You lead the academics.
We deliver everything else.

FACULTY-LED PROGRAMS · FLORENCE

Faculty-led in Florence - the campus model for serious U.S. partners.

Florence is our primary hub for faculty-led programs, and the city where the institutional depth of our model is most visible. The campus on Via Bolognese is a dedicated 17th-century building - the historic seat of the Piarist Fathers (Padri Scolopi), formerly the Istituto Pellegrini - set in over 8,000 m² of gardens with olive trees and a soccer field, just five minutes from the centre of Florence. The site brings together - under one address - 14 classrooms, a 36-workstation language lab, an auditorium of 150 seats, library and study rooms, an in-house café (Unicafè), and a student residence on the top floor.

For a U.S. university running a faculty-led semester, this is operational depth that most Italian language schools do not have: you can house a cohort, teach a cohort, host guest lectures, and run student services for a cohort all in one integrated campus. The visiting faculty member retains full academic authority - syllabus, learning outcomes, instruction, assessment, grading - while our partner desk delivers everything around it: the Italian language component, the cultural programming, the housing logistics, the documentation. The result is the continuity of your home curriculum, combined with one of the most coherent campus environments available to U.S. partner institutions in Italy.

Looking at other cities? See Faculty-led in Mantua ("Deep Italy" semesters) · Faculty-led overview (all four campuses).

How a faculty-led program works with us

Your faculty leads the academic vision. The visiting faculty member designs the academic content, teaches the discipline-specific course, sets the assessment criteria, and grades the students. We are not co-instructors and we do not interfere with the academic plan - the credits belong to your institution. We deliver everything around it. Classroom and study space, on-campus or affiliated housing, ground transport, field-study logistics, Italian language instruction at the appropriate level (where part of the design), student services on site, cultural programming, and integration with our resident operations team. Approval-ready documentation. See the Academic Approval Pack - the structured documentation set we issue to support your institution's curriculum approval, risk-management review, insurance review, and study-abroad office sign-off. Single partner desk - one contact. You work with one named partner-desk lead for the full lifecycle of the program - pre-departure planning, on-site delivery, and post-program reporting. No vendor stack to manage, no fragmented communication.

Three phases of program support

Our partner desk operates across the full lifecycle of a faculty-led program - from initial scoping to post-program reporting. The structure mirrors the standard expectations of U.S. study-abroad offices and accreditation reviewers.

Pre-departure. Academic Approval Pack tailored to your institution, syllabus integration with our facilities, faculty briefing, draft program calendar, risk-management documentation, health-and-safety brief, housing inventory and allocation plan, pre-departure orientation materials for students, visa documentation guidance, advanced cultural-immersion planning. On-site delivery. Arrival reception, airport transport coordination, check-in at on-campus or affiliated housing, on-site welcome and orientation, classroom and lab access, daily operations support, weekly cultural programming, faculty office space, 24-hour emergency contact, ongoing health-and-safety oversight, mid-program review. Re-entry & reporting. End-of-program student debrief, attendance and participation records issued in the format your registrar expects, faculty feedback session, post-program report to the home institution, transcript-friendly documentation where required, partnership-renewal conversation for future cohorts. Continuous accountability. Each program is reviewed against the original academic and operational plan agreed at scoping. Variance is documented and shared with the home institution - together with proposed mitigations. We treat post-program reporting as the seal of the partnership, not as paperwork.

Program types we have run or can run

2-4 week summer programs. Intensive faculty-taught programs around a single discipline - Italian civilisation, art history, architecture, design, food studies, contemporary politics, fashion, music. Cohort housing on or near campus; full cultural programming included. Semester abroad with Italian language component. A full 12-16 week semester where your faculty teaches the core discipline course and we deliver concurrent Italian language instruction at the appropriate CEFR level. Optional integration with our long-term study-visa documentation framework. Pre-semester language intensive + main program. Students arrive 2-4 weeks before the main faculty-led semester for an intensive Italian course, then the discipline-specific program begins. The most common pattern for "Italian + discipline" cohorts targeting B1/B2 proficiency by mid-semester. Custom short courses (1-2 weeks). Executive-education cohorts, MBA short courses, professional-development groups, alumni programs. Compressed, high-density academic content, custom-scheduled around home-institution calendars. Full academic year. For institutions wanting a continuous study-abroad presence in Italy: a year-long program with cohort rotation between fall and spring semesters, optional summer continuity. Hybrid & rotation models. Cohorts that move between two or more of our four cities during a single program - for example, Florence (heritage) + Milan (contemporary Italy) - or that combine on-site weeks with online pre-departure preparation.

