Program Reviews

To be honest I had absolutely no interest in art history before going on this trip and my mother forced me to do it. However I will be thanking her till the day I die for pushing me into AHA because it was by far the most incredible gap year experience. It perfectly combined intellectual stimulation with an unbelievably fun social life with a group of tight knit peers. Each tutor blew me away with their breadth of knowledge about art history and they inspired me to become absolutely fascinated by what each European city had to offer.

I entered the course knowing no one else on the trip yet quickly became best friends with all of the other students and tutors. Each day was jam-packed with cultural activities, varying from art museum exhibit tours to wild boat trips on the Thames. At night we explored other cultural aspects of the cities whether it be concerts, comedy clubs, or night clubs. Your happiness is always the top priority of the AHA tutors and the ensure that throughout the entirety of the trip you are in pure bliss. The highlight of my trip was the home stay in Montepulciano. Not only did we go olive picking at a Tuscan home but we did wine tastings and cooking classes. The food is so good it will make you cry. Get the pici for every single meal.

I would recommend AHA to anyone and everyone. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and will completely change your life for the better. Don't spend your gap year any other way, I promise you will NOT be disappointed.

It has been 2 weeks since the trip and not a day goes by where I don't look through photos and try to recount every single moment that happened during the most amazing 6 weeks I have ever had. I entered the course with a vague knowledge of Art History, politics, architecture, religion, mythology, etc., and now being back home I can say that joining AHA changed my life completely. The people I got to spend 6 weeks with were some of the most incredible people I have ever met, and the tutors didn't even feel like conventional teachers to us. Most lectures just felt like listening to a friend telling amazing stories about the culture of Italy. Every single tutor was brilliant and engaging and they really took the time to go out, have fun, and get to know each and everyone of us.

I highly recommend joining this program, and you don't even need to have any knowledge whatsoever of Art History. If I could relive something in my life, it definitely would be reliving my experience with AHA.

About two weeks have now passed since the course I was on ended. Only now do I realise how special it was, and how much it sucks now not being out there.

AHA exceeded my expectations enormously. I was wrong even to doubt about going on it in the first place, and even having studied art history at school and having been to a couple of the places we went to, I learnt so much.

I cannot fault the 6 weeks I had with AHA. It would be impossible for me to tell you whether it was more informative or more fun because they were just as strong as the other. The tutors are not only informative, but they are young-hearted people too and more than up for a laugh. There is never a sense of being treated like a schoolkid. Help was also at hand, whenever you needed it.

A friend on the trip made this video of our trip, and it is impossible for me to spot the tutors because the tutors were more friends than tutors.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnNCvGJ7THo

The video shows what an amazing setting it is to be in for 6 weeks where you are able to forget everything and just enjoy yourself. The food, also can't be forgotten!

However, if there was one highlight for the trip for me, it was the people. Spending 6 weeks with the same people, in that situation, creates some unforgettable moments and amazing friendships.

If you really do ever have any concerns about going on AHA, I'd really reccommend you to contact AHA or anyone who has been on it. Or even, forget that, just go!

In July 2014, I arrived in Venice for a two-week Art History Tour. To sum up my experience, I have three words-Is this real?

Each tutor-or in American terms-each professional, ideal educator knew how to inspire, fascinate, seduce, and humor my brain all at the same time! I remember being in awe and laughing over conversation at the dinner table-a new restaurant every night designed to fill you up with the richness of Italian food but with the gift of storytelling and unloading the events of the day. My favorite dinner night, hands down, had to be when we each chose/assigned ourselves a respective God or Goddess, and had to act our part for the rest of the night. From then on-jokes and laughs ensued. Or wait-maybe it was my birthday dinner when one of the tutors ordered me the best dish I had ever tasted and surprised me with a delicious chocolate delicacy. I can't decide!

Yes, sometimes you're legs calmly beg you to give them a break after walking around to meet the greats. My body was not used to learning while standing up! It's a small price to pay when the beauty of the AHA experience moves you to awe and wonder. Plus, the tutors are flexible and understanding. You let them know, and they will find a way to accommodate.

I would do this again and for a longer duration of time right this second. After returning to my hometown, and passing by McDonalds after Target after Walmart after another McDonald's, I yearned to return to the passion-filled streets of Florence.

You feel like an insider while traveling in one of the most densely packed destinations in the world. I knew AHA was a leader in the intersection of academics, travel, adventure, and culture, but I had no idea how lucky I was to experience Italy in this way. Besides being taught information with the BBC flair of the British accent, on more than one occasion, people would step out of their own tours and try to shadow ours. It was not rare or unusual for bystanders after a session completed to come up and request a private tour. I think it is a testament to the standard of excellence AHA demands. I think the people who are running this thing are pretty jaw-droppingly awesome.

Upon my return, I found myself encouraging my family to go out to dinner. It was not only a great way to bring a greater degree of connection with my family before flying off to university, but also helped me explore my own city.

It now seems possible to say "Let's go visit my friends in Rome this summer!" Am I referring to Michael Angelo's statue of David, (which I saw on my birthday!!), a church designed by Palladio, or the young couple I met during a quick change of pace from a rich, flavorful lunch to Gallerie dell'Accademia.

Bottom-line: If you have even a hint of desire to experience something beautiful and exciting, please for the love of all the Greeks, Romans, Venetians, Florentines, etc... give yourself the opportunity to experience the gift of a lifetime.

