Travelling while studying in Florence

By Elisa Checcacci, Student Services Coordinator

The opportunity to travel around Italy and Europe has always been a major draw for students who come to study in Florence as part of the BA, FFE, and MA programs. Teaching mainly takes place Monday to Thursday, which allows for long weekends at students’ disposal to visit Rome, Venice, and other Italian cities and towns by train, or take one of the low-cost flights to European capitals such as Paris, London, Barcelona, Amsterdam. The Fall, Winter, and Spring breaks, allow for longer trips, and students tend to visit multiple cities or go a bit further, like Morocco or one of the Greek islands. Students tend to organize these trips independently, often for the first time, and while the main aim of a trip is recreational, they definitely gain planning, budgeting, and problem-solving skills along the way! Below are some pictures taken by students during their travels.

As part of the program, we also organize a number of trips to help students discover more of Italy and Europe, get to know other students in the cohort better and move some of the learning outside the classroom. As a matter of fact, the sightseeing and free time is always combined with a cultural or historical activity connected with the place.

Bachelor and MA students go on a one-day trip in the Fall semester, and on a long weekend trip in the Spring. For the day trip we usually go to smaller towns in Tuscany or neighboring regions which are less known, such as Arezzo, Modena, Perugia, Civita di Bagnoregio.

For the long weekend trips, instead, we’ve recently taken BA students to Puglia, Genoa/Montecarlo, Croatia and Slovenia, while MA students usually go to Madrid where they get to see not only the incredible collection of the Prado museum, but also look at more contemporary and street art.

FFE students’ weekend trip takes place in the Fall and is connected to the compulsory First Year Seminar class, so the destination changes every year, depending on the topic of the class. In the past few years we have visited Lake Garda and Mantua, Rome (with a focus on the works by Michelangelo), Naples, 5 Terre. The trip is usually a month or two after students’ arrival, and represents an incredible opportunity for them to spend more time with other students they might have hardly talked to in the previous weeks, and also get to know staff better. In the Spring, instead, we usually take them to the Carnival in Viareggio or to the thermal baths, which Tuscany has plenty of.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began trips have been on hold, but we are hopeful we’ll be able to hit the road again soon. In the meanwhile, it’s great to look back at all the wonderful memories these trips have left us with.

Travel specific blogs written by students are available here