Abbey Road High School Summer Program in Italy

This trip was so much fun we did lots of activities and was kept busy most of the time with occasional free time to do shopping or other things. At first i was expecting long lessons but i was glad to see that it wasn’t too much like school and more ability to freedom. The waking up early wasn’t the best but i got used to it and it made the days longer even though the time goes by so fast on this trip. i would definitely recommend it to anyone 16 year olds as it is useful for lots of things and enjoyable.

love my roommates and the counselors, good apartments. Very attentive staff. They were very understanding and helpful. The classes were engaging and the fashion teacher was always happy to help. The beach days were fun and the Italian conversation class was very useful when it came to learning phrases. Free time was great, yet done responsibly. The independence I gained could not have come about any other way. The museums and art work were one of a kind. I loved walking around the city, and the restaurants they took us to were amazing.

I thought this was like nothing I had ever tried before, I was very scared and nervous, but i ended up really enjoying this experience and hope to do it again sometime. But I have a bit of a issue which is during our free time for dinner I never know where to go and it’s very stressful trying to find something to eat… I may be the only one with this problem but it’s really stressful. But I don’t have anything else to complain about so…

This was a very fun program whoch I liked. The location was good and at the center of florence. I thibk the staff did a good work with the students and maintaining their saftey. I thibk the housing could have been a little better but I think that besides that it was really fun. I learned a lot about living independently and alone without your parents. I think that the classes really helped me and i loved the amount of museums we visited. I would recommend this program to other students but i would recommend them to come alone and not with friends or a group.

Very good experience to get acquainted with italy florence, its culture, society, streets, to name a few, This program also helps try out new hobbies and interests such as fashion, photography, art…to name a few. This program has helped get to meet new people, become mor independent, grow, and meet new people. It is for sure a very different and fun experience, academically and socially. Councilors are ver fun and nice and caring. Housing could be a little more hygienic. Overall it was a very interesting and different experience, and a very good way to get to know florence.

Incredible experience, had a lot of fun and learned a lot. Definitely a great adventure to get out of your comfort zone. Learned a lot not just academically but also about independence, about cultural differences and about the rich history of florence. I think that this program is a great program for teenagers to make new friends and valuable memories, it is a program that pushes your boundaries and also let’s you have a lot of fun along the way. Incredible staff, and great activities. Liked it a lot overall

As somebody who was preparing to go into their senior year of High School, the Abbey Road Florence program taught me to be responsible in new places, while giving me the opportunity to immerse myself in cultural and didactic experiences. My counselors, cooking teachers, and art history teacher were able to introduce me to a city, while showing all of the nuances and pieces it had to offer along the way. It was also very easy to make friends, everyone eager to experience it all. I recommend doing as much as you can, eating all of the different pasta dishes you may have never heard of, going to art museums both big and small, and truly immersing yourself in the city. There's a good mix of both solo and group interactions, that have positively affected my enthusiasm for future studies and experiences.

My daughter had a fantastic time with the Abbey Road high school summer study program in Florence. She did the three-week option with a focus on Italian Language and an Art History elective.

Her favorite thing about the academic side of the program was the experiential nature of the classes--learning spoken Italian by ordering in cafes and art history by seeing the art and architecture in person. This was her first exposure to Italian language, and she is now taking an Italian course for high school credit to continue the learning process.

Outside of class, she particularly enjoyed exploring the city independently (students are required to have a friend with them in order to do this), and having the freedom to wander through shops (Santa Maria Novella, the world's oldest pharmacy, was a favorite) and take in the gorgeous scenes of Florence at her leisure. She is now eager to pursue study abroad in Florence during college. She also loved the excursions, which took them to locations like Cinque Terra, Lucca, Siena, and San Gimignano.

The other kids in the program seemed great. My daughter was also fond of almost all the staff members, and my communication with them regarding her lost luggage and alternate departure flight was very friendly, easy, and accessible. The apartments the students stayed in were centrally located and spacious. At one point, the AC in my daughter's apartment failed, but Abbey Road staff worked hard to ensure it was repaired and allowed her to stay in another apartment in the meantime.

I think this type of program is a great experience for a teenager in terms of giving them practice exercising independence and self-sufficiency before they venture out into the world. In addition, while it is a learning experience, it is also fun-filled and relaxed, so for my daughter it actually served as a bit of a respite from the pressures of everyday high school life. Would absolutely recommend.