Florence Pre-College Program: Unlock Your Future

Course Description: Florence Pre-College Program: Unlock Your Future

Italy Pre-College Program for Teens – Florence (14 Days) 🇮🇹🎓

Program Overview 🌟

This Italy Pre-College Program invites high school students to spend two weeks in Florence, one of Europe’s most beautiful and historically rich cities. Surrounded by Renaissance art, world-class food and iconic landmarks, students experience both academic enrichment and personal growth in a city that has long attracted students from around the world.

The program is designed to help teenagers prepare for the academic and personal challenges of the transition to college, while still enjoying an unforgettable summer discovering Italy. Students take engaging morning courses, enjoy curated afternoon highlights, and live in a modern residence that balances independence with support. Learning happens both in the classroom and out in Florence’s streets, museums and piazzas.

This is the 14-day version of the Florence high school summer program. 21-day and 28-day versions are also available.

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Program Highlights ✨

• Choose from a variety of engaging pre-college courses in art, design, language, writing, fashion and more

• Enjoy exciting day trips to Cinque Terre, Pisa and Viareggio 🚆

• Cool off in the outdoor rooftop pool or stay active in the on-site gym 💪🏊

• Explore Florence highlights during Student’s Choice time

• Live in the modern, chic Social Hub Belfiore Residence

• Climb to the top of the Duomo for incredible city views

• Marvel at Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell’Accademia 🗿

• Meet and make new friends while studying abroad in a tight-knit group environment

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Typical Weekday Schedule (Florence) 📅

Students choose one morning course and enjoy afternoon highlights and activities.

8:30 AM – Wake Up

9:00 AM – Breakfast

10:30 AM – Morning Course

1:00 PM – Lunch

3:00 PM – Afternoon Highlights

5:30 PM – Student’s Choice (Sports, Gym, Staff-Planned Activity, City Exploration)

8:30 PM – Dinner

10:15 PM – Evening Activities

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Morning Courses 📘

History of Art 🖼️

Students explore the cultural revolution of the Renaissance, with a focus on Florence. Through on-site visits, they learn to recognize Romanesque and Gothic styles and see how Renaissance painters, sculptors and architects diverged from these traditions. Artists studied include Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

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Cooking: The Food and Culture of Italy 👩‍🍳

This interactive, hands-on cooking course focuses on regional food traditions and classic Italian dishes. Students:

• Learn cooking methods and techniques used in Italian cuisine

• Work with different ingredients to prepare traditional dishes

• Explore how food reflects Italian culture and regional identity

Supplementary fee: $220

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Florence Studio Arts: Drawing and Painting 🎨

Students develop their artistic process under the guidance of studio instructors, with a focus on:

• Drawing and sketching

• Color theory

• Painting techniques

They draw inspiration from Florence itself and from the artists who helped make the city an artistic capital.

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Architectural Design of Florence 🏛️

This course introduces:

• Analysis and interpretation of architecture and urban design

• Technical sketching methods and architectural observational drawing

• The history of architecture in Florence and the visionaries who shaped its skyline

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AI & Film: A Creative Project Workshop 🎬🤖

Students explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) shapes and influences society through the lens of cinema. Each session blends:

• AI concepts and real-world implications

• Film scenes illustrating ethical questions and social impact

• Discussions and creative activities

Throughout the course, students work on a short film project exploring themes such as creativity, communication, social media, urban design, healthcare, cybersecurity and governance.

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Digital Photography: Florence 📷

Florence provides a stunning backdrop for learning digital photography. Using a smartphone or traditional digital camera, students:

• Explore techniques such as imaging scanning, color digital printing, digital negatives, basic darkroom methods and Adobe Photoshop

• Combine creativity with practical skills

• Complete an individual final photography project by the end of the course

A smartphone or a traditional digital camera can be used for this course.

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Fashion: Florence Retail Management 👗

Students discover what it takes to manage a fashion retail enterprise, from boutique to larger-scale store. The course includes:

• Hands-on work with industry professionals

• Sketching and design drafting

• Developing creative fashion solutions and merchandising ideas

• Brainstorming and decision-making around real fashion business scenarios

Site visits may include well-known Italian luxury brands such as Ferragamo, Gucci and Cavalli (companies may vary), plus guest lectures from local emerging designers.

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Italian Language 🇮🇹

Focused on building:

• Conversational skills

• Reading and writing

• Grammar and vocabulary

The aim is to equip students with useful, everyday Italian for their time in Florence and beyond.

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Travel Writing & Journalism ✍️

Students develop creative writing skills through the genre of travel writing, using Florence as their subject. The course includes:

• Reading and discussing classic travel writing and contemporary travel journalism

• Developing an individual voice and revising through drafting

• Writing for different audiences and formats

Students also have the opportunity to engage with Blending, the magazine and newsletter of Florence University of the Arts’ campus press, Ingorda.

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College Life in Florence 🏙️

The Social Hub Belfiore, Florence 🏨

Students stay at The Social Hub Belfiore Florence, located near the city centre and surrounded by cafés, boutiques and parks.