What we coordinate on the ground

Beyond classroom delivery, the partner desk coordinates the full operational footprint of the program. The list below is what is included as standard; further services are available on request and scoped at program design.

Arrival & logistics. Airport transfer coordination · arrival reception · check-in at on-campus or affiliated housing · local SIM and connectivity guidance · public-transport orientation · welcome kit. Housing. Cohort housing in our on-campus residences (Florence, Mantua) or in vetted partner accommodations (Milan, Turin) · faculty housing options · meal-plan integration · housekeeping and maintenance coordination. Visa & immigration administration. Consulate-grade enrolment certificates · syllabus and program-hour documentation for visa applications · post-arrival residence-permit support · liaison with consulates and Questura when required. Risk management & safety. Comprehensive risk-management documentation · health-and-safety brief · emergency response protocol · 24-hour emergency contact · liaison with U.S. State Department travel advisories where required. Health insurance & healthcare. Coordination of medical-insurance documentation meeting Italian consulate and university requirements · local healthcare orientation · medico di base guidance for longer programs. Academic operations. Classroom and lab scheduling · IT and AV setup · library and study-room access · printing and reprographic support · attendance recording · grade-submission handover to home institution.

Optional academic enrichments

Beyond the faculty-taught core course, programs can be enriched with discipline-aligned additional learning experiences, designed by your faculty together with our partner desk.

Guest lectures & conferences. Local academics, industry professionals, cultural-institution curators delivering targeted lectures aligned with the faculty's syllabus. Joint sessions with Italian university partners where relevant. Field trips & site visits. Discipline-aligned visits - museums, archaeological sites, corporate sites, design studios, regional excursions (Siena, Pisa, Bologna, Rome, the Langhe wine region, Verona, Cremona). Logistics, transport, and entry-fee coordination handled by us. Internships & service learning. Credit-bearing or co-curricular placements with local Italian organisations - cultural institutions, NGOs, design studios, small enterprises, schools - scoped against the academic objectives of the program. Conversation partners & teaching placements. One-to-one or small-group conversation-partner pairings with Italian university students for language-component cohorts · teaching-assistant placements in local schools where relevant to the academic plan. Experiential & community engagement. Hands-on workshops, studio practice, laboratory work, volunteering with local cultural and social organisations · structured community-engagement activities scoped to the discipline. Cultural-immersion calendar. Weekly evening and weekend programming - cinema, opera (La Scala, Teatro Comunale), regional cuisine, walking tours, food-and-wine excursions, sport - designed for the cohort's interests and level of Italian.

Disciplines we have hosted - or can host

Our four campuses, together with our network of academic and cultural partners, support a wide range of disciplinary frames. Below: the disciplines we have worked with most often, mapped to the campus where the surrounding city offers the strongest field environment. Other disciplines welcome on request - we have run programs from environmental policy to opera studies.

Humanities & cultural studies. Italian civilisation · art history · architecture · Renaissance studies · museum studies · classical & medieval studies · religious studies · history of science · heritage conservation. Primary hub: Florence · also Mantua. Languages & linguistics. Italian language (A1 → C2) · sociolinguistics · translation & interpreting · pedagogy of L2 · comparative literature · Italian cinema studies. All four campuses; primary hubs: Florence and Milan. Business, management & finance. International business · management · entrepreneurship · finance · marketing · luxury & fashion management · sustainability strategy · Italian economic history. Primary hub: Milan. Design, fashion & communication. Fashion design · industrial & product design · graphic design · advertising · media studies · digital communication · visual culture. Primary hubs: Milan and Turin. Food, agriculture & territory. Italian food studies · Slow Food · wine & sommelier studies · food anthropology · sustainable agriculture · regional terroirs · culinary history. Primary hub: Turin · also Mantua. Social sciences & contemporary Italy. Political science · contemporary Italian politics · sociology · migration studies · European studies · public policy · gender studies · urban studies. Primary hubs: Milan and Turin. Arts, music & performance. Music history & opera studies · performance studies · theatre · creative writing · contemporary art (gallery scene, Castello di Rivoli, Fondazione Sandretto). All four campuses, scoped to discipline focus. Other / interdisciplinary. Engineering site visits · automotive history · environmental policy · health-systems comparison · gerontology · architecture of historic preservation · service learning & community engagement. Scoped per program.

Sample weekly schedule - a day in the life in Florence

Illustrative schedule for a 14-week faculty-led semester in Florence with an Italian language component, delivered on the Padri Scolopi campus. The visiting faculty member teaches the discipline-specific course; our team delivers the Italian language module and the Florence-specific cultural programming around it.

