Program Reviews

This program was a dream come true. I made friendships that will last a lifetime. The tutors were amazing! I would wake up each day excited to see which new adventure I was going to embark on. This is the program for you if you are into art history and the European culture. Submerging myself into Europe made me fall in love with this continent that was so new to me at the moment. The best part of the trip was being able to take a hands on approach into different art and cultures. This trip made me more worldly and independent. I came back as a stronger person and I could not thank AHA enough. The overall experience made me grow as a person and has made me continue the path of art history into college in Florence, Italy. I will remember this trip for the rest of my life and I can’t wait to share my story with everyone!

I went on the full 3 month September throughout December trip, and it was one of the best experiences ever. Sure it wasn’t perfect, but I loved the “tutors” - the people who were leading us everyday and teaching learning sessions, and I met so many great people. I would recommend this trip to anyone who says they want to travel to Europe during their gap year. We travelled to so many cities: London, Stratford (English Countryside), Paris, Nice, Montepulciano (Tuscany), Rome, Naples, Siena, Florence, Verona, Castelfranco, and Venice. The first six weeks is a smaller group and then once in Italy- more people join- which was difficult at first because we had become settled into our original group but everything eventually calmed down and the groups integrated and we got to meet more amazing people. I would even recommend this trip to people who don’t particularly love art history- like me- because I had such an amazing time learning about it and it’s not even what I’m pursuing in college. Plus, the program gives us ample free time to explore the city for ourselves or just hang out with your new friends. Would go back in a heartbeat!

I went into this program having little to no knowledge and experience in art history; in fact, the only art related courses I had taken in school were the easiest ones I could find to fulfill my art requirements. But I am a fond believer in exploring outside your comfort zone, so I decided to give this course a shot, and I am so glad I did. The tutors are all so engaging and funny that even if would not normally be particularly interested in the subject that they are teaching about, you will still find yourself engaged in the lesson and enjoying every minute of it. Additionally, the tutors cover such a wide variety of topics and take the students on so many different activities, that you are bound to find things that truly interest you. The summer course is a very fast paced course and you are traveling around quite a bit, but as long as you utilize the free time provided to get any rest you may need, you should have no problem at all. And if there ever is any problem, the tutors are incredibly approachable and helpful, so if you ever, say, swap bags with someone at the London airport, they will do everything in their power to help you get the bag back and keep the mind off the fact you've been wearing the same pair of clothes for nearly a week! While the lessons and activities are a joy to partake in, the most valuable experiences for me were the relationships I had formed with the incredible tutors and fellow students. This group will become like a family abroad, with some pretty hip parents I might add, and if nothing else, you will have such a great time exploring the beautiful country of Italy with them.

I didn't know what to expect when I flew to Italy for AHA, but wow - it was a wonderful, life-changing trip. As I'd hoped, I learned so much about the world through art history during my time in Italy, but I also made some of the best friends I've ever met. How can I describe my tutors... words really wouldn't do justice to how much I enjoyed their company. I think it's so nice that I can stay in touch and go and visit them in the future. The same for my peers - we came from different places around the world, but everybody was friendly and open-minded. Our trip was the perfect balance of learning, laughing, and having fun. We saw the most beautiful art pieces of all time, we visited some of the most beautiful views I've ever seen, and we shared some of the most beautiful conversations I've ever had (blackcurraant :).

I was quite unsure of what direction I wanted to take in life before this trip, but AHA helped me so much in figuring out what I want to do and the people I want to be with.
GRAZIE to all of my tutors, peers, and people who made this trip possible. I won't forget you!

I found AHA's program online and was keen on doing an art history course as I was going to study History at university but knew my course wouldn't extend too far into arts and wanted to do an academic course whilst having the fun of being in a group with people my age and to travel. AHA really hits the nail on the head with this combination - to learn about a painting, sculpture, or architecture and the history of a city/town whilst you're in it is entirely different to learning about it from a classroom. 3 years later I continue to look back at AHA fondly and wish I could do it all over again. I enjoyed the company of everyone on my course and keep in touch with many of my tutors and peers regularly.

