Study in Florence, Italy

Florence (Firenze in Italian) is one of Italy’s most beautiful and popular cities, and the capital of the northern region of Tuscany. Its iconic buildings, narrow alleyways, wide open plazas and vibrant yet easygoing culture are all quintessentially Italian, and it has more than enough layers and small, overlooked corners to keep even the most energetic student busy for a long time. Add to this Florence’s reputation as the home of some of Italy’s finest restaurants, and you have an understanding for why it is so popular with students and tourists from around the world.

Italian food is among the most popular in the world, and there’s no better place to get it than Florence. The city is peppered with world-class restaurants serving traditional Italian dishes and modern interpretations of global cuisine, as well as small, inexpensive restaurants and street vendors. For authentic Italian food, the best places to go are often the low- to medium-budget restaurants, since these tend to cater to local tastes rather than the expectations of wealthy tourists. Be sure to try authentic Tuscan pizza during your stay, and sample the huge variety of pasta dishes served in Florentine restaurants. For desert, you can head to any one of the city’s many ice cream parlors for gelato, a light and often fruity Italian ice cream. The gelato served in Florence is widely considered to be the best in the world.

Although navigating the city can be somewhat confusing at first (like many European cities, it grew up long before the days of urban planning, so there is no convenient grid like the ones found in New York or Washington, DC), it is a very pleasant place to walk. The weather in Florence is consistently sunny and warm throughout the year, so you will rarely be prevented from walking as a result of the weather. The city center, where the majority of restaurants, sightseeing attractions, and restaurants are clustered, is extremely easy to get around on foot. If for whatever reason walking is not an option, there are plenty of buses, trams, and taxis that can pick you up and take you to anywhere within Florence or its surrounding suburbs.

There are far too many attractions in Florence to name them all, but a few must-see highlights include the Duomo, Florence’s iconic cathedral, and the nearby Uffizi, a beautiful art gallery and museum with some of Europe’s most famous works of art. While in Florence, be sure to take in Michelangelo’s David, perhaps the greatest work of sculpture ever created. Not surprisingly, Florence is perhaps the top destination in the world for students of art and art history, so courses in these areas are readily available for young and old alike.