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The program cost is $6,599 plus University fees of $341.90, totaling $6,940.90. After you have applied for your desired program, you must make a deposit of $500 via Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½INK. The $500 deposit is applied towards the cost of the program. The initial deadline to apply and pay the deposit is December 16. A $100 late fee will be charged after December 16. View Payment Policies & Instructions. 
Program cost includes tuition for 9 credit hours, lodging for four weeks in furnished apartments with kitchens located in the city center of Florence, the field trips in Tuscany mentioned above, transportation to and from Rome, lodging in Rome, admission to Florence’s state museums (such as the Uffizi, Pitti and Academia) as well as many of the city’s palaces and churches. Students will be responsible for their own meals during the program (an additional meal voucher program is available). Round-trip airfare on the group flight which includes transportation to and from the airport is $1,855. 

This language and culture course is mandated for all students participating in the Italy Study Abroad program.

This course provides an introduction to the conversational Italian language and will expose students to various aspects of the Italian culture. The language component is held three (3) hours per week. The additional components are held at various times (day and evenings) throughout the six-week period. This course will include:

• Pre-Departure Orientation – Preparation for travel and life in Italy
• Italian Language – Conversational Italian taught by a local language school
• Cooking Italian – Hands-on cooking experience preparing authentic Italian cuisine      
• Wine Tasting – Seminar on Italian wine and proper tasting techniques
• Culture – Guided tours and visits to cultural sites and activities

All course meetings (except the orientation) are led by certified and qualified Italian-based teachers or guides and are arranged by the American Institute of Foreign Studies (AIFS). There is no need to list this course as an option because ALL participants will automatically be scheduled to take this course.

Printmaking is both a tool and artistic practice that brings images to the public through illustrated books, newspapers, and through the production of artistic prints. The invention of the Gutenberg press helped transform Italy during the Renaissance period, and during the 15th century prints were mass produced and created for the middle and lower class, providing access to reproductions of artworks produced by artists such as Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Titian.

While in Florence and its surrounding regions, students will explore the influence of the print on both art and society and will also visit the Uffizi Gallery, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Museo degli Argenti Bargello Museum, Boboli Gardens, Academia, the Fondazione Bisonte, and the Armadillo Atelier to study prints, drawings, and paintings first hand.

We'll complement your study with visits to Italian printmaking workshops providing technical understanding of how different types of prints are made.

The Renaissance has long fascinated many through its themes of religion and ritual, archaeology, art and civilization, and the natural world, to tales of the monstrous and murder through tales and images of terrible things. Florence has long been the home and has served as a source of inspiration for artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Giotto, and the poet Dante, among others. Like Florence's great artists of the past, students will be guided by their individual interests and artistic medium while examining and using Florence's landscape, museums, and culture as sources for creative exploration and research.

This course will guide students through a series of drawing workshops and drawing sessions to provide a technical understanding of how different mediums, such as acrylic paint, watercolor, printmaking, oil pastel, charcoal, Conté, and graphite, can be incorporated into a drawing. Additionally, you will participate in structured drawing sessions to help develop ideas related to the work you intend to make on-site in Italy, as well as watch lectures on artists that we will study while in Florence.

Many of the most important buildings, public spaces, and ideas in design history are located in or near Florence — from Brunelleschi's dome to the Piazza della Repubblica. For four weeks you'll sketch your way through the birthplace of the Renaissance, learning to read these works the way designers do: studying their form and proportion, the light and shadow that bring them to life, and the materials — stone, bronze, plaster, fresco — that have weathered beautifully over centuries. Many of the world's most renowned designers learned to design by drawing these very buildings; daily on-site sketching means you'll leave being able to draw with real confidence.

We'll wander the Uffizi and the Accademia, step inside Michelangelo's Laurentian Library and the frescoed cells of San Marco, visit a working craft or restoration workshop, climb to Fiesole for the long view, chase shade through the medieval lanes of Siena, and watch the light change over the rooftops from the Piazzale Michelangelo at golden hour. No prior sketching mastery is required. We will visit, draw, and analyze the great works of Florence, and in doing so, learn how to design with confidence.

What does it mean to be a designer and, as designers, how do we craft work that exemplifies Vitruvius' call for utility, durability, and beauty? In this course, students explore why some buildings and spaces have had a lasting impact — reading them through their form and proportion, the light and shadow that shape their interiors, and the materials and craft that have let them endure for centuries. We'll ask not only how these works were made, but how they have aged, weathered, and remained meaningful over time.

Because design is best experienced first-hand, our discussions happen on site: inside Brunelleschi's Duomo, the frescoed cells of San Marco, Michelangelo's Laurentian Library, the Uffizi and the Galleria dell'Accademia, the Medici palaces, a working craft or restoration workshop, and the loggias and gardens where Florentines have managed the Tuscan sun for centuries. We'll carry the conversation to Siena's shadowed streets and beyond. This is a companion course to DSGN 471G – Field Drawing, and it is strongly recommended that the two courses be taken together.

Ever wondered what museums really do — and why they matter? Join us in Florence, Italy, one of the birthplaces of the modern museum, and explore some of the city's most fascinating collections. In this hands-on course, you'll encounter Renaissance scientific instruments at Museo Galileo, interactive models of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions, medieval towers and archaeological treasures, world-class collections of armor and weapons, natural history exhibits, photography archives, and much more. Along the way, you'll learn how museums preserve and interpret the past, how history is presented to the public, and what these collections reveal about Florence, the Renaissance, science, culture, and society. Through site visits and immersive learning experiences, this course transforms the city itself into a classroom, offering a unique opportunity to learn history by experiencing it firsthand.

Love Italian food? Ever wondered where it came from and how it changed the world? In The Culinary History of Italy, you'll explore Italy's past through one of its greatest cultural treasures — its food. Based in Florence, the heart of Tuscany's rich culinary tradition, this course combines history, culture, and unforgettable food experiences. Discover the origins of pasta, gelato, wine, coffee, and other iconic foods while exploring bustling markets, historic neighborhoods, and centuries-old culinary traditions. Along the way, you'll sample regional specialties, learn how food shaped the Renaissance and connected Italy to the wider world, and experience firsthand why Italian cuisine remains one of the most influential and beloved food traditions on earth. If you enjoy history, travel, and great food, this course offers a delicious way to experience Italy.

Set against the stunning backdrop of Tuscany, this course explores how information systems and technology drive business across Italy. How do restaurants manage sales? How do hotels handle room bookings or provide seamless Wi-Fi for guests? In what ways do store owners use technology to decide how many items to order or what price to set? How do museums create engaging websites for the public, or track their collections with databases?

We’ll answer these questions hands-on—by building websites, designing databases, developing mobile apps, and using decision support systems. Through real-world examples and practical projects, you’ll see firsthand how technology powers businesses in one of the world’s most iconic regions.

In the seventeenth century, Galileo proved that the Earth was not the center of the universe—a discovery that transformed how the world understood mathematics and computing. In this course, students will explore Italy while uncovering the country’s groundbreaking contributions to technology and computing. You’ll see Leonardo da Vinci’s flying machine up close, discuss Marconi’s pioneering work with radio waves—the foundation of Wi-Fi—and examine modern innovations like Alessandro Volta’s battery cell and Federico Faggin’s design of the first microprocessor. Together, we’ll explore how these discoveries shaped the devices we use today—computers, tablets, and phones—and the ways we communicate in our connected world.
 

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