Florence Program

The Sarah Lawrence program in Florence is based on the idea of immersion: academic, linguistic, social and cultural. The program motivates students to extend themselves by living and studying in the midst of Italians at work and play—not in isolation with other English-speaking students. The program is located in the Palazzo Spinelli, in the area of Santa Croce, right in the historic center of Florence. Courses are taught by Italian faculty, either at the Sarah Lawrence center or in local artists’ ateliers, music studios, and laboratories. Florence and Italy become your “texts,” as courses send you to museums to look at world-renowned art in the original, into the streets to sketch or study the urban fabric, or to concerts, theatre, screenings, and lectures offered in the city. The homestay offers an important human connection to Florentines and the opportunity to become proficient in Italian.

Program Highlights

• Limited to 35 students
• Upholds the renowned Sarah Lawrence pedagogy (small classes, tutorial study, individual attention, creative projects)
• Enables students to truly call Florence home, by living with Italian families and studying alongside Italian students
• Provides ample opportunities for travel in Italy and abroad
• A widely respected program since its founding in 1987

About Florence

Spread out along the Arno river, Florence boasts a medieval historic center surrounded by beautiful hills and vistas. Although smaller than most major cities, Florence offers all the culture and vitality of a key metropolis. Its extraordinary past—from Etruscan village, to small Roman outpost, to Renaissance center, to capital of united Italy, to modern European city—offers palpable immersion in an age-old civilization. Life in Florence offers a unique opportunity to inhabit history while enjoying a vibrant modern city.