Why Florence Should Be Your Top Choice for Studying Abroad in Italy

When students consider studying abroad in Italy, they often gravitate toward Rome's ancient grandeur, Milan's fashion scene, or Venice's romantic canals. Yet thousands of those who choose Florence discover something different: a city that offers everything Italy promises, wrapped in a more intimate, manageable, and genuinely transformative package.

Have you ever found yourself wondering, “Why study abroad in Florence?” The short answer is it’s both a classroom and a masterpiece. Every piazza, museum, and café holds a piece of Italian history and culture waiting to be explored. You can study art history in view of the Duomo, discuss business over espresso at a local café, or learn Italian through everyday conversations with friendly locals. The city also strikes the perfect balance between global connections and local charm—it’s lively with international students yet small enough to feel like home.

If you need more convincing, this article shares more in-depth reasons Florence consistently ranks as the top choice for semester and summer programs.

7 Reasons You Should Study Abroad in Florence, Italy

The iconic Duomo of Florence — a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture that inspires students daily.

Studying abroad in Florence isn’t just about earning credits. It’s about living inside history, art, and culture every single day. The city offers the perfect blend of academic excellence, creative inspiration, and Italian lifestyle. Here are seven reasons why choosing to study in Florence, Italy, could be one of the most rewarding decisions you’ll ever make.

1. The Goldilocks City: Not too big, not too small

The Cradle of the Renaissance sits in that perfect sweet spot for international students. With a population of around 400,000, it's large enough to offer everything you need—diverse restaurants, world-class museums, vibrant nightlife, and extensive academic programs. At the same time, it’s small enough that you actually feel like a resident, not just a visitor.

You can walk from most student housing in Florence to study centers in 15-20 minutes. The center is largely closed to traffic, making the city a walker's paradise. Local coffee bars start recognizing regular customers within weeks. Market vendors at Sant'Ambrogio become familiar faces.

What this means: Less time commuting and navigating, more time living and connecting. Program participants report building genuine relationships with locals, something that's nearly impossible in larger cities where international students remain perpetually tourists.

2. A living classroom unlike any other

Every study abroad program promises "experiential learning," but in Florence, it's unavoidable in the best way possible. Art history classes don't just show slides of Botticelli's Birth of Venus—they happen in front of the actual painting at the Uffizi Gallery. Architecture courses meet beneath Brunelleschi's dome. Business students analyze family enterprises that have operated from the same medieval buildings for generations.

The Renaissance didn't just happen here; it still exists, woven into every street and stone. But Florence isn't stuck in the past. The city is grappling with contemporary challenges that make it fascinating for students across disciplines: sustainable tourism, urban planning in historic spaces, social entrepreneurship, environmental innovation, and the balance between preservation and progress.

Programs like Authentica Florence are pioneering approaches that connect these modern challenges with academic coursework, using the city itself as a laboratory for understanding global issues, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in a local context.

3. More affordable than you'd think

Budget matters when choosing a study abroad destination. Day-to-day living in Florence typically costs less than in Rome or Milan. Here's what you can expect to spend:

• Coffee: €1.50 standing at the bar (sitting costs more—a quick lesson in Italian culture)
• Lunch: €8-12 at local spots (tourist menus cost double)
• Dinner at a trattoria: €15-25 for pasta, a main course, and house wine
• Groceries: €150-200/month for students who cook regularly
• Monthly bus pass: €35 (though most students walk everywhere)

4. The perfect home base for exploring Italy

Student embracing la dolce vita in Piazza della Signoria — where every corner of Florence feels like living art.

Florence's location in central Italy, with excellent train connections, makes it an ideal base for exploring the entire country. You can take weekend trips to:

• Rome – 90 minutes by train, €20-40 depending on booking time
• Venice – 2 hours, perfect for a weekend
• Cinque Terre – stunning coastal villages, 2.5 hours
• Bologna – the food capital, just 35 minutes away
• Pisa and Lucca – both easy day trips

Plus, you are based in Tuscany—arguably Italy's most beautiful region. Medieval hilltop towns like Siena, San Gimignano, and Volterra are right outside the door. The Chianti wine region is a short bus ride away. The Apennine mountains offer hiking opportunities, and vineyard-covered hills provide perfect cycling routes.

5. Housing that feels like home

You can choose from two main types of student housing in Florence: shared apartments with other international students or homestays with Italian families.

Shared apartments are typical Italian style, with high ceilings, tile floors, compact kitchens, and fans rather than air conditioning. You live in authentic neighborhoods such as Santa Croce, Santo Spirito, or San Niccolò, not in student ghettos or tourist zones. Your neighbors are Italian families, local shopkeepers, and longtime residents. Within weeks, you become familiar with their corner café, produce vendor, and the best pizza-by-the-slice spot.

Homestays provide full cultural immersion. It’s one of the most compelling answers to the question, “Why study abroad in Florence?” You live with a Florentine family, typically with breakfast and dinner included, gaining deep insight into Italian daily life, traditions, and home cooking. Most host families don't impose curfews—you are treated like an adult family member. Many students report maintaining relationships with their host families long after their programs end.

Whether you live with a host family or with other students, both options put you in real Florence, where Florentines live.

