CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Florence, Italy

As someone who had never been out of the country before I had some reservations about studying abroad for four months, being one of two students at my university placed in Florence. However, the first day aboard I met three wonderful people who are now my best friends! Florence is a city of culture, history and amazing gelato! I always felt extremely safe while in Florence, and found transportation to be very accessible and easy to use! I would absolutely recommend studying abroad in Florence to anyone, in my four months abroad I felt I learned so much about the history of Italy, but also myself!

Going on this trip was probably the best decision of my life! I always knew I wanted to study abroad in Florence and all my expectations were met. If you are looking for a city to live in but don't want the hassle of transportation, Florence is perfect for you. Florence is such a walkable place and you can get across the entire city in a 45-minute walk if you want. The food and nightlife are also a huge plus. There is always something to do! I went through CAPA and I was placed with the PERFECT people as well. If you are going alone, don't worry because the housing survey did an amazing job pairing me with roommates that shared the same living standards as me.

I had an amazing experience living and studying in Florence with CEA! Not only did I learn so much from the professors at the CEA Center, but I was able to learn so much living in the city and “living as a Florentine.” The program did an amazing job helping us to get adjusted, familiarize ourself with the city, understand the cultural differences, and prepare for travel! My classes were centered around Italian history, politics, art, food/wine, and the Italian language. I gained so much from this experience and I cannot recommend it more!

I was a part of the CEA Florence Winter Break study abroad program. These two weeks were packed full of adventures, trying new things, meeting new people, and getting out of my comfort zone. We learned about Italian food and culture, wine and how it is made, fashion, and history. Florence is filled with so much beautiful art everywhere you turn. CEA made the process so easy and seamless for me that the hardest part of the entire trip was getting in the taxi to get to the airport and go home. They fully supported my group every step of the way while we were there, and anything that we needed, CEA staff was there to help us.

I had an amazing time studying abroad for a Fall semester in Florence, Italy! I took for classes: Beginning Italian Language, Art History, Social Justice Issues in Italy, and Family Business/Entrepreneurship. I learned a lot in all of my classes, and my favorite part was the daily field trips where we got to explore the city and meet local people. The program did a great job of showing us around the city, and introducing us to experiences I never would have found on my own. Florence has so much to offer with amazing restaurants, museums with beautiful art, and kind people. Florence was a great central location for easy travel via train to other parts of Italy, and to fly to other countries in Europe on weekend trips. I was able to travel every weekend, and I have never seen so much culture in four short months. CEA provided two guided trips: day trip to Cinque Terre and weekend in Sorrento. We traveled as a program of around 100 students to these two popular destinations in Italy. I am so grateful for my experiences abroad, and I encourage anyone with the opportunity to do the same!

I was so nervous going to study abroad in a foreign country. Up until the day I was leaving I was about to drop out and return to my university. The first day when we had our orientation I knew I was not going to want to go home. CAPA Florence made me feel so welcomed. Any time I was having a hard time or felt stressed out about any situation, any staff member there was able to help me and made me feel comfortable. I heard from my friends in other programs who solely stuck with their friends from home. CAPA offered so many bonding opportunities for us where I was able to make friends with students across the country that I still keep in touch with. CAPA gave me a once in a life time experience and I would reccommend it to anyone.

I studied abroad in Florence in December of 2022 for a week and a half. This was a trip of a lifetime and I would not trade it for the world. Through this trip I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people from my university that I didn't already know and truly immerse myself into the culture. We went to so many places amazing places like Lucca, Pisa, and San Geminiano plus beautiful countryside wineries and olive groves. One of my favorite parts of the trip was trying all of the delicious food that Tuscany and Florence are known for. We even got to participate in a cooking class to make one of the traditional dishes, tortelli. If I had the chance I would go back and do it all over again and hopefully can in a few years!

I absolutely loved studying abroad with CEA. I spent my summer in Florence, Italy where I took an Italian class and an Art History class. These classes were unique because of the amount of time spent out of the class room. We visited museums and talked to many locals which made the learning experience much more memorable. Florence is a great place to be if you're interested in art or history because it is very culturally dense. Whether visiting a museum to see Michelangelo's David or going on a gondola ride down the river, my friends and I were amazed by all the beauty surrounding us at all times. Not to mention the food is top tier.