Study Abroad in Italy
At our site in Florence, the School in Italy offers a wide range of opportunities for academic and cultural immersion.
In Florence, advanced students attend one or two Middlebury-organized classes and complete the program by attending classes at the local university in a variety of disciplines thus studying alongside their peers. Students also have the option of completing an internship for credit. Beginner and intermediate students have the opportunity to study both at the Middlebury Sede and in local institutions with special attention paid to increasing language proficiency. By living and studying with Italians and getting involved in the community through volunteer work, internships, and extracurricular activities, students can build authentic relationships and integrate fully into life in their host city.
To learn more about studying in Italy, the Middlebury Language Pledge®, and some basic Italian conversation skills, visit the Middlebury School in Italy Pre-Immersion website.
Study Abroad: Florence, Italy
My name is Emma Boyd and I studied abroad in Florence, Italy this past fall. Florence is a perfect medieval, renaissance hub. You really are transported to another time and your studies are immersive in the language. But also in the fact that you are, essentially, living in a perfectly preserved period piece, almost.
There are so many hidden treasures. You’ll be walking in one of the busiest piazzas in Italy, and see a tiny little drawing that Michelangelo has done, into the side of a building. This style of life is a little more slowed down. You’ll sit down for lunch and it could be two to three hours.
You might see your waiter once within a two hour period, even. But it’s about kind of letting things happen and be and try to live the authentic Italian life, rather than the rapid, high stress, moving quickly from place to place, American life. I think the Language Pledge characterizes your experience abroad.
You go abroad in a another language because you want that immersive experience and the other people that are doing it want that same experience as well. And I think it’s really easy to find a connection with someone who has made this their priority. I think everyone should study abroad in Italy, but I’m definitely biased.
But I would say do it through the language, have an authentic Italian experience like meet the locals, learn how to do things in the language because you can’t fully immerse yourself. You can’t fully have that experience if you don’t challenge yourself. I can not wait to go back to Florence, it will have a place in my heart for the rest of my life.
In Florence, the flagship site of the School in Italy and home of the Middlebury Sede, the curriculum includes beginner and intermediate tracks, as well as advanced, to accommodate students at different levels:
Beginner Track
Students in the beginner track study the Italian language in an immersive context. Language classes are fully immersive in Italian while area studies courses begin in English, moving toward more content in Italian as the semester progresses. These classes, combined with the Middlebury Language Pledge®, help students significantly improve their proficiency. Designed for students with 0-1 years of college-level Italian (or the equivalent). Read more about the Beginner Track.
Please note that this track is not available to Middlebury students.
Intermediate Track
The intermediate track allows students to learn Italian by taking language and area studies courses at the Middlebury Sede, while also offering the opportunity to enroll at the nearby Università degli Studi di Firenze. Students also take part in the Middlebury Language Pledge®, which allows them to strengthen their Italian language proficiency. Designed for students who have completed 1-1.5 years of college-level Italian (or the equivalent). Read more about the Intermediate Track.
Please note that this track is not available to Middlebury students.
Advanced Track
Students in the advanced track will enroll directly into an Italian university, taking courses in disciplines ranging from Renaissance literature to biology. In Florence, students attend the Università degli Studi di Firenze or the Accademia di Belle Arti. Read more about the Advanced Track.
The School in Italy has received QUIP recognition by the Forum of Education Abroad for meeting the Standards of Good Practice for Education Abroad.
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