I am determined to go back to Florence one day... Past Review
By Jenni K (Art History/Studio Art, Trinity University) for
Studio Arts College International (SACI): Florence - SACI in Florence
It was the most incredible experience of my life. I am determined to live in Europe, hopefully Italy in the future.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Good challenging work load especially if you take the Art History classes. I highly recommend taking a class with Helen; she is really intense and can be overwhelming, but the amount that you learn is unbelievable. The biggest difference is that you get a coffee break with your professors in your 3hr and longer classes! It is something I really miss about Italy. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They are really great about helping you in any way that they can from helping you figure out which classes you should take to walking you through how to turn the power back on in your apartment after running too many appliances at the same time (and this was at 9pm!). |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
We were located right infront of the Uffizi Gallery(right by the Ponte Vechio) and 10min from the school. Excelent location right in the major shopping district. We had a great little produce shop across the piazza and the best little Gelato place behind our apartment. I felt very safe walking by myself at night, even as late as midnight. The men there are really more bark than bite; they might call after you, but they do not really do anything. The clubs are another story; it's like they think they have free reign over any woman that walks in so I would highly suggest bringing a guy with you just to deter them. We did buy some cookware, but that was only because everyone that I lived with loved cooking. There is a free shuttle bus to IKEA that is really great for picking up those extra things you need. We did have a mold problem, but once we told SACI they had a guy come and paint it. |
| * Food: |
Aqua al due was AMAZING little on the pricey side though (we went for a birthday celebration) Gelato: Gelateria del Neri and Carapina were my favs Gusta pizza, Gusta Panino, and Gusta Osteria are all on the same street and are run by the family. Absolutely amazing food and wonderfully cheap. Never get the pizza in the places that sell gelato and other foods, go to Gusta! Coffee is incredible everywhere especially Cappuccinos. Also, if you can;t eat gluten, then Italy is the place to be; they are very aware of it and extremely accommodating. There is the Mercato Centrale that has super cheap produce and meat that are all really cheap.Also you will have to go on a search for the secret bakeries that open at 1am with fresh pastries for a euro:) |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Wonderful weekend trips that you should not miss! They are free, so go! Longer trips to Rome and Pompei also, but they cost extra. We were able to witness the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy and the entire city was decked out in Italian flags and there were fireworks and music, it was incredible! We also got to see one of the womens' protests against Berlusconi. There were probably 1,000 plus people in the streets dancing and chanting. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
It felt like an extremely safe place. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | things can easily get expensive if you eat out alot and go to bars and clubs on a regular basis. You can get a huge bag of pasta for 70cents though! You would think you would get tired of pasta everyday, but I honestly never did! My typical lunch was a bowl of pasta with either tomato sauce or oil and herbs, a salad with ripe tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and a nice glass of red wine :) man how I miss that! The wine was super cheap, like even the 2Euro bottle of wine was good! |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Keep track of it somehow! It can sneak up on you! I would recommend an excel spreadsheet. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you love art and art history then this is perfect and the perfect city for it. SACI is focused on the arts, so it is not like a school that just has art classes, it's what they do. Also if you are interested in Art Conservation then you have to go here; they also have a graduate program for conservation. Be open minded and for goodness sake don't be a typical American, you're not in America so it is not going to be like America! Enjoy the differences, they are what I enjoyed the most. |
