About The Program
In beautiful Florence, a global capital of culture and innovation, you can learn about the entrepreneurial spirit that fuels family businesses in Italy, explore how Italian style in food, fashion and art has evolved and is marketed, or study the environment and sustainability in Tuscany. Complement your classroom work with field trips, internships and volunteering opportunities. Courses are taught in English.
Where you'll study
Your home base in Florence for everything from classes to meet-ups for program tours and excursions is the Accent study center in Florence. You will attend classes in two palazzi; the main center is contained within the first two floors of the Palazzo Guadagni, an early 16th-century building in the tree-shaded Piazza Santo Sprito of the Oltrarno neighborhood. The heart of historic Florence, this bohemian neighborhood just south of the River Arno features winding cobblestone streets, outdoor eateries and cafés, traditional local businesses, and artisan’s workshops. Staff are on hand to answer academic questions, share information on cultural and social activities, and offer general advice. The main center has five classrooms for courses and lectures, a student services area, a computer lab with the latest iMacs, faculty offices, a lending library for UCEAP courses, and a comfortable student lounge. A second facility where you will attend classes is the Palazzo Jules Maidoff, a four-story Renaissance building with a beautiful walled garden a short walk from the Duomo.
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TRIPS AND ACTIVITIES
The study center arranges field trips and activities to introduce the local culture and special features of your host country. There may be other optional excursions, which you can explore after arrival.
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My career goal is to become a pediatric oncologist, and I had the privilege of teaching 9- and 10-year-olds English while studying abroad in Italy. Learning to communicate with children will be essential to my future career, and the opportunity to teach, interact, and learn from Italian children was the most enriching and influential experience of my time abroad.
Before interning abroad, I never seriously considered international journalism as something I was cut out for. The four months I spent in Italy, buzzing myself in through the courtyard and waiting behind the wobbly desk for my next story, contained the most valuable experiences I’ve ever had. I doubt the growth and independence I found would have been possible without leaving America and diving headfirst into Italian journalism.