6. A city embracing its future

While Florence honors its Renaissance heritage, it's also pioneering what many call Italy's "Green Renaissance." The city has been recognized internationally for its sustainability initiatives:

• Expanded pedestrian zones to reduce pollution and preserve historic monuments
• Bike-sharing programs and electric scooter networks throughout the city
• Zero-volume urban planning that prevents overdevelopment in the historic center
• Recognition in the Carbon Disclosure Project's ranking of 88 leading cities acting against climate change
• Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2021 awards for both community and sustainability

For students interested in sustainable development, urban and regional planning, environmental studies, or social entrepreneurship, Florence offers a unique laboratory. You can witness a historic city wrestle with how to preserve its heritage while building a sustainable future. Programs focused on these issues, such as Authentica's sustainability-centered curriculum, allow you to engage directly with these challenges through project-based work and community partnerships.

7. The student scene you didn't know you needed

Florence has a thriving international student population that is neither overwhelming nor intimidating. You meet peers from American universities, European exchange students, and Italian students from local institutions. The city's compact size means you keep encountering the same friendly faces at cafés, museums, and piazzas.

Different neighborhoods offer distinct atmospheres:

• Santa Croce – Young, artsy, authentic, making it popular among students and local artists
• Santo Spirito – Bohemian square that comes alive at sunset with students and locals
• San Niccolò – Up-and-coming area with artisan workshops, wine bars, and fewer tourists
• Oltrarno – "Beyond the Arno," where students discover hidden Florence

What Makes Florence Different: The Intangibles

A sensory adventure at Florence’s San Lorenzo Market — where colors, flavors, and conversations bring Italian culture to life.

Some aspects can't be quantified but profoundly impact your experience while studying abroad in Florence, Italy.

• The light: The golden hour illumination on terracotta rooftops is legendary. You’ll understand why the Renaissance flourished here when you see how this city glows at sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo.
• The pace: Life moves more slowly. Shops close for lunch. Dinner doesn't start until 8 or 9 PM. Sunday belongs to the family. This rhythm initially challenges fast-paced American students but ultimately teaches valuable lessons about presence, relationships, and quality of life.
• The scale: Everything is human-sized. Buildings, piazzas, streets—all built for people, not cars. This creates an intimacy that larger Italian cities can't match.
• The intellectual energy: The Renaissance was about humanism, learning, questioning, and creating. That spirit still permeates Florence. This means studying in a city that literally changed how humans think about art, science, politics, and philosophy.

The Challenges (Because Honesty Matters)

Florence isn't perfect. Prospective students should consider:

Tourism

Florence attracts over 12 million visitors annually. The Duomo area feels overwhelming during peak seasons (March-October). However, walking 10 minutes in any direction reveals quiet streets where locals actually live. Students who embrace their neighborhoods rather than constantly visiting tourist sites find authentic Florence quickly.

Small can feel smaller

By month three, you might feel that you’ve exhausted Florence's offerings. This is when you explore beyond the city, dive deeper into neighborhood life, join local activities (such as gyms, cooking classes, or volunteer opportunities), or take more weekend trips.

Summer heat

Most apartments lack air conditioning. July and August can be uncomfortably hot. Students considering summer programs might find spring or fall more pleasant.

Limited diversity

Florence is predominantly white and Italian. Students of color should research support resources through their programs and connect with other international students to build a sense of community.

Should You Study Abroad in Florence?

If you’re still wondering if Florence should be your next study abroad destination, consider these factors:

Choose Florence if you want:

• A manageable city where you'll feel like a local, not a perpetual tourist
• Affordable daily living costs that stretch your budget further
• Rich academic opportunities with the city as your classroom
• A central location for exploring all of Italy and beyond
• Genuine cultural immersion with opportunities to practice Italian
• A balance between Renaissance history and contemporary urban challenges
• Access to sustainability and innovation-focused programming

4 Tips for Selecting a Study Abroad Program

Before booking that flight to Florence (or any study abroad destination), you should:

1. Verify credit transfer: Work with your home university's study abroad office to ensure credits will transfer and count toward degree requirements.
2. Review program structure: Different providers offer varying levels of support, housing options, course formats, and extracurricular programming. Research thoroughly.
3. Consider your major: Florence excels in sustainability, arts, humanities, business, and social sciences. STEM students can find programs, but may have fewer options than in larger cities.

Evaluate program philosophy: Look for programs that align with your learning style. Do you prefer traditional lectures, experiential learning, project-based work, internships, or a blend of all these? Read reviews to gain insights.

The Ponte Vecchio — Florence’s most picturesque bridge and a symbol of timeless charm and craftsmanship.

Florence: Where Studying Abroad Becomes Living Abroad

So why study abroad in Florence? La Bella offers what many students seek in international programs: cultural immersion in a manageable setting, academic depth beyond tourist attractions, affordability that eases financial stress, and a central location for broader European exploration.

The city is large enough to offer everything you need, yet small enough that you'll build genuine connections and feel like one of the locals. You find a favorite café, recognize neighborhood faces, learn market Italian, and discover hidden piazzas. You watch sunsets from the same bench in Piazzale Michelangelo week after week, each time noticing something new about the city glowing below them.

If you want more than Instagram photos and tourist checklists—you want transformation, connection, and genuine understanding of another culture—Florence delivers. And when you return home, you don't just say you visited Italy’s City of Love, but say you lived here. And that makes all the difference.

This article is written in collaboration with Authentica, a mission-driven organization dedicated to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) through place-based learning. Our career-focused study abroad programs integrate academic excellence, global exposure, and real-world impact, ensuring students gain the skills needed to succeed in an interconnected world. By leveraging technology, we optimize student support, advising, and learning, making global education more accessible and effective.