Florence was an amazing experience. I am glad I stayed the entire year because I could fit in more traveling into my schedule. I hated my home stay, but it was honestly my host family. The location was great. Florence was fantastic with food, a social scene, and transportation. The food, outrageous. Take a cooking class, it will change your life! The classes were also pretty interesting and engaging. My recommendation for all of you is to travel in Italy first before you start leaving the country. There are so many hidden gems in Italy like Bergamo. Your Italian will never be as good as it is when you are abroad so utilize it! The sede is a great place to hang out and to talk to all of the fabulous staff. I wish they planned more events and trips for us, but they were a little lacking in that regards. But other than that, you need to seek out the opportunities yourself. The internships are also super cool and 10/10 would recommend. Also, Due Sorsi e un Boccone (sandwich shop down the street) is an absolute gem and you should eat there always. Say Hi to Violetta for me!

I had an amazing time studying abroad through Middlebury- so much that I chose to stay in Florence an additional month after the program had ended to pursue an internship (which I couldn't have found without the Middlebury program's help!). If you do go to Florence, I would recommend staying with a host family. I really clicked with mine, and I think my Italian improved a lot as a result. It was so nice to come home each evening and have conversations with them over dinner.

With the School in Italy, I had the freedom to make my experience abroad exactly what I was looking for. My classes at the Sede were unforgettable, and I got to see what life is actually like for Italian students by taking half of my courses at the Universita' di Firenze. I specifically chose this program in order to improve my language skills, and now, years later, I can say that spending a year abroad on the Middlebury program was the key to gaining fluency.

I lived outside the historic center of Florence, away from the tourists and English-speakers, and lived with an amazing family who treated me like a daughter. Through them, I made friends with other Italians of all ages and was able to practice my Italian 24/7 in an authentic, supportive context.

Part of the reason my language skills improved so much was my decision to spend the entire year abroad. A semester is just not enough time to explore the city and the rest of Italy. By the end of the first semester, I knew my way around and had a group of friends and an idea of how the university system worked, which made the second semester easier and more fun.