Program Reviews

It is without question that this trip has taught me extraordinary things: I have learnt about the history of Italy, of Ancient Rome and Pompeii, of medieval Tuscany, the Renaissance, Byzantium, the Napoleonic wars and even the fascist government of Mussolini before and during the Second World War. I have learnt about Classical, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerist, Baroque, Modern, Postmodern, Supermodern art forms and ideologies. Of course we had our days off and would sometimes have a change from history of art; a Sienese cookery lesson one afternoon, a fascinating visit to a famous Venetian 18th century velvet factory, a deeply moving tour of the Jewish ghetto in Venice. However, all of these added to an incredible understanding of Italian culture and history.

It still seems unreal, too perfect to recollect. I went to Rome, Orvieto, Naples, Pompeii, Siena, Arezzo, Florence, Fiesole, Pisa, Verona, Vicenza, Castelfranco, Padua, and Venice. I know it sounds clichéd, but I saw Michelangelo’s David, I climbed Mount Vesuvius, I listened to an orchestra play Mozart in the Cattedrale di Siena, I heard monks sing evensong in the 11th century crypt of San Miniato, I watched the sunset over Verona, I saw rain fall through the oculus of the Pantheon, I ate some of the best pizzas on the planet, I made some incredible friends, and I saw the golden mosaics of Basilica di San Marco light up one by one like so many stars.

Jiddu Krishnamurti once said that there “is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” And in my opinion, the greatest form of education is that which makes you feel alive, teaches you things you never knew, and inspires you to change the world: it is the movement from darkness to light. This trip is that movement, and so so much more.

This was honestly the best three months I've had in a long time!!! I learned so much about art history, being a traveller around Europe, and about myself on this trip! And I made such good friends who cared about my contributions to the course and were simply some of the raddest people i have ever met and were amazingly fun whether we were learning or just hanging! I feel really good about being independent now and I feel like I learned a lot about Art History as well as brushed up on my European history significantly. Even though I've never had any formal training in Art history, I felt like the information was taught in such a great way that my lack of experience didn't negatively impact my overall understanding. Which brings me to the amazing, awesome, rad, super smart, fun, and interesting tutors who absolutely made this experience for me! They work really hard and care about your wellbeing and growth as a student and a friend. I feel like I am a better person for going on this trip and I would recommend it to anyone! Thanks AHA!

There are so many moments on AHA that made the experience unforgettable. I could talk about seeing Michelangelo's David in real life, or climbing Mount Vesuvius, or even savoring a slice of Naples pizza. But those are all things that you could find on a "Top 10 Things to Do In Italy" website article. The internet can't describe the close-knit bonds I made with the other students. People who, at first glance strangers, became like family within the first week. People who, being from different backgrounds, each had a unique perspective on everything we saw. You can travel to each city alone and see the same artwork, immerse yourself in the same culture, and follow the same itinerary to the dot. But nothing compares to that sense of enlightenment when someone else realizes a small nuance in the work that you would have never seen had you been by yourself. I gained so much on this trip. Yes, knowledge. Yes, leg muscles from all the walking. But most importantly, a newfound respect for the world and the people around me. There's no price on that.

I loved my six-week fall program in Italy with AHA and know that it thoroughly prepared me for University life. I learnt a lot about art, architecture, and history while developing valuable life skills along the way. I grew as a person and grasped how to live away from home, travel independently, responsibly have fun, and cooperate with my roommates. As a future architecture major, I appreciated how much I learnt from the course that I can transfer to my studies in 2017. My favorite city that we visited was Florence because we stayed in the heart of the city so it was easy to find activities to do on a night out with friends (plus the food there was amazing). Florence also had amazing art and architecture so the sessions in the city were extremely interesting. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to learn about art history, develop valuable skills, make amazing friends, have fun, and expand their independence before University.

If you are even remotely considering joining AHA – Do it! You won’t regret it.

I joined the course having next to no knowledge of art history nor any intention of pursuing it in the future, and I can say with absolute certainty that choosing AHA was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

The tutors are all amazing. In addition to being some of the coolest human beings I have yet to encounter, they are all brilliant in their own way and offer unique and exciting ways to understand the information and to connect with the art pieces and places.

