University of Florence
University of Florence
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Red roofs, soaring dome, a covered bridge centuries-old, bustling leather market, and art-studded walls. This is the "stuff" of Florence, but only the most iconic features of an historic city that has earned its fame as the cradle of the Renaissance. Yet in no way does Florence live in its past. The city that Michelangelo called home (and where Leonardo da Vinci trained) is also home to a thriving university that long pre-dates him and long outlived him. Indeed, the Università di Firenze ("UniFl") nourishes the city with youthful dynamism, ensuring that the entrepreneurial spirit of Florentine merchants, politicians, artists, and even clergy of ages past remains alive and well in this small but international city.
Holy Cross students who choose Florence as their study abroad destination will garner a rich immersive experience. Your Italian language skills will sharpen, your eye for the aesthetic will sharpen, and your understanding of Italy's place in the EU and the world will deepen thanks to your newly gained international perspective.
What's it like to live and study in Florence?
What's it like to live and study in Florence?
UniFl's international profile
UniFl's international profile
General PROGRAM DATES
General PROGRAM DATES
Fall
Arrival in Florence: late August
Pre-university intensive language course: early September
Semester start: mid-September
Exams end: mid-December 20
Spring
Arrival in Florence: late January
Pre-university intensive language course: early February
Semester start: mid-February
Exams end: late June
Note: Study abroad students may NOT negotiate early exams or arrange with their professors to take exams at a time other than the one assigned for the class. See the Student Contract for the policy.
Getting There
Getting There
You will purchase a flight to Florence from your 'home' airport. Once you land, you will take a taxi to your host family's residence.
Discover Florence
Discover Florence
Florence's storied art, culture, and history obviously attracts tourists to its colorful streets, but the city is also home to a vibrant student community, of which you will play a part! The University of Florence enrolls approximately 50,000 Italian and international students who pursue fields of study as varied as the offerings at Holy Cross. As you attend class and continue to hone your Italian language skills, you will ease into a rhythm amidst constant beauty - architectural, natural, cultural - and enjoy getting to know the local hotspots and personality-filled neighborhoods. Florence is easily walkable, but the bus system works well and can be a very handy way of getting around and getting up into the surrounding hills on the weekends. Thanks to its central location and "pull" as a provincial capital city, Florence acts like the hub of a wheel whose spokes (bus/rail lines) connect it well to the iconic hill-towns of Tuscany. Think: Siena, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Cortona, and Arezzo. Italy's other major cities are easily accessed by train from Florence, but this city with its myriad cafes, museums, markets, river walks and roof-top vistas will keep you discovering and marveling for the entirety of your study abroad experience.
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