CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Florence, Italy

As someone who had never been to Europe prior to my abroad experience, I had no idea where I wanted to go, if I wanted a big city or a small town. I took a shot in the dark and decided on Florence, Italy with CEA CAPA. I am so beyond grateful that I did. To have this experience of the city, the people, the culture, and of course, the food is truly a privilege. Florence is such an iconic city known around the world, but it didn't have that overwhelming feeling that most big cities have. You can experience some of the best nightlife Europe has to offer, any night of the week or you can spend your Friday evening at some of the most world-renowned museums. Either way, I could also be talked into a Gyro panini afterwards, from numerous street vendors!

When I look back on my experience studying abroad, I like to think of all the life lessons I learned, the friendships I made and the valuable classes I enrolled in. Without a doubt, learning abroad through CEA CAPA has taught me to step outside my comfort zone, to be confident in who I am, and to take advantage of every opportunity. There are countless things that I have taken away from my time abroad that will most certainly be used in my daily life.
As for the friendships I have made, I was pleasantly surprised how well random roommates would work out for me. Committing to study abroad with no one I knew from my hometown nor my university took a big leap of faith, but it’s something I’m so thankful I did. I went into this knowing I would be meeting so many new faces, but did not expect my roommates to become lifelong friends. Messaging each other through the roommate portal was our first interaction. Before we knew it, we made it to Italy and we were planning our future trips together. With that said, meeting unfamiliar faces is something I would highly recommend. After all, you only get so many chances to study abroad. My roommates, who are now my friends, have played a significant role in my experience studying abroad. The friends that you will make while you’re abroad will be the people that you travel to other countries with. They’ll be the people you explore the history of your city with. The ones you try new food with, and influence you to buy all the leather you don’t need with. You will bond over silly things like missing a train or two, creating an oil painting and not being able to tell what it is, and embarrassing yourself while trying to do karaoke at Red Garter. While they’ve only been in my life for a short period of time, they are still part of a chapter in my life and college career.

My experience in Florence was amazing from start to finish. Upon arriving, we began with orientation, and right from the first day I knew I loved the city and the community among CEA CAPA. The staff was so friendly, cracking jokes, and overall helping us to feel comfortable as we were all in a brand new environment with brand new people. I was lucky enough to travel with one of my best friends from my home university, but I still made great friends in and outside of my classes, people who I would consider lifelong friends. My apartment floor was also about 10 CAPA students (2-4 per apartment), and we all became fast friends, spending down time exploring the city, day or night. The social scene, both Italian and American, was very friendly, and the night scene was a great mix of both, where I was able to feel at home with fellow Americans, while also meeting people who came from a very different world than I did. The academic scene also provided a new perspective, with teachers from Florence, who were able to give me invaluable insight to Italian culture. I am a Gender Studies major, and taking a class about gender roles in Italy was fascinating, because I had only ever learned about it from the perspective of American gender roles. Alongside that, the workload kept me engaged, without being too challenging, and taking away from my time enjoying the city. The only thing I regret about my abroad experience is leaving! CEA CAPA provided a wonderful cushion to put me at ease, while also giving me the tools to succeed on my own, and to truly make the best of the experience.

I studied as an art student in Florence for a month. It was the most incredible experience! It was a faculty-led program, so our professor would bring us to a new place everyday and let us draw and paint to our heart's content. We explored so many museums, cathedrals, and other monuments that were very easy to access and all within walking distance. The city felt very safe and I was never nervous to walk around alone. CEA Capa staff were so helpful in getting us settled and accustomed to the city. The housing was very nice and spacious and it was in the core of the city, so we never had to walk more than 20 minutes.
We did day trips to multiple other cities in Italy that were all just as beautiful, but Florence was the best place to live for an extended period of time. It was very easy to get comfortable there and I would definitely choose to do this program all over again!

Such a fun program! I am so grateful for my spring semester abroad in the coolest city. CEA CAPA was such an incredible program that does such a good job setting up the students with success. The classes that they have to offer allow students to take exciting classes they wouldn't usually take back home. They incorporate things to do around the city or the area. I got to be a part of the soccer which was probably one of my favorite parts where I met so many fun people. Arrivederci Firenze!!!!!!!

I had such an amazing time in Florence! Something I really appreciated about the CEA program was having Fridays off from class because it allowed us to travel to new places in the most affordable ways. Without these, traveling would've been much more difficult and I wouldn't have had the same experience abroad. I also really enjoyed how the classes would take us one excursions based on what we were learning. The art history class I took brought me to many new churches and areas I never would have explored or even known about on my own, and it was like going with our own personal tour guide.

My experience was awesome!! I went to Florence, Italy and I can honestly say I think it is the best study abroad destination in Italy. I also was able to visit Venice, Pisa, San Lucca, Cinque Terre, Paris, and Barcelona. I met a ton of new friends and learned so many incredible things. I am a foodie for sure so I loved learning about Italian food and wine. The streets of Florence were easy to navigate and remember so it felt familiar and more like home within a week. I would highly recommend it!

Ever since I have gotten back from studying abroad in Florence, Italy with CEA CAPA, I have been telling friends and family that I probably peaked in life during this experience. I went with one of my best friends from high school/college, in which we were able to travel to other areas of Italy every weekend. One weekend I even went to Croatia! Travel agencies in Florence makes traveling for students affordable and easy, since they plan every part of the trip from transportation to housing to activities. In Florence, I took two classes during the six week stay. I was in Food and Culture in Italy and History of the Mafia and Anti-Mafia in Italy, both of which were extremely interesting and engaging. Near the end of my trip, my good friend suffered a spontaneous lung collapse in which he had to be hospitalized until the end of our trip. The CEA CAPA staff did amazing things to comfort him through this tough time. His Food and Culture teacher even delivered him food while he was in the hospital! Since he couldn't fly back on his scheduled date, the CEA CAPA director in Florence, made sure my friend had housing until he could safely leave and fly on a plane.