CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Florence, Italy

Studying abroad with CEA Capa in Florence was one of the best decisions I have made! Prior to departure, CEA Capa staff were always willing to help with any questions I had. They did an amazing job finding us our housing in the perfect location and great amenities. There were always activities to do around the city that were organized by CEA Capa and the classes were all so interesting and fun. I learned so much about Italian culture that I never would have without these classes.

I had an amazing time, thanks to CEA CAPA, in Florence, Italy. I stayed with a roommate in the cutest apartment ever, and me and 16 other Biomedical Engineering students from the University of Miami all studied together in a CEACAPA classroom. They set up the best trips and programs for us and were so helpful when we needed anything: from a doctor, to a restaurant recommendation, or knowing where the best running trails are. I now work with CEA CAPA as an ambassador, and my experience there has been great as well. If you are considering studying abroad, look into doing it with CEA CAPA!

Spending time abroad in Florence was genuinely a dream. My street, lined with charming cobblestones, became my home in a way I never expected. Every corner and store of that street holds memories I miss deeply, like the family who took me in as one of their own. They fed me, ate with me, and helped me translate when I needed a cab or help on my italian homework, those simple meals turned into life long memories. There was the bar down the street that by night, buzzed with laughter and new local friends. By day, it was a little refuge where I could have cappuccino with the owner before class. Florence was more than just a city; it became a home filled with people I miss deeply and experiences I will treasure for life. It left a mark on me that I’ll carry with me always.

I had an amazing experience studying abroad in the Fall 2023 semester in Florence, Italy through the CEA Program. The variety of course offerings, professor-student relationships, and out-of-class activities were incredible. I had the opportunity to learn Italian, meet with professors outside of class, and attend a pasta-making class through CEA! I loved the food and culture of Florence with its tight-knit community and authentic, traditional recipes. It was an experience I will never forget and I hope to return soon!

My time studying abroad was the most enriching experience of my life so far. Despite only being abroad with my class for 6 weeks, I feel as though I spent months there due to the amount of knowledge and perspective on the world I gained throughout my time. I believe that every student should have this once in a lifetime experience to study abroad if possible.

Before choosing Florence, I talked to many students who had previously studied abroad. Some people claimed Florence was a "basic" destination and "everyone studies there", but for me this was not the case. Florence was the best study abroad destination for me personally and for many of my peers. There is so much to see, do, and experience as I never had a day in which I was bored. Italy is full of amazing food, art, history, and culture. My housing with CAPA was amazing, a 3 minute walk to school compared to my friends in Barcelona who had at least a 45 minute commute to school including the metro. I met so many new people that I still talk with today. I think about this experience every day of my life. Pros: - New friends - New experiences - Independence Cons: - Adapting to a new culture can be difficult - Time difference with USA - Missing family/friends back home

I studied abroad for a Fall semester in Florence, Italy! It was a great experience meeting new people and exploring European culture. I took four classes: Italian Language, International Business, Art History, and Social Justice. I really enjoyed the Art History class because we were able to go see lots of the art in person. I also enjoyed the excursions to Cinque Terre and Sorrento. I am so grateful for the opportunity to study abroad with CEA in such a beautiful place as Florence and learn so much.

I studied abroad in Florence in December of 2022 for a week and a half and it was a trip of a lifetime and I would not trade it for the world. Through this trip I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people from my university that I didn't already know and truly immerse myself into the culture. We went to so many places amazing places like Lucca, Pisa, and San Geminiano plus beautiful countryside wineries and olive groves. One of my favorite parts of the trip was trying all of the delicious food that Tuscany and Florence are known for. We even got to participate in a cooking class to make one of the traditional dishes, tortelli. If I had the chance I would go back and do it all over again and hopefully can in a few years!

Photos

I couldn't have had such amazing and memorable experiences without the help of CAPA. I always felt safe when I was in the foreign country I decided to visit-Italy. All of the staff members were extremely supportive and gave us the best guidance possible in order to make us feel safe and comfortable. It wasn't easy living in a completely different country all of a sudden, but the CAPA staff made the transition smooth and helped us through any bumps we encountered throughout the entire semester. People you can trust and count on, no matter what.

