Great apartment, really fun people, great opportunity to see a new culture. Classes were a mixed bag: 2 great, 2 mediocre.

The school was amazing I loved all my teachers and they were very helpful. I lived about 15 minutes outside of the city with a host family and it was the best decision I made. I had friends in apartments so I got the best of both worlds. Be careful because all the locals are not very nice. Some are overly nice, like Pino at Pinos sub shop, but most are not very welcoming like you would expect. I walked everywhere because it was the easiest way to get around. Definitely travel as much as you can. I went to 9 different countries as well as all over Italy. DO IT!

Academics were great, housing and location were very Italian and very accomodating. The locals were friendly when approached, local transportation wasn't usually needed as walking is popular in Florence but the train system is very easy to use. Excursions were also fun, interesting, and were helpful to my major.

I liked the housing arrangements and the excursions provided by the program. The volunteer project teaching English to elementary students seemed worthwhile when I applied for it, however, it turned out to be a disappointment due to the lack of structure and focus in the project. Also, the local transportation was highly unreliable, but this turned out to be part of my cultural shock.

The courses were interactive, fun, and required the right amount of work. I was really happy with the courses I took and I really enjoyed getting to know the professors because they seemed to be really passionate about making sure we had an incredible experience abroad. Living in Florence had to of been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only was it centrally located in Italy, it is so easy to get around in Europe, and the city itself is small, homey, and absolutely amazing. We never had to take buses or taxis because everything was so close, which was one of my favorite things. If I were to do it all over again, I would still go back. At first the locals were not as welcoming and engaging as we had hoped, but as the semester went on and I got to know the shop owners, and sandwich places, and started practicing my Italian they were much nicer and made it a lot easier to feel at home.

The city was wonderful. Florence is such an amazing place with such a rich, storied culture. Everywhere you go there's things to see and even though it's a somewhat small city, you can discover new places and things every day. My courses were great, as well. They were all extremely interesting and engaging. The thing I liked most were the field trips we took, especially in the art classes. You get to see tons of Florence that way and the teachers are all extremely knowledgeable and make for such a better experience than going on your own.

Location was perfect, right in the center of the city close to all the main attractions and happenings. Harder to interact with locals than I though however, I had more interaction in my home stay which I loved. I do wish that there were more programs set up to meet more people in the program, you really had to make an extra effort in order to meet other people and I wish it was made a bit easier.

I loved everything about this program. My apartment was in the perfect location in the city, very close to school, shops, food, and bars. School was very interesting and enjoyable because it was more about immersion and cultural learning. The teachers were very smart and made class enjoyable. Florence was the most perfect city for me, because it was so walkable and there was so much history. The food, the culture, the people, the history, the art, everything was amazing and I wish I could go back and do it all over again. I was glad we didn't have to take a metro or bus to get around. The train station was centrally located and easy to get to, and you could travel anywhere in Italy by train. I wish that our program had given us more opportunities to interact with locals, because that is one thing that I thought was lacking. I chose this program because it was the most affordable in Florence, and I am so glad I did. Everyone in my program became very close, and CAPA offered so many field trips, excursions, and volunteer opportunities. CAPA had everything the expensive programs had, and more. This was an amazing experience for me and I miss it everyday.

Take Italian, Travel Writing and Renaissance Art History. Florence is incredible.

My study abroad location was Florence, Italy. The courses I completed with CAPA International Education were Italian, History of Florence, Exploring Florence, Oil Painting and film. One of the most helpful classes was Italian. It was good knowing the language since we were studying over there for a few months. Knowing some Italian helped with interacting with the locals. The Italian class is a must course that should be taken. I volunteered with a local elementary school to help teach English. This was a big volunteering opportunity.

The courses are interesting and not too rigorous so there is a lot of time to travel. I would highly recommend taking Italian to become more immersed in the culture. The location is great, however it is tough to get cheap flights out of Florence so prepare to take many trains to other airports in Italy. Otherwise the city is quaint which makes for a homey type of feeling and it is great because you do not have to rely on public transportation everything is within 20 minutes walking distance. Most locals are nice you may come across a few rude people but over all they are welcoming and understanding and most speak english. I would recommend taking advantage of every free weekend you have and exploring a different a country or a different city in Italy because Italy is so diverse and has so much to offer so don't waste anytime sitting around!

I would highly recommend all of my courses. The location was awesome if one wants to be in Italy; Florence is a small city that has everything one might need, and it is easy to travel around. There are lots of opportunities to interact with locals. There are opportunities for excursions, internships and volunteering!

My teachers were amazing and I've never learned so much in one semester
I was in a great location not more than 10 minutes walk to the center of everything
I wish I would have learned Italian but even so the locals were much more friendly than I imagined

My courses did a great job at helping me learn about the culture, history, and people of Florence. If it was not for the classes I took I would not have found certain areas, known about churches and places unless I went looking and knew that this building was something.
Florence is beautiful and is an amazing place. The locals are complete sweet hearts, some helped me learn even more Italian and how to speak it like the locals. They are completely understanding of the language barrier and do their best to understand (as long as you are kind and have a smile, no one likes rude people).
CAPA had some wonderful excursions, the trip to Fiesole and Siena and San Gimingano was absolutely amazing and so much fun!

Studying abroad in Florence was an amazing experience. The city of Firenze was the perfect size to allow me to experience art, history, and the culture.

The location was great, the courses were amazing, and so was the interaction with the locals.

Greatest experience of my life, everyone should go abroad! Florence was unbelievable and I couldn't have asked for a better city to study abroad in.

