Firenze, mi amore.. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

the classes were small, and mostly interactive. like at home, some teachers were fun and i enjoyed learning from them. Others were less exciting. Honestly I did not really think about the fact that I would actually be taking classes while I was trying to travel the world. So even though the work load was normal, I couldn't help but to think, "what the heck." The grading system was like home but a little less predictable. I feel that the academic learning experience was more fruitful, especially in the Hospitality field, because I was able to get a more global perspective. My hotel operations professor was from Germany and had worked in many countries. My Restaurant professor was from Florence and had a good deal of experience in the field. He was very educated and most importantly, approachable. My Art History professor was from England. Art History was the most exciting to study in Florence rather than in America because we were walking to museums everyday and seeing the pieces of art instead of just staring at a text book.

On-site administration of your program

The administration at the host country were AMAZING. I actually miss them. We were friends with them. They were very helpful. They organized a lot of great things for us. They interacted with us like they were friends.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived with three other Americans (two were friends from school), a girl who was from brazil in her second semester at FUA, and briefly a girl from Bosnia. Two of the girls that I lived with were pretty good Italian speakers which was often pretty helpful. I was happy to live with these people from different backgrounds. There were three bedrooms and three bathrooms for the six of us. We had a small kitchen. We had a washing machine but no dryer (most apartments do not have a dryer). It was comfortable. The location was fantastic.

ha It's ITALY! of course the food was fantastic. Our school has a small student run restaurant called Ganzo. The food is delicious and the menu changes often. They also have events there and one night is "aperetivo." I recommend taking advantage of apperitivo's. Most bars will have them one night a week. Usually how it works is you buy a one drink and then you have access to a whole buffet of apetizers. I really liked the one at Kitch. Find it. Also, the panini's in florence are amazing. Be sure to only have the ones that are made fresh to order. My favorite was Pino's, near Santa Croce. Another good one is the Oil Shoppe. I also found another good one when I took some different streets to class. Explore! But during the day and with a friend. Get gelato from at least 12 different places before you pick your favorite. I found way too many good ones the last week of the semester. Try to go to traditional trattoria's. Go to Aqua al Due at least once and try Both the blueberry steak and the balsamic steak. GO TO THE MARKET. There is one by Ganzo and another..I think by Apicius. If you try to speak Italian and smile, they will help you and give you a deal. Sometimes you can get samples of cheese and meat. I would get one coccole (fried dough) everytime before i left and since they were only a few cents, the woman started to give them to me for free. You can save a lot of money at the market and it is just a great experience. oh and go to olive oil, balsamic, and wine tastings! You can't even imagine what they are like... so good. and I can't omit the "secret bakeries." When you're coming home late at night (make sure you are Not alone), and you smell something oh so delicious, and you think you're wondering why those few people ahead are reaching through a cracked door or gate of a bakery that should be closed..wait a few minutes, then get your best italian speaker to knock and say hello. You've probably found a secret bakery, the best discovery of all of mankind. Bakers come to the shops shortly after midnight to bake the days goodies. The real good stuff is usually ready by two or three am. Some bakers require you to be very quiet and respectful. my favorite secret bakery item? the "trianguluro." It is a large triangle croissant with warrmm melted cheese and ham....but you can only find it at one bakery, and I've already said too much. finding them is half the reward.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

This would take me a year to mention all of the great things that i experienced. Almost every weekend we went on a trip, whether it was through school, through a company like Bus2Alps, on our own, or even just day trips via train, ALL were AMAZING. In florence in particular, we got to experience some great events. While we were there, there was a week long chocolate festival. After class i would walk through and get chocolate covered strawberries and bananas and a nutella crepe. I was also there during easter. They have a tradition with fireworks by the duomo that i am so happy that i saw. sometimes you would walk home from class and run into a parade of a dressed up band, or a march for women's rights. we were also there during the trl awards - that was great. just.. please go travel, explore the city you stay in. surprises and memerable experiences are everywhere.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The school went through health and safety precautions at orientation. As far as safety goes, it is pretty common sense. At night, do not walk alone, even if you are a guy but especially if you are a girl (especially if you have had some drinks). Do not drink too much, it becomes more likely to be split from your friends. But seriously, when you do not know the local language, you do not know the streets.. don't be stupid. It is not hard and you will probably have a safe experience. As far as health issues, the school gave us contact information for an english doctor. He was very nice. Once though, I went straight to the pharmacy, told them what was wrong, and they gave me appropriate meds. as long as you have no allergies, this is a much cheaper route to take.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

For the school that I studied at, they required that you take an Italian course in Florence if you had not already back home. I found this course helpful for interacting with locals, particularly in the market. It is possible to get by without speaking the host country language, but it is nice, respectful, and makes things a lot easier. Florence, though, is a fairly traditional city, so there were many that did not speak english. Many useful phrases I learned through interaction before I learned them in class. Things like more or less, yes and no, hello, goodbye, thank you, excuse me. I appreciated the Italian course, and I wish that I had used Italian more.

Select all that apply

• Apartment

Select all that apply

• Other

• The administration
• The trips
• The location

• more integration with the locals and/or non-american students