Studying and interning through the CAPA program was an incredible experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life! I felt comfortable and safe the whole time knowing that the CAPA staff was ready to help with anything I may need. I met some of the greatest people working at my internship from local Italians to tourists from all around the world! CAPA’s various cultural immersion programs make it so easy to get involved with locals too. My internship at the Museo Leonardo da Vinci gave me a comfortable space to practice my Italian language skills which made going to work every day so exciting. My favorite take away from the program has been keeping in contact with the relationships I made in Florence. I highly recommend the program and the internship especially!

CAPA absolutely made Florence exceptional! The staff was so kind, and could help you with literally anything. Even though I was only there for four weeks, with CAPA, I was able to feel like I saw the entire city! The school, and my apartment, where both in beautiful and convenient locations. The only thing that could have made my trip better, was if I was able to stay with CAPA even longer, they truly made my time in Italy unforgettable!

After coming back from a semester abroad in Florence, Italy I truly believe that I was a changed person for the better. When people ask me how my time abroad went, I always tell them, "It was life-changing." and I truly mean this because there are so many benefits and opportunities to learn new things for anybody who decides to go study abroad. Something very valuable I attained while abroad was learning how to live on my own which included learning skills such as how to cook, be more responsible with my time, learn how to budget, and many more things associated with living on your own for the first time. Aside from those skills, there are the more apparent things you can learn while studying abroad such as possibly learning a new language, being introduced to a new culture, meeting new people and forming life-long friendships, and anything you'd associate with studying abroad. Personally, one of my favorite things about studying abroad is being able to travel not only within a new country, but surrounding countries that might not have been possible had I not studied abroad. There is just something different when you travel with a group of friends, new people, or even on your own that just allows you to feel free and liberated. Being able to see so many new things within the borders and culture of another country outside of your circle of knowledge allows you to see so many things in a completely different light especially when you come back home, it truly is an amazing experience. CAPA, the organization that I studied abroad through is very kind and knowledgeable on local hotspots that you might find fascinating, plus they are more than happy to assist you with any needs related to travel or not! If you are reading this and you are on the fence to study abroad or not my recommendation would be to go. There is always a multitude of reasons to not do something, however it is equally important to know the benefits of doing something. And in the case of studying abroad I am a firm believer that traveling, although not cheap is absolutely worth it, many people who I met on my trip had told me that they were first intimidated by the price tag of the trip, however there are many ways to raise funds of this such as scholarships, sponsors, and even working a minimum wage job can cover a substantial amount of the cost, which a majority of my peers did including myself. Overall, I have no regrets for studying abroad and regardless if you think you're studying abroad "material" or capable of making such a significant change in your life, I guarantee you won't regret it.

As my adventure in Italy quickly came to an end, I reflect on all it has taught me over the course of these last two weeks - not just academically but personally as well. Picking one experience in particular, I choose to focus in greater detail on a conversation I had with one of my CAPA professors only a few days ago. Our conversation took place over an assignment I was having difficulties submitting, and my professor stopped me mid stressfilled sentence, and said the wisest thing to me that I had heard in awhile. He said, “In America, your culture supports a life of stress and it’s pointless when nine out of ten times, your situation will stay exactly the same”. This simple statement not only forced me to reflect on American culture but my own life in particular. It was true what he said, American culture is one that could turn stress into a lifestyle for an average citizen. We see examples of this with citizens working two and three jobs to keep up with the cost of living. Students are raising their blood pressure levels to get into good colleges, and the entire country is sitting on the edge of their seats with rapid shifts in our economy. Taking this all in, I came to the realization that I personally was not living as “stress-free and unbothered” as I had set out to be. The simplicity of my professor’s statement changed my outlook on life for the better. It taught me that life is only a moment and yet so much bigger than such at the same time. That granted, life in one specific moment is indeed our reality but once the moment has passed a new one has been created. We spend so much time prolonging these past moments or anticipating one yet to come that we miss out on so many of the new ones created in the process. This experience in particular reminded me to let go of what I had no control over, to do what I could when I could do it, but also to enjoy each moment as they are created because they will past. As the Italians say in their culture “La semplicità è l’ultima sofisticazione” - Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Studying abroad in Italy this summer changed the way I view the world. There was personal growth, networking, and adventure of a lifetime that I will forever cherish. I am glad I partook in this experience because the knowledge I have gained on this trip will help me in the future as well as my career. Studying abroad through CAPA made this experience a breeze as well.

