In
Italy there are more than
90 American study abroad programs in sixteen different locations around the country. More than
40 programs are based in
Florence and
25 in Rome. In fact,
Florence is the largest American study abroad center in the planet. From
Syracuse University to
NYU, Florida University or Johns Hopkins University, almost all the major American Universities organize here study abroad programs for junior or senior students.
The majority of these programs offers courses in
Italian language and
literature,
Art history and
Italian history, but many also have classes of
fashion,
cinema,
economics,
business,
social sciences or
political sciences. Which city in Italy you study in, will also determine the type of study you will take. In
Florence for example many classes are dedicated to
Renaissance studies,
Fine Arts,
Literature, Italian Language and
Fashion.
If you are interested in
fashion, the best school in Florence (and one of the best in the world) is "
Istituto Polimoda" (connected with the "
Fashion Institute of New York"), if you are interested in
business courses you can find an eccellent program at
Gonzaga University while for
Architecture you may consider prestigious universities such as
New York University and
Syracuse University, as well as the eccellent public
Italian "Facoltà di Architettura". If your passion are
music and arts, the
Sarah Lawrence College program in Florence offers fine arts courses through "
Il Bisonte studio" and music courses through the "
Scuola di Musica" of Sesto Fiorentino. Eccellent
Italian language,
cinema and
history courses are organized at
Georgetown University in the wonderful location of
Villa Le Balze (Fiesole hills)
If American programs are hosted by
Italian Universities or schools (the most popular in Florence are "
Istituto Europeo", "
Dante Alighieri" and "
Lorenzo dè Medici"), it means that students can take courses at Italian schools and often can live in the university housing.
They may also be able to use the school's
librairies,
cafeterias and other
facilities. A few universities are large enough to have their own campus, which usually consists of a renovated
Italian "palazzo" where classes are held and where students often live. Many of these are located in or near Florence, such as wonderful
New York University 's Villa La Pietra (Via Bolognese),
Florida State University's Palazzo Alessandri or the
University of Michigan's Villa Corsi Salviati in Sesto Fiorentino. Two of the most impressive and luxurious "campuses" are
Georgetown Universities's Villa Le Balze, a Renaissance mansion in
Fiesole where are offered interesting interdisciplinary courses focused on
Italian Civilization and the
Harvard University center at Villa I Tatti specialized in high level
Renaissance studies.
For the complete
list of
American Universities in Florence visit the studentsVille section:
Foreign Universities
If you wanna know more about the relationship between
Americans citizens and the city of Florence we suggest you to buy "
Americans in Florence" by
Alta Macadam published by
Giunti (Florence) and sponsored by
APT (Azienda per il Turismo); this is a very interesting "
guide to the city and the places associated with Americans past and present" (as written on the cover)
The most famous
Anglo-American bookshop in Florence is "
Paperback exchange" (Via Fiesolana) with more than
10,000 titles in stock in all major subjects. Other international bookshop in this page:
Bookshops in Florence
The
association to which most of the
American schools and universities belong,
AACUPI, has an interesting and avery informative website:
www.aacupi.org ...take a look at it!
Never heard about the
Tuscan-American Association (
Associazione Toscana-USA)? This association was founded in
1996 "to deepen and broaden ties and promote cultural and economic exchange between the US and Tuscany" .
For further info visit:
www.toscana-usa.org