I cannot speak highly enough of AHA. Its an opportunity that provides the perfect learning and social combination which excatly what I had hoped for. The access to the treasures and places of historical importance in Italy must be completely unique. Finding myself on a private tour around Saint Marks Basilica one evening in Venice an example of the lengths AHA go to, to provide a first hand taste of what Italy offers. This is all backed up by tutors who are incredibly knowledgable. They also teach in such a style that is inclusive, fun and socially interactive making it a perfectly balanced learning environment. Your able to connect with people from all over the world on the trip, some of whom I still see today. The course encourages you to socialise with everyone including the tutors in the evening which is a brilliant way to get to know everyone more and explore the cities further. The tutors are experts on the restaurants and bars to go to which is a huge help, that allows you to delve into the local cuisine. The exposure to the quality and different periods of Art, Architecture and even Literature in the finest Churches, Musuems in the world is just extraordinary. Asides from the renowned calling points, a highlight included discovering one of Carravagios last paintings in an old bank off the high street in Naples. Pleasant surprises like this happen regularly mainly due to the courses fantastic organisation.

The weeks I spent with AHA were some of the best in my life. The learning experience was wonderfully led and there was a mutual respect between the tutors and the students which I haven't encountered yet. It was fascinating to learn about Southern Italy and it's extremely rich cultural history. There was a large spread of different sites and something to interest everyone. It was also very amazing being put with other people of your own age who share an interest in History of Art. I made some very good friends during the two short weeks.

I highly recommend the AHA combination course of Northern and Southern Italy. We went all the way from Venice to Sicily in four weeks, and enjoyed a lot of amazing art ranging from Greco-Roman ruins to Renaissance and Baroque paintings and some interesting art shows that juxtaposed ancient archeological finds with contemporary art. Sometimes the traveling schedule might be really intense, and socializing with a group of people all the time can be stressful. But on the other hand, this was also a life lesson for me to get out of my comfort zone. Overall, I feel that I have learnt in this course more than just the canonical art history, but moreover experienced different kinds of art and tried to think beyond the single narrative of art history. Definitely, Italy and this traveling course have made a precious mark on my life.

I really enjoyed all of the trip and thought that above all it was organised perfectly. There is great balance between learning and fun which made the two weeks great. The tutors know everything needed to have an easy and fun trip around Naples and Sicily. Highlights include seeing a wide variety of Caravaggio paintings, the Cathedral in Syracuse and the bronze sculptures in Messina. The trip is certainly worth anything and I recommend that everyone should do it.

Going on the six-week gap year trip with Art History Abroad was one of the best experiences of my life thus far. I went in with no prior knowledge of art or art history and left feeling like I was able to hold meaningful conversations about nearly any piece of art placed in front of me. The tutors are incredibly knowledgeable and all wonderful, engaging teachers. Besides being great teachers, they are also amazing people and will feel like friends by the end of the trip.
This trip will present you with some of the most incredible opportunities you can imagine. You see all of the artistic highlights like the David, The Birth of Venus, and more, which are just as remarkable as they are hyped up to be. Beyond that, AHA takes you to places that you would likely never think of on your own. One of my favorite days was a day trip from Naples to the island of Ischia, where we explored a stunning botanical garden and got to spend the afternoon relaxing on the beach and swimming in the Mediterranean. Yes, this trip is about art, but it will teach you about so much more. You will learn about people, food, Italian culture, and life. This trip absolutely changed me for the better as a person and made me feel so much more confident in my abilities as a student and as a young adult. I could try to encapsulate all of my favorite experiences in this review, but it would honestly end up reading like a novel. And besides, seeing these things in real life and learning from these amazing tutors firsthand is even better than hearing about it. The fun memories and friendships I've made from this trip will last me a lifetime.
If you are even remotely considering doing this trip, I recommend you do it. You will not regret it!!