The courses are a perfect coupling of excursions/fieldwork to immerse students in Florentine culture and lectures to provide intriguing supplemental information. All instructors are incredibly knowledgable and can provide useful advice for traveling, interacting with locals, and integrating into Italian culture. Utilize CAPA's MyEducation program to get the most out of your abroad experience; they provide opportunities for students to go on day trips, attend cooking classes, and walk through the city in private tours.

Florence is the perfect study abroad location. There are endless things to do, extensive modern and past culture to explore, and beautiful scenery that you will never want to leave.

Everyone was very helpful. That said, the computers are from the 1990s; make sure to bring your own laptop. And be sure to check the study abroad group's FB page every day; that's where most notifications are.

CAPA staff is incredibly helpful and they really care about making your experience the best it can be.

Everyone of my teachers were helpful and taught us aspects of the Italian culture that I will always remember. They allowed us to experience the city by taking us around museums and local spots.

The CAPA staff in Florence were awesome! They were always so willing to help and give advice. They were some of the nicest people I have ever met and I am really going to miss them!

The CAPA staff was absolutely outstanding. They were present at all times to answer any questions, going above and beyond of just the standard education. They learned everyones names upon arrival and made each student feel comfortable to talk or ask about anything.

The staff of my program was extremely helpful and at the end of my time in Florence, they had begin to feel like family. The staff of CAPA was always willing to help the students with whatever we may have needed, whether it be directions to the store, finding a doctor in the city, or arranging travel plans. My program director and supporting staff made a substantial effort to make sure that we were always comfortable and satisfied.

I lived in a home stay with a family of three and it was the best decision. At first I was really nervous because they barely spoke english but I caught on to Italian quickly. They took me out, took me to the doctor when I was sick, and we had family dinners every night. I loved it! There were times where I wished I lived in an apartment with my friends but looking back on it I would definitely recommend a host family if you want to learn more about Italian culture.

I lived in an apartment in a traditional Italian neighborhood with three other girls. It was perfect, surrounded by Italians instead of tourists, with the market right behind us. It was a great fit. We were immersed in Italian culture, with the ability to escape to an apartment of americans when feeling homesick. The actual apartment was great too, as were the landlords even if they kept our heat too low in the winter (we were freezing!)

The field trips we went on this semester helped bring to life everything we learned in the class room. Best part of the semester was being able to see first hand beautiful art work

CAPA offered plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself in the Italian culture such as cooking classes, pottery classes, excursions to the museums and much more. They desire to show you the best of Florence as they, for the most part, are born and raised Florentines. It is easy to have the pride they have in their city if you chose to go along and see it through their eyes. There are also a couple field trips outside the walls of Florence that go into the Fiesole region as well as a day trip to Siena and San Gimignano.

The excursions we did in each class were integral in learning the material in my classes because we could go to all the sights that the important events happened and see the most influential pieces of art first-hand. This made class interesting everyday and helped me retain the information more successfully.

I loved my host family. Some of the greatest people I've ever met in my life. People I will know forever.

My classes abroad were absolutely my favorite classes that I have ever taken. The manor in which they were taught was extraordinary. Majority of my class time was spent among the city in museums, castles, the streets, just wandering the city and physically seeing the art, architecture, and culture that we had just learned about moments before.

LOVED all of the courses. They were so interesting and were uniquely run with the access to so many museums nearby.

The courses I took were all extremely interesting considering how relevant they were to my surroundings. I took mostly history and literature classes. The course I found most interesting was my Organizational Crime course. The class consisted of studying the origin of the mafia and how the traditions have been preserved throughout the years. What made the classes the most interesting was how passionate the instructors were about the subjects they taught. It seemed as though the information they knew was endless.

Loved all of the classes I took, everything related directly to florence.

courses were great and so were the teachers. the academic experience what is exactly what i needed when abroad

Fantastic teachers, but it was clear that the classes were toned down so that we could spend time outside of them exploring and learning outside of the classroom, as well as traveling. I think it was a good balance, because I clearly still learned the material in those classes.

The academics were not stressed as much during orientation, almost making one assume that the academics would be a breeze. This was not the case, academics were just as hard as at CU Boulder and in some cases provided different challenges.

This is one thing I wish was different about the CAPA Florence program. There were not many opportunities to interact with the locals given Florence' tourist population. Even the few interactions were very limited due to the language barrier and a very small Florentine college age group.

I have a new perspective on certain things in life. This experience also allowed me to have a greater introspective look that challenged what I thought I knew of myself. Overall, the experience highlighted some new strengths and areas to improve on in my life.

I cannot speak highly enough about my abroad program I chose. As part of the CAPA Florence program, I took courses in International Business, Renaissance Art History, and Photojournalism. These classes were engaging and the perfect level of challenging. Florence is the perfect location because it's not so small a student would feel isolated and out of their orient but not too big of a city that a student wouldn't get to truly immerse themselves in another culture. Locals are extremely kind, welcoming, and helpful to Americans. Students can partake in activities through the program that will help them engage with the local culture. Students can also enjoy excursions to many local places or to do fun activities. Most of these were included in the program cost. There are several opportunities to volunteer with local organizations and schools. While in Florence, I volunteered at a local elementary school and helped teach an English class.

My courses were not too challenging, but they were time consuming and were perfect for traveling as well as learning a lot about where I lived! I had great teachers and met a lot of people within my classes. My location, Florence, was the most perfect place. I will forever dream of it. The Italians are very interesting locals- most are very nice, unless you are not covering yourself up. I can't even put into words my experience when people ask - it was paradise.

The program director and support staff were all very involved with the program. Whenever I had issues with a roommate, travel disruptions or sicknesses that caused me to miss a class they were more than willing to help figure out the plan for the future.

The faculty and program director were super helpful in times of needs and very friendly.

The classes offered all gave the option to explore the city! There was not a single class that I took that we did not leave the classroom to go learn more about where we were spending our time abroad.