CEA CAPA Internships in Florence, Italy

This was one of the best experiences of my life. It was my first time leaving the country and CEA CAPA helped me be prepared to have a successful time abroad. Florence, Italy was the perfect location for me as an art history major. I loved learning about and seeing art in person as opposed to learning from a textbook at home. This definitely furthered my education and understanding of the Italian Renaissance. Florence is also the perfect study abroad location because its completely walkable. You can walk from one side of the city to the next without needing to talk a cab which will save you lots of money along the way. Overall, I would absolutely recommend to anyone to study abroad in Florence with CEA CAPA.

I interned abroad for two months in Florence Italy in the summer of 2022. This was such an amazing experience. Spending two full months in Florence was perfect, I felt like I truly lived there and was able to immerse myself in Italian culture. The city of Florence itself is a manageable size and easy to find your way around once you get the hang of things. My internship was at a local leather manufacturer that produced leather accessories for luxury brands, where I learned a lot about the business of fashion and process of leather manufacturing in general. I traveled on weekends either easy day trips to neighboring cities in Tuscany or weekend trips farther away. The CEA staff were the best. I always knew that I could count on them anytime I had questions or needed help. I encourage anybody and everybody to take advantage of this opportunity because it is such a great way to gain valuable work experience while being able to explore a new culture!

I had an amazing time studying abroad in Florence through CEA! The staff was very helpful and accommodating, my classes were interesting, and I was able to travel to many different cities and countries throughout Europe. My program was very small because of Covid, which actually enhanced my experience. We were able to have very interactive class discussions and go on some awesome field trips. One of my classes included a wine and cheese tasting field trip! Outside of class, I traveled often with my friends on the weekends. I was able to explore Italy as well as some other countries. Included in the program were several day trips in my host country. CEA provided transportation and activities to do in each of these locations. Overall, the program was great and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to study abroad!

I interned abroad with CEA in the Summer of 2018 and it was such a wonderful experience! I was a Marketing Intern for an International Cooking School called CheFactory. I experienced the life of local Italians, from being part of the local culture, to trying many Italian dishes! But, most importantly I found a family at Chefactory and learned so much from my mentor Francesco. The type of knowledge and exposure you receive interning abroad is unlike anything else, especially with CEA! Highly recommended! To learn more about my experience check out my blog post with CEA: https://www.ceastudyabroad.com/blog/mojo/2019/04/29/what-s-cooking-in-italy-interning-in-florence

It was an incredible. I learned so much about myself and what I want to do with my life. Being apart of the internship program and understanding the Italian working culture is something I will keep with me for the rest of my life. The administration is incredible here. We all got together and hosted a thanksgiving meal the day before thanksgiving. They also recommended several restaurants and places you must see while you are here. There are incredibly friendly and make you feel at home. I made sure to fully immerse myself in the Italian culture. I went to places that locals frequently visited and where there were a few Americans.

The point of a study abroad experience is to dive into the culture of the place you are in, right? CEA's internship program in my opinion is the best way to do that, hands down. First off, with CEA I got to live in an apartment in the city of Florence. I had Italian neighbors. I had to find the local bread shops, meat shops, cheese shops, grocery stores, wine stores, etc.. I had to walk through the city every day to get to my classes and my internship. I got to live the life of an Florentine, Truly! On top of that, all of my classes with CEA were culturally based, hence the name: Cultural Experiences Abroad! Every class had something to do with Italian culture! This was all so great and offered such a great opportunity to emerge yourself into the Italian culture. Unfortunately not all of my classmates did this though. There were people who still only hung around American establishments with their American friends. It was the internship for me that really made the difference in cultural emersion. I worked in a small Italian business with Italians. I learned how Italian business functions and I made friends and connections with actual Italians! This was the best part of my experience abroad and I plan to keep in touch and see the people I worked with out there again! Maybe this could also open up some job opportunities for me some day!