Italy : Reviews (Florence)

There was the perfect balance of freedom and structure. I never felt aimless, yet I had the freedom to explore the country.

My favorite part of the program was how accessible it was to a complete newcomer to the Italian language such as myself. I thought the courses would be a struggle for those going in blind, and at times it was, but the program ended up being very accommodating for my shortcomings.

The teacher that I went with and the specific place in italy that the program took place in made the program a dream. Francesca was so supportive and involved with our group. She knew so much about where to go, what to do, and how to go about things. She let us explore the country safely and would plan really fun trips for the group. It was super helpful having her there to help us with what we were learning in class too. I also really liked the place that the program took place in. I think Florence was perfect because it was located right in the middle of a bunch of places that you kinda just have to visit, including venice, milan, and rome. It was also super safe, held a lot of history, and was generally a plesent place to spend a month.

I could tell my Italian skills increased ten-fold. By the end of the program, I was confident in my speaking and reading abilities.

I found what I learned about culture very intresting. American culture takes alot from italian culture, which I assumed would mean I could learn about the “influence of italin culture on american culture” and that this would be the most rewarding, but I was wrong. What I feel was most rewarding about the trip was learning about being different. I struggled to speak italian, I stuggled to learn the social norms. Despite how similar italy was to the US, I often felt like a fish out of water. A big part of me missed home. I had a fabulous time, but I think I have gained a greater understanding of what it is like to live somewhere that is not your home, and how hard that truely is.

My host mom did not speak English, which ended up being the most helpful thing for me to grow in my Italian

Make sure to plan out any trips you take outside of the course. Triple-check that everything is under control. A group and I went on a trip from Florence to Venice only to come straight back because our Airbnb was not booked that day, but the following day. The trains are usually very expensive, so that hurt.