Student Voices from Florence

More student voices from Florence

What our students say

"My academics and my real life have never been so unified before. Florence hosted the European Union Festival while I was learning about EU politics. Also, my class about Florentine social history and architecture never really ended, because 1) they were mostly walking tours throughout the city and 2) even outside of class, I was still walking around in the city. This kind of educational experience was unbelievable."

“Gaining knowledge about architecture and history while standing in the spot where everything happened is an unmatched experience. Also, the ability to further knowledge of a language both in and outside of the classroom was also wonderful.”

“Taking Italian in Italy was truly amazing. I became so good at the language, not only as written in the textbook but as spoken by people in real life settings. I loved my film class because it was so different from what I would usually take and it made me want to take more classes on film and art in general.”

“I loved working at my internship. It showed me a different side of politics, the more day-to-day happenings.”

“I really enjoyed making friends with real Italians. This was extremely important for me and helped me to learn about the culture and society of my host country and improved my language skills as well.”

“This has been the most amazing experience and I am so appreciative of the requirements Stanford has for us before coming and the expectations they give us to be travelers and learners of the culture rather than tourists. I loved that we could actually participate in the culture.”

“For me it was an academic experience just talking with Italian friends about Italian History and the cultural differences that exist between the southern half of Italy and Northern Italy."

“Prof. Verdon is a master in art history and manages to bring paintings from the 16th and 17th century back to life through his clever, elevated and on rare occasions even licentious narratives.”

“Just exploring the city, meeting Italians and trying to be as non-touristy as possible and having intellectual and cultural encounters help you grow as a person while you are studying abroad.”