Not only have I walked away from the course with an in-depth understanding of European art and architecture within the historical context, but I have also gained an appreciation for the Italian culture – the beautiful way of life. Furthermore, in just eight weeks, I have become extremely confident as a person and international traveler, have formed life-long friendships, and have made memories I will take with me for the rest of my life.

As a mathematician I never thought that I would find myself on an amazing two week course, meeting new people and seeing the best of Italian art. But thanks to the Trenchard Cox Scholarship and the amazing AHA program that is exactly what I did. The art and architcture I saw was mind blowing but it is the little details like the evening picnics looking over Florence and the Gondola trips through Venice that make it truly special. Also to anyone not so inclined to art I would highly advice you to take a look, as the trip is so much more than just looking at pictures.

I adored everything about this trip! I took an art history class my last semester of high school and fell in love with the subject so I knew I wanted to do something related to it during my gap year and I found Art History Abroad. Before I went on the trip I was mostly worried because I knew I was one of two or three Americans in a group of mostly English students and English tutors, but once I met everybody and we spent time together it absolutely didn't make a difference and actually made it a lot more fun that we were from different places. Plus, now I have friends to visit in London! The tutors were super knowledgeable and since I wasn't doing the program for credit it was a great way to learn more about this subject I'm interested in without the stress or pressure of an actual classroom. Aside from our morning and afternoon sessions we were pretty much free to roam, which was one of my favorite parts of the setup of the program. With so much free time we really got a chance to get to know the cities and towns we were staying in, trying lots of restaurants, finding the best hidden spots, and meeting locals. As horribly cliché as it sounds, I truly made some friends and memories that will last me a lifetime. I would highly highly recommend this trip to anyone, and especially any Americans out there, it was such a great experience!

When the 'review section' suggest me to share a story, I didn't know where to start. There are so many memories, and they played in my mind just like a movie. Indeed - It is too good to be true, and let me tell you why:
The tutors in the program are all brilliant and extremely experienced. They use simple language and a sense of humour to make hundreds of years' history vivid and exciting. Therefore, if you think that you've never done Art History before and know nothing about it, it shouldn't be the reason to hesitate. It is true that the teachers are trying to give you a lot of knowledge and information throughout the program, but they will make sure that you understand even you started from zero. On the other hand, if you have learned Art history before, that is great! You will be amazed how much more you could learn about that particular area during the trip. For instance, during my two weeks in Northern Italy, I learned things about Renaissance and Baroque that I haven't or couldn't come across in school lessons. It saved me a lot of time and stimulated my interest in this period.
Another point is, being in Italy, having pizza and gelato, enjoying the sunshine while learning the history and art of this country is a whole new level of experience. Trust me it is totally different from sitting down and reading a book about Renaissance! In this trip, you will get to walk around the streets and interact with local people. It will give you a better understanding of why this kind of history happened in that particular place. The tutors will make sure that the amount of studying are balanced out with fun and pleasure. So they will give you free time to explore Italy after a few days of intense academic enrichment. Hanging out with people that you share the interests with while in this romantic country, will be one of the best parts that you have if you go on this trip. You will immerse yourself in this culture and environment.
The most important part of the journey is you will get to see artworks first-handed, also understand them through the language of art. Personally, my favourite theme in Renaissance is the 'Venus'. The moment I see Birth of Venus and Venus of Urbino in Uffizi Museum, I was so emotionally moved by their presence. I've seen so many copies of them, but the real one is so grand and an incarnation of perfection. The feeling is the same as you meeting up with an old friend. You already know so much and heard a lot about them, but seldom get to see them.
Trust me; there are so much more that I want to share with you and tell you how happy I was because of this trip. It's worth it, and you need to explore this. It will not let you down and surely become the highlight of your summer.

My four weeks in Italy this summer were among the best weeks of my life, and by far the best summer I’ve spent abroad. As an international student living in Tokyo, my summers typically consist of quite lengthy trips, and wanting to get the most out of a very long (12 hour) trip to Italy, I took part in the combined Northern and Southern Italy courses, spending two weeks in each respectively, and a grand total of just under four weeks.

