As an adventurous and curious teenager who loves everything to do with the Renaissance, Florence Italy with World Class Programs was a dream. Florence itself feels like you're going back to the time of the Renaissance. There are masterpieces everywhere, and it's such a small and welcoming city that you can get familiar with easily. For me, it felt like home. The program itself, first of all, is not a boring and formulaic program that will remind you of school. I know I was worried about papers and homework, because honestly after a long school year, everyone needs a break from that. Yet, without being assigned a single paper through the entire program, I learned more than an entire years' worth of a school course. The program is extremely immersive, and if you're learning anything at all, it's very likely you'll be standing right in front of whatever your topic is. Whether it be looking up at the David, or admiring a Medici's palace, you're learning simply by seeing and experiencing the culture of Italy, not counting the staff's instruction as well. I've also learned so much about the Italian culture, cuisine, and lifestyle, simply because I was given a taste of it for 3 weeks. And you're constantly around local Italians as well, it's not all just tourists. The experience is so new and so enlightening, and after it, I feel everyone needs to go to Italy at least once in their lifetime. It doesn't matter if you're not interested in history or the old masters of Italian art, or even in their delicious coffee and pasta, you'll still be blown away. There's something for everyone there. World Class Programs is also extremely lenient, and balances the schedule for students to have time to explore Florence with at least one other student/staff. (And trust me, you'll make friends if you want to. I made friends with groups of people who were a lot different than me, and I'm so glad to have met every single one of them) Exploring Florence without the direction of a staff member allows for a freedom that separates this program from others. You can be independent, shop, eat gelato, or sift through souvenir shops. You'll never run out of things to do in Florence, and I barely crossed off half the things on my list. As for the staff members, they were all so sweet, and work for you to have an amazing time 24/7. All in all, this program was easily the highlight of not only my summer, but the past years as well. It is definitely adventurous, and entails a lot of walking and exploring, but at least you have a home base in Florence, and the food makes it all worth it.
