History Gap Year Programs in Italy

Spend a gap semester exploring rich traditions and modern cultural identity in Italy and Greece. These two nations significantly influence how the Western world thinks about philosophy, art, religion, economics, and politics. Throughout their histories, they have shown resilience in adapting to social, political, and environmental change, and today, they continue to maintain a connection with traditional ways of living while also proactively addressing modern challenges associated with climate change's environmental and economic consequences. Italy and Greece provide rich historical context as to how societies have evolved to meet the demands of the modern era while remaining deeply rooted in cultural identity, tradition, and heritage. Carpe Diem Education takes you to Italy and Greece to engage with communities proactively addressing climate change through the lens of resilience and regeneration.

World Class Programs offers high school students the opportunity to study abroad in Florence, Italy. Our summer program is designed for teens from all academic backgrounds who are excited about immersing themselves in Italian culture and lifestyle. This pre-college program offers various course study options, including Art History, Fine Arts, Philosophy, Photography, Architecture, Italian language, and Tuscan Cuisine. Students can choose a major course for daily focus (Monday to Friday) in the mornings for three hours. Then, they attend elective classes, each lasting two hours, three times a week in the afternoons. On weekends, they go on day trips around Italy to explore cultural differences from city to city. Locations vary yearly; previous participants have visited Cinque Terre, Siena, Pisa, and Venice!

This 6-week Gap Year Course travels through Italy three times a year—Spring (January to early March), Early Summer (April to June), and Autumn (October to December). You will visit Venice, Castelfranco Bologna, Florence, Siena, and Roma, with day trips to San Gimignano, Verona, Naples, and Pompei. We use art and architecture to cover all subjects, be it history, art history, philosophy, politics, music and literature. For AHA, teaching students how to form a "habit" of creativity is something we take very seriously. This is why we have numerous creative sessions incorporated, allowing students to experiment with watercolors, sketching, creative writing, paper marbling, rowing in the Venice Canal, cooking classes, etc. We hope to help students form new ideas and have the confidence to articulate them. Our Gap Year is a wonderfully ambitious program with interests that spread from the ancient world in Rome and Naples to the Renaissance in Florence and contemporary art in Venice. You will learn about Leonardo, appreciate Titian, and understand why we should know about Michelangelo.

The 21C Venetian Workshop celebrates the future—and your role in it—by unlocking insight, connection, and vision through immersive experiences. Set in the vibrant and historic city of Venice, the 21C Venetian Workshop offers a six-week program designed to cultivate the deeply human capabilities essential for today’s world. Surrounded by breathtaking beauty, rich cultural heritage, and the rhythm of life shaped by water and tides, participants explore new ways of thinking, imagining, and feeling—through the transformative power of the arts. Venice is undergoing a bold regeneration, emerging as a global hub of innovation and sustainability. Just steps from Italy’s leading incubator, it attracts forward-thinking organizations shaping the future. This setting, infused with thousands of years of culture and a way of life where food, family, and ritual matter, inspires deep reflection and imagination and helps galvanise personal priorities.