CIEE HS Summer Abroad: Art History & Culture in Florence

Love Renaissance paintings, soaring cathedrals, and marble statues? Florence is calling you!

Study history through the lens of creative expression as you explore how religion, politics, and changing ideas about beauty influenced art. Florence is an incredible destination to explore art history, especially the Renaissance. Alongside fellow Global Navigators, you’ll study world-famous masterpieces in the city where artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci helped transform the way people saw art, beauty, and the world around them.

Study the history of the Medici family, exploring all the ways their patronage influenced the art, politics, and culture of Florence. Examine how different spaces, from chapels to elite residences, reflect the style of the Renaissance.

It is not all museums and class time; there is also plenty of time to explore Florence and beyond. Visit the Arcetri Observatory to learn about Galileo Galilei and the Medici family’s role in science, then take a day trip to Pisa to explore how wealth, education, and innovation shaped the region. Between the art, the friendships, and daily adventures, your summer in Florence will leave you inspired with new dreams about what you want to study, create, or maybe even turn into a future career.