Monday - Friday morning. 09:30 - 11:00 · Faculty-taught course (visiting faculty, classroom 1 - first floor of the Padri Scolopi building)
11:00 - 11:15 · Coffee break at Unicafè, the in-house café on the ground floor
11:15 - 12:45 · Italian language class (CEFR-level group, classroom 2) Afternoons (varies by day). Mon & Wed: independent study in the campus library and study rooms · faculty office hours · garden study sessions in good weather
Tue: guest lecture or curatorial visit - Uffizi, Bargello, Palazzo Pitti, Accademia, Opera del Duomo, Museo Galileo (every 2 weeks)
Thu: language lab session in the 36-workstation IT lab · conversation-partner pairings with Italian university students
Fri: city field trip - Brunelleschi's Dome, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, Palazzo Vecchio, Mercato Centrale (scheduled per syllabus) Evenings (optional). Weekly: aperitivo at a partner bar near Piazza Indipendenza or community-engagement session with a Florentine cultural institution
Bi-weekly: cultural-programming event - opera at Teatro Comunale (Maggio Musicale Fiorentino season), cinema in lingua italiana, contemporary art opening
Monthly: Tuscan regional dinner with the cohort and faculty Weekends. Saturday: optional day-trip - Siena, San Gimignano, Arezzo, Pisa, Lucca, Cinque Terre, Volterra, Chianti wine region (approx. every other weekend)
Sunday: free for independent travel and rest. Mid-program break trip (3 nights to Rome or the Amalfi Coast) once per semester.

This is an illustrative Florence schedule. The final calendar is co-designed with the visiting faculty during scoping to align with the home institution's credit-hour requirements and the discipline-specific learning outcomes.

Pricing model

Faculty-led programs are quoted on a per-cohort basis, scoped against the institutional requirements agreed during partnership development. We do not publish flat per-student price lists because cohort size, length, discipline, language component, housing model, field-trip scope, and faculty-residence needs all affect the package. The structure below describes what is included and how the model works; concrete pricing is shared in a detailed worksheet during scoping.

Standard inclusions (all programs). Cohort housing in our on-campus residences or vetted partner accommodations · meal plan where applicable · classroom and lab space · Italian language instruction (where part of design) · faculty workspace and office support · airport transfer coordination · welcome kit · 24-hour emergency contact · ongoing student-services support · Academic Approval Pack and risk-management documentation · post-program report. Optional add-ons (scoped per program). Guest lectures from local academics or curators · day-trips beyond the standard 2-per-semester baseline · multi-day break trips (Rome, Amalfi, the Alps) · internship placements · service-learning partnerships · conversation-partner pairings with Italian university students · faculty fam-trip visit in advance · custom recruitment-support materials. Models we operate. All-inclusive per cohort - single invoice covers everything in the standard inclusions plus agreed add-ons. Per-student rate - flat fee per enrolled student, useful when cohort sizes are uncertain. Hybrid academic + à la carte - discounted academic-only core with optional services billed separately. Choice negotiated at MOU signing. Payment terms. Payment terms align with U.S. institutional fiscal-year schedules · typical structure: 25% deposit at MOU signing, 50% at 60 days before arrival, 25% at program close · invoices issued in EUR with USD reference rate · wire transfer or institutional payment methods accepted · final reconciliation 30 days post-program.

Past Florence programs & representative cohorts

Faculty-led programs we have delivered in Florence with U.S. partner institutions span the disciplines below. Specific institutional names and references are shared during partnership development on a confidential basis - contact the partner desk for a Florence reference list aligned with your discipline.

Renaissance Studies semester. 14-week semester program for a Mid-Atlantic liberal-arts college, 22 students. Faculty-taught Renaissance art history + Italian language at A2/B1 level + weekly curatorial visits (Uffizi, Bargello, Palazzo Pitti, Accademia) + regional excursions to Siena, San Gimignano, Arezzo. Housed in the on-campus residence on Via Bolognese. Architecture & heritage conservation summer. 4-week summer intensive for a U.S. school of architecture, 18 students. Faculty-taught lectures on Brunelleschi, Alberti, Michelangelo + studio sessions in the campus Aula Magna + structured visits to Santa Maria del Fiore, San Lorenzo, the Medici Chapels + a 2-day trip to Pisa. Italian Civilisation semester. 15-week semester for a Northeastern university, 26 students. Faculty-taught Italian civilisation course + Italian language A1 → B1 + bi-weekly conversation-partner pairings with University of Florence students + cultural-immersion calendar including opera at Teatro Comunale. Pre-semester language intensive. 3-week intensive Italian language program for an East Coast university cohort of 20 students before their main semester programme. A1 → A2 progression documented, with conversation-partner sessions and weekly day-trips to Tuscan hill towns. Fashion & cultