High School Study Abroad in Milan, Italy

Most Milan high school programs allow you to do exactly what you’re dreaming of — completely immerse yourself in the local language and culture. You’ll most likely live in homestay accommodation with your host, allowing you to experience life from a local perspective — the best way to do it! 

Focused on holistic experiences, programs include exposure to local art, history, literature, and of course, ample opportunities to practice your Italian language skills. The local lingo should come in useful when you’re exploring your new home town, ordering the best pizza flavors, and making new friends! Courses can be as short as a semester or as long as a full year, and let’s be honest, more is better when it comes to most aspects of Italian life (pizza and gelato!).

You might be the only person residing in your homestay, but don’t worry about being lonely, as you’ll be connected to other international and Italian students through the study program. Studying amongst peers from around the world is a great way to broaden your perspective and better understand cultural differences. It’s also an easy way to make friends with whom you can sip coffees and munch on biscotti after class!

Life in Milan is incredibly social, and everything is done with an air of sophistication — spend your evenings and weekends swapping stories of the day with new friends in a local bistro. Take your learning outside the classroom at the Science and Technology Museum or by visiting one of the many local galleries. If that’s not your scene, be sure to try get your hands on tickets to a local football match — the teams are world famous! 

Most programs are all inclusive, making budgeting quite simple, as you only need to worry about sightseeing and fun-funds! Owing to its sophisticated reputation, Milan has a price tag to match, so think about cutting costs by sticking with local restaurants and public transportation. That said, the city is well connected to more rural areas such as Lake Como, and Italy’s capital, Rome, so you might want to include some extra euros to cover a couple of weekend trips out of the city. No study abroad trip to Italy would be complete without a visit to the Colosseum after all!

Milan isn’t generally the first city that comes to mind for people traveling to Italy, making it somewhat of a unique choice and also a little less touristy than other parts of the country. This also makes it a pretty perfect place to study, as you’ll experience a more authentic side to Italian culture. It also means that English is less widely spoken, giving you no excuses at all for not perfecting your Italian skills!

Overall, Milan’s culture is fairly laid back like the rest of Italy, businesses are closed in the afternoons, and if you’re trying to find the faucet to wash your hands, look to the floor for a foot pedal. Just be sure to relax and soak in the beauty of the fashion and architecture. Oh, and it’s famous for its year-round rain showers, so you might want to pack an umbrella.

Italy is the kind of country that you dream about visiting, never mind having an opportunity to live and study there for an extended period of time. You’ll most certainly come home more knowledgeable from the Milan high school abroad experience but also perhaps a few pounds heavier from the local cuisine!

Read our comprehensive guide to high school programs in Italy to find out more.