AHA was absolutely amazing and was definitely the highlight of my gap year. Its three years later and I still talk about it all the time because it was so amazing. It was incredible to see so many works of art and architecture and learn about them from really knowledgeable tutors. It also really felt like we got to know the cities we were in like locals because the tutors knew them so well and took us to places off the beaten track. They knew all the best restaurants and the Italian food was definitely a highlight! The tutors were such a great part of the experience as they were all so much fun, enthusiastic and so good at teaching and making us love the works of art they were telling us about. The course was really well organised and the accommodation was all really central. AHA was such a perfect mix of art, incredible food, wine and people. Going on AHA was definitely one of the best decisions I've made and I would highly recommend it.

If you are reading this and not taking a Gap Year, either beg your university for a deferred place and get yourself on this course or join the summer program.

The AHA tutors brought the art and architecture of Italy to life and there is nothing better than learning about the wonders of the Classical and Renaissance world in situ. I came back more knowledgeable than ever. The days were perfectly planned out and relaxing, shared with people who I hope to keep in contact with for many years to come. I can't thank the tutors and the people enough for giving me the best six weeks.

Please do not think you have to study or be interested in Art History to partake in this course. Yes, some people on the autumn program were going to study the subject at university; however, others were studying psychology, geography, graphic design and biology. This just underlines the interdisciplinary nature of Art History- it encompasses everything. Make sure you bring a notebook and pen as you will want to remember everything you learnt. People in my group that didn't hugely regretted that.

All the other reviews below have taken the words out of my mouth for how i want to describe the course, so instead of just repeating myself, anyone is more than welcome to ask me specific questions it.

Whether you are studying history of art at university or just have a passion for the subject, AHA caters for everyone providing a comprehensive education on the arts whilst immersing yourself in the culture of the country that you are in. In your free time one can find themselves wandering through the streets of Florence or Venice and enriching themselves in the Italian lifestyle and culture, in this sense AHA provides a balance between teaching and allowing the students to discover for themselves. In total I had a great experience and would recommend this course to anyone with a passion for the arts or a desire to broaden their horizons.

I could not recommend AHA more. The six week course is perfect for a gap year, and I found it hugely useful when I went on to study History of Art at university.

This is not just any old History of Art course, it is unbelievably special because you get to see every work of art you are learning about at first hand. No lecture theatres, or slides, but the real deal. I was fascinated and inspired to be learning about paintings in situ, it really helped me understand the context in which the paintings were created. One real highlight was when we were given a tour of Saint Mark's in Venice after public hours, we were the only people in there which was such a luxury, and I think we all lay on the floor to look at the glittering mosaics!

The tutors were brilliant- this is one of the key factors of the course. They are so intelligent, enthusiastic, young and fun. They know all the cities like the back of their hand- from hidden away churches, the best-aperitvo-bars, to the most delicious restaurants. There was a lovely mix of people my age on the course, who I am still in touch with.

I never ate more / better gelati, pasta, or papperdelle. The food was a real highlight!

Such a fantastic combination of history of art, fantastic tutors and teaching, wonderful food, and great fun!

It is now nearly three years since I participated in AHA's six week course in Italy and yet it continues to stand out as the most fun, rewarding and invigorating experience I have been privileged to have. The course is exceptionally well organised, the tutors are unsurpassed and the other participants continue to be life long friends. AHA manage to combine the most famous important works and key sights with those that are off the beaten track. I left each city feeling like a local and the tutors' knowledge of the best bars, restaurants or scenic views make the experience completely unique. The enthusiasm for art, literature, sculpture, architecture, history and so much more is infectious. You are immersed in so much but AHA has a way of committing what you learn to knowledge. I joined the course with very little knowledge of history of art and left being able to recite names of various Popes and give a criticism of Caravaggio's major works!! My only criticism is that six weeks doesn't feel like long enough! AHA inspired more in that short time than my fourteen years of schooling and I am still so grateful that I was able to be involved. AHA is for anyone who is curious, energetic, ready for adventure and a fan of Italian food and wine!

Whilst planning my gap year, I toyed with the idea of travelling alone around Italy for copious amounts of time. My main purpose being to visit the art I had learned about and loved whilst studying Art History A Level. When hearing about Art History Abroad, I was absolutely fascinated with what they had to offer - from a private candlelit tour of St. Marks in Venice, to climbing Mount Vesuvius in Naples. Having spoken to a handful of the tutors, each as enthusiastic as the other, I decided to sign all forms and enrol in the course. Having experienced those six weeks now, I still cannot begin to emphasise how much the trip exceeded all expectations. I joined the course not knowing anybody but from day one I was fully immersed with the 19 other like-minded students and fantastic tutors. Starting in Rome and ending in Venice, passing places including, Naples, Siena, Florence and Verona, we were able to skip queues of the Academia , eat where only locals would eat and continuously develop such an enthusiasm and appreciation for the profuse amount of art Italy has to offer. The difference between going alone and with AHA is that, due to the company's vast experience with the trip, they know what works. They know how much time should be allowed to admire Giotto's frescoes in the Musei Civici Eremitani in Padua, or which little café does the best cappuccinos in Florence. Each day is filled with something new and exciting, with all the teaching located on site. The tutors are of exceptional standard whilst being accessible and fun, with a passion for the arts that is inevitably contagious. The beauty of the trip is that you don't need any previous knowledge of Art, and you are guaranteed to experience something that you have never experienced before. The variety that you experience stretches far further than Renaissance paintings, with sessions observing the work of Jackson Pollock in the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, to visiting the Jewish Ghetto of Venice. I could not stress more how much I recommend Art History Abroad as a course. Whatever age, whatever you are studying, if you have an interest in Art, this course will open your eyes to so much more than what you read in books.