CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Florence, Italy

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.

Studying abroad in Florence was an unforgettable experience. The staff at CEA CAPA made my educational experience enjoyable while providing opportunities to learn things I wouldn't have been able to back home in the U.S. Florence as a city was a perfect size for me as I was able to memorize my way around the city in just a few weeks. There is so much history and culture to experience every day. I still stay in contact with some professors and use every chance I get to talk about how amazing my experience was to all my friends. 10/10 experience. Of all the cities I traveled to in Italy and Europe nothing was able to compare to the charm of Firenze!

I had the absolute best time studying abroad in Florence! The city is the perfect place to live abroad because it is not too big which makes it feel like home. Florence is so easy to navigate and to learn the ins and outs of living in Italy. CEA CAPA provided so much support both before I left and during the program. The classes are so fun and we were always doing fun activities in them! We got to do wine tastings, take tours of local museums, and present our own food and wine pairing which was so cool!