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Italy

Living and Learning in Florence: Independent Stay and Language Study

Program No. 21743RJ
Live in an apartment in this iconic city, learn to speak Italian during daily language classes and get to know Florence like a Florentine on this independent living adventure.
Participant Reviews
4.88
Based on 8 Reviews
SHOWING
David – Class of 2025 | Livingston, TX
If you've ever thought about living in another country, Road Scholar's six-week "Independent Living and Learning" programs give you the opportunity to completely immerse yourself in another culture, living like a local but with the security that comes from having local experts on hand to provide advice and guidance anytime you need it. The program we attended in Florence was full of hands-on learning experiences that would have been difficult to get anywhere else, while also providing us with plenty of free time for independent exploration. And because almost everyone in our group was a like-minded adventurer and learner, we bonded with all of them. Truly the experience of a lifetime!
— Review left June 15, 2025
Cliona – Class of 2024 | Thule, France
Course was well presented with a great teacher, too many people of different levels were put into one beginners class. Florence is a beautiful city, but too many tourists, pickpockets, taxis, cars, horse & carts, dustbin trucks, bikes to be really comfortable living there for 6 weeks. Apartment was lovely, in a great area, but very noisy as it was central and over run with restaurants noise, early morning/ late night dustbin collection
— Review left November 20, 2024
Shawn – Class of 2024 | Moab, UT
Take the leap of travel abroad for a lengthy stay with Road Scholar ! You will be too busy to be homesick ! The best experience ever !
— Review left June 13, 2024
Denise – Class of 2017 | Conifer, CO
This was a fabulous trip! I got to see David, Birth of Venus, and Primavera in real life. Florence is a beautiful city and living in an authentic Italian apartment made it even better. A couple of things to be ready for: the apartments may not have air conditioning so be prepared for street noise and mosquitoes. There are lots of tourists and they like to make noise all night. And the Arno River is shallow and moves slowly enough that it breeds mosquitoes. Uffizi Galleries is not included in the Road Scholar itinerary. We bought annual passes for 70 euros and were able to cut the ticket line and go visit as much as we wanted. The passes are also good for Pitti Palace, Bardini Gardens, and Boboli Gardens. I took the classical Italian class which was immersive (I'm a beginner). I did sometimes feel like I was spending a lot of time on my language studies class and missing out on exploring the art and architecture that is Florence. You might prefer to take the survival Italian class if you don't have any Italian language skills. And the food is, of course, incredible even if it is a bit heavy on cheese, salami, and red wine!
— Review left December 1, 2023
Louise – Class of 2022 | Frederick, MD
"Living and Learning in Firenze" was a great experience! The language school in Florence was just excellent. We participated in interesting and fun field trips, lectures, tours. Our apartment was just right and close to the school. Be prepared to do a lot of walking!! To spend six weeks in an Italian city -- it was the opportunity of a lifetime for me!
— Review left June 9, 2023
Susan | Madison, WI
In addition to learning Italian I enjoyed getting to know my immediate neighborhood and having a favorite coffee bar and gelato cafe.
— Review left November 17, 2022
William – Class of 2020 | North Chesterfield, VA
This was my first trip with Road Scholar, and I was very impressed by the professionalism of their U.S. based staff and their staff during the program. I would recommend Road Scholar to anyone interested in a travel/ learning experience.
— Review left May 30, 2022
Virginia – Class of 2015 | Pensacola, FL
Great program, great language class!
— Review left November 7, 2019