Rooms are single occupancy and include:

• Air conditioning

• Flat-screen TV

• Wi-Fi

• Private bathroom

• Personal work station

The residence also offers:

• Laundry facilities

• Game room

• 24/7 security

• Coffee shop, restaurant and rotating “pop-up” food booths

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Stay Active: Gym & Rooftop Pool 💪🏊‍♂️

Students receive complimentary access to:

• A state-of-the-art gym at The Social Hub Florence

• An outdoor rooftop pool with expansive views over the city

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Prestigious Academic Partners 🎓

University-level courses are taught at:

• Leonardo da Vinci School of Art and Culture

• Florence University of The Arts (FUA)

Cooking courses are held at In Tavola Cooking School, a culinary school located just steps from the Ponte Vecchio.

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What It’s Like & Academic Recognition 📄

• Experience college-style living with a balance of classes, excursions and free time

• Receive a certificate of completion for courses taken

• Letters of recommendation are available

• Classes are private to enrolled program students

• Courses are taught by experienced university-level faculty, instructors and local professionals

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Meals 🍽️

• Breakfast: Served in the residence

• Dinner:

• Some evenings as a full group at the same restaurant

• Other evenings in smaller groups at authentic local restaurants offering a variety of cuisines

• Lunch:

• Taken in smaller groups at local cafés and restaurants

Food options are varied and plentiful, with the chance to enjoy:

• Fresh pasta

• Pizza

• Gelato

• Seasonal fruits and vegetables

• Other Italian specialties

North American–style options are also available.

Most dietary needs can be accommodated:

• Vegetarian

• Food allergies

• Lactose intolerance

• Celiac disease

• Kosher-style diets

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Transportation & Program Specifics ✈️

Flight to Florence, Italy

Participants may:

• Join a chaperoned evening group flight from the New York area to Florence (staff present from check-in onward), or

• Travel from other regions to New York to connect to the group flight, or

• Meet the group in Florence, with support for flight timing and airport greeting after immigration and customs

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Return Flight from Florence, Italy (14-Day Program)

For the 14-day program:

• Leaders assist students with check-in and remain at the airport until flights (within designated times) have departed

• Staff remain in Italy for the duration of the longer versions of the program

• Depending on the number of students departing after 14 days, one staff member may chaperone that flight home

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Local Transportation

• Private motor coach

• Public transportation within Florence and surrounding areas

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Laundry 🧺

Students generally need about one week’s worth of clothing. Laundry can be done by:

• Using local wash-and-fold services and collecting clothes cleaned and folded

• Doing laundry at the residence

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What’s Included ✅

• All lodging at The Social Hub Florence Belfiore

• Breakfast and dinner daily

• Listed recreation and entertainment

• Day and weekend excursions

• Hotel gym and rooftop pool access

• Wi-Fi in residence

• Campus identification fee

• Classes (supplementary fees apply for some courses, such as Cooking)

• Airport transfers at designated times

• Bus transfers and public transportation costs

• Gratuities and taxes

Not Included ❌

• Application fee

• Transportation to and from the program (international flights)

• Lunches

• Snacks

• Personal spending money and souvenirs

• Laundry costs

• Optional travel insurance

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Florence Afternoon Highlights & Cultural Experiences 🎭🕍

Students enjoy a range of curated afternoon experiences, such as:

• Workshop: Basic Italian Phrases – Learn key expressions to use in daily interactions

• The Italian Gastronomy Experience – Visit historic cafés and vendors, with tastings of products like extra virgin olive oil and prosciutto

• Climb the Duomo Tower – Ascend Brunelleschi’s dome (463 steps) for views of Florence and close-up looks at Vasari’s The Last Judgment fresco

• Uffizi Museum Visit – See Gothic and Renaissance masterpieces by Botticelli, Giotto, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci and more

• Florence Leather Demonstration and Market Visit – Watch leather goods being made, learn about quality, then explore the leather market

• Explore the Boboli Gardens – Discover one of Florence’s most famous open-air museums, with sculpture, fountains and centuries-old trees

• Galleria dell’Accademia Guided Tour – View the original David by Michelangelo and other important Florentine works

• Make Your Own Pasta Italian Dinner – Hands-on workshop preparing fresh egg pasta and sauces, followed by a group meal

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Guided City Tour Highlights 🚶‍♀️

• Piazza della Repubblica – A lively square with street artists, historic cafés and a strong literary past

• Piazza della Signoria – Historic political center of Florence, home to sculptures such as the David replica, Hercules and Cacus, and the Neptune Fountain

• Ponte Vecchio – Iconic medieval stone bridge with shops built along it

• Medici Riccardi Palace – First Renaissance-style palace in Florence and former home of the Medici family, where a young Michelangelo once lived and studied

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Day Trips 🚆🌊

Cinque Terre

Marvel at dramatic coastal scenery and colorful villages built into the cliffs. Students may hike, enjoy the seaside atmosphere, or sample local pesto in this UNESCO National Park area.

Pisa

Visit the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa and surrounding monuments, with time for classic photos.

Viareggio

Spend an afternoon at the beach in this attractive seaside city, followed by dinner at an outdoor local café serving a traditional Tuscan meal by the sea.