Course-related day trips in and around Florence add an extra dimension to learning. Lectures by prominent people—in and out of academia—are held throughout the year, and there are frequent film screenings and special dinners. Many of our field trip destinations—such as Renaissance villas—are closed to the general public. Others, such as vineyards and olive oil mills in the surrounding cities and villages, are in less-traveled locales. Three times each year, students on the program make a weekend-long excursion to an Italian city or region farther afield; past destinations have included Venice, Rome, and the Apulia region. And all year, outings to concerts, the opera, lectures, film screenings, museums, galleries and special day excursions open new windows onto the culture of Italy. The costs for all excursions and events are covered in the tuition fee. A sampling of events and excursions offered each semester is listed below.

Theater

Students will explore the best that Florence's premier houses have to offer in both the classical and modern tradition. Tickets to the Teatro della Pergola, Teatro Verdi, Teatro Goldoni and Teatro Comunale offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see famous operas, world-renowned conductors and symphony orchestras, celebrated dance companies, and Italian language plays.

Daytrips

Exploring the breathtaking cities in and around Tuscany is an essential part of the Florence program seminars. Class trips take students directly to the source of the material they are studying, be it a literary setting, a historic monument, or a local artist's masterpiece. Guided by their teachers, students cannot help but appreciate the beauty and history that surrounds them. Past trips include Siena, San Gimignano, Fiesole, Assisi, Ravenna, Arezzo, Milan, Parma, Bologna, Volterra, Vicenza, Pisa, Viareggio and more.

Overnight Trips

Each semester, students are invited to take an in-depth look at some of Italy's richest areas. Days are carefully planned to explore to the fullest local traditions, art, and special sites such as Venice, Rome, Urbino, Sepolcro, Torino, and Tuscan/Maremma.

Lectures, Exhibits, Screenings, Museums

Days are inevitably filled with activities, and the Sarah Lawrence staff keep students posted about important culture events occurring in and around Florence.

“For us to go to Italy and to penetrate into Italy is like a most fascinating act of self-discovery—back, back down the old ways of time.” — D. H. Lawrence