.

Studying abroad in Florence was one of the best decisions I've made while going to college. It was a chance for me to grow and to get to know myself and other people from not only the U.S. but also Italy. ISA gave me an experience I would have never expected. I expected the use of tours and guides to be boring but I found that the guides were so useful in learning about the places we visited and their history. It was like I was stepping into a part of history. My study abroad experience is one I can never forget and will be continuing to talk about it for the rest of my life.

ISA Florence fostered the absolute best experience of my life! Although confusing at first, having students spend the first week in Rome with our roommates really made bonding and getting to know each other a lot easier. You also find out fast the program is about 90% girls. At FUA, classes are longer than at home (2.5 hours) but the teachers are incredible - studying Fashion Marketing with an actual french fashion designer? HELLO. Bring a couple notebooks, or a five star though because we all freaked out trying to find some and never really did. Books are a lot cheaper here also (maybe 30E for the semester). The nightlife is a lot of fun (way better than Rome although not as awesome as spain), going much later than what's normal at home. There are a lot of american bars with a lot of students and, if you make some italian friends, some really cool italian bars and clubs. And EVERYTHING is walking distance (be careful trying heels on the cobblestones!) and that's coming from someone who will cab it a mile. The food is absolutely incredible, of course, but trust me you will get sick of Italian 24/7 as there's not a lot of cusine variety. The included trips with ISA go to some really really awesome, insanely beautiful places but honestly for some I had more fun ditching the tour and walking the city with my friends. Overall, it was a life changing semester and I would recommend it to anyone especially if you love art or history.