As a senior in high school, the trips I’ve participated in in the past have clearly catered to a more ‘high school’ group of students. AHA, on the other hand, is another story completely. I was initially nervous knowing that I would inevitably end up being one of the youngest of the group, as well as being American/Japanese among what would most likely be a group largely consisting of U.K. students. However, age was practically irrelevant and I got on well with everyone in both the Northern and Southern courses. Many of the close friends I made on the trip were also international students, hailing from around the world. AHA attracts a very diverse crowd; something that definitely adds to the experience of studying abroad.

The first two weeks in Northern Italy began in the canals of Venice, stopping in the crowded streets of Florence before ending in the ancient ruins of Rome. A typical day consisted of roughly four coffee breaks, hours on end perusing the paintings decorating halls of museums, eating the most amazing food, fervently discussing an artist’s work, and stopping for a spritz before laughing while you get lost in the tiny side streets of Venice, or stumbling upon the Pantheon on your way back to the hotel. I can’t even describe the certain feeling you get as you wander through each city; it’s just the dream of being in Italy. And the art is incomparable to anything I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience. From Medieval art influenced by the Byzantine empire to the Berninis adorning the rooms of the Galleria Borghese, Northern Italy is just brimming with the most incredible art. Though I may not have any significant authority on the subject, any history of art student has not been truly fulfilled before seeing the art that is readily available in Venice, Florence and Rome.

My third and fourth week in Southern Italy took me to Sicily, where I travelled with a different group from Palermo all the way back to Naples on the mainland. The south of Italy had a completely different vibe from the north, and the food, people, architecture, and art contrasted drastically to what I had experienced in the first two weeks. Day to day, we would leisurely roam the tiny street markets, drop by small churches hidden in deserted alleyways, satisfy our many mandatory coffee breaks, eat food that could give the North a run for its money, and sip bellinis while the sea breeze and the salt caught in our hair. Among the beautiful places we visited on the Southern trip, I will never forget the night we spent in Porto Palo, where we stayed in an amazing hotel by our own private beach. Some of the other students and I stargazed that night, before coming down in the morning and watching the sun rise over the mountains in the east, Michelangelo and Bernina (we named the hotel’s dogs) sitting beside us in the sand. With the South comes yet another feeling I can’t describe, much like the North, and both are feelings I don’t think I’ll be able to replicate without being in Italy with people I am easily able to call close friends.

The tutors on both the trips constitute a highlight themselves; I can’t stress how essential they were to making this trip as amazing as it was. Every single one of them loves art history, loves Italy, and loves what they do. I honestly think this was a large reason for the extent to which I enjoyed the trip, and I would be lying if I said that the ‘learning part’ of the trip wasn’t another highlight. I remember discussing art pieces with them, chatting over dinner, having celebratory drinks after a transportation mishap coming back from Lago Bracciano. The tutors were absolutely incredible, and I owe them a lot for making this trip what it was: a life-changing experience.

I’d only ever studied art history in relation to my own art, and I’m still unsure about whether it’s a path I want to take in the future, but that definitely did not hinder my time in Italy. I’ve come out of this trip knowing terms and facts I never thought I would know, and yet if asked, I would never say that I endured a draining academic summer.

If I was back at Christmas time last year, deciding what to do for the upcoming summer, I wouldn’t only not change my choice, I would be insisting that I go on this course. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.

This two week trip to Italy was honestly the best two weeks of my summer. Venice, Florence and Rome are such amazing and beautiful cities, each offering something different. The tutors were excellent, so knowledgeable and really friendly. Not studying Art History made no difference at all as so many different subjects come into it and it was great to learn so much new and interesting information. We saw so much in each city but we were also given enough free time to do our own thing. The food was incredible and the restaurants the tutors took us to were always fun and good value. The evenings were always fun, going for drinks before supper along the canal in Venice and the beautiful picnic on the roof in Rome. I met some lovely people and the group all got on well, It was also lovely how the tutors integrated within the group. I would highly recommend this trip and would definitely consider going on it again. You are enriched with a whole range of art and culture so there will always be something for everyone.