I studied a broad in Florence, Italy with the CAPA study abroad program in the summer of 2018 and it was definitely a trip o remember. We were taken to Florence and there was so much culture, food, and history in the city. The staff was very friendly and helpful in navigating the city. I learned so much about Italy and even more about the area of Florence. CAPA is an amazing program because the staff is there for the enjoyment of the students. Studying abroad was definitely one of the biggest highlights in my college career and I hope you decide to do it as well. I would 100% recommend CAPA to anyone wanting to study abroad for their professionalism, knowledge, and their act of treating each student like they are family while they are at their destination.

After having dreamt of going to Europe all my life, it finally happened last semester in the spring of 2019. I was excited to see the people, eat the food, learn the language. Honestly, I would have been happy just to have made it to the plane. After touching down in Italy, I just stared at how beautiful everything was while also wondering if this was actually happening to me. After being there for four months I can say with confidence that Italy lived up to all my positive expectations. I can also say that there were some things I did not know about when I arrived like the racial tension between immigrants and Italian natives or the avoidance of the prevalent homeless population. However, the CAPA faculty and staff properly prepared me for what to actually expect when I stepped foot in Firenze. They helped shape my expectations to make ensure my time abroad was enjoyable. CAPA also provided ample opportunities for further immersion in Italian culture for little to no out of pocket cost with all. I had an amazing time abroad, I was not able to travel to every place I wanted to but I figured that getting to some places, enjoying the moments there and interacting with new people was better than travelling everywhere for glimpses at a time. If I could recommend any place to study abroad I absolutely recommend Firenze.

This past summer I was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy. It was a faculty lead program from my university, but CAPA hosted us and gave us a place to come to when our professors were giving lectures. They provided housing, welcome and goodbye meals as well as planned excursions to different cities. Overall, they did an amazing job at introducing us to the city by giving us a walking tour and orientation that went over safety, culture, expectations and how to have fun. Our housing was wonderful and we ended up in a beautiful apartment on Vie Dei Velluti. It was a beautiful building as well that CAPA is located in. Highly recommend taking classes there or trying to intern with CAPA. They are amazing.

Photos

Studying abroad with CAPA was a great decision not only was I able to immerse myself fully into the culture but I was also able to move forward in my career. This program is an excellent one because they take care of every detail. For example, our first week there we received a tour that took us throughout the city of Florence. This helped me appreciate the city I was going to call home for the next 3 months. They also prepared trips for us that teach us more about the culture, cuisine, and the people. Aside from that the staff at the CAPA center in Florence were super attentive and just great people in general they helped us with every doubt or concern that we had. The CAPA center was a place where we could study if we wanted to or just a place to relax. They had all the tools that we needed in order to succeed in our classes. Overall I am so happy and satisfied to have travelled with CAPA they made my experience one that will always be a part of me.

Photos

This was the best semester of my life studying abroad and I am so happy I decided to go with CAPA. The classes were just hard enough to where I felt like I learned a lot but I also had time to travel a ton! I only ended up having class Monday through Wednesday - so I had the opportunity to travel to 12 different countries in the 14 weeks I was there. CAPA was so supportive, they put me in awesome accommodation about 5 minutes away from the school, and they had a few fun excursions too! I went on this program completely on my own but making friends was so easy because of the activities they have you do. Florence was absolutely the best study abroad city! It was completely walkable and by the end of the semester it really felt like home. There was so much to do in the city but it was still central enough that traveling was so easy. Another thing that I liked about Florence was that the language barrier wasn't really an issue. Most of the locals were so welcoming because Florence has SO many study abroad students. I never felt unsafe or unwelcome in the city! Inside the classroom CAPA taught me so much. I took one class in particular that was amazing. It taught me about the food culture in Tuscany. This class took us on so many field trips around the city including a food tour, gelato making class, and a wine tasting just to name a few! The professor was so amazing and cared so much about teaching us about her culture and ill remember what I learned there for the rest of my life! I highly suggest taking one or two electives while you're abroad instead of doing all core classes. The electives are where you really learn about the city you're in!

Photos

Studying abroad in Florence was one of the best decisions of my life. CAPA's program gave me a whole new perspective on the world and inspired my curiosity about other cultures. CAPA made my experience incredible with their various resources to help immerse myself into Italy's fascinating culture. The entire trip was inspiring and has forever changed myself as an individual. I acquired many life skills like independence and cultural tolerance. Florence has enhanced my cultural skills and increased my desire for more intercultural interactions. I also got to meet incredible people and create lasting friendships with the students in my program. I highly recommend this program to anyone that is seeking a different perspective on the world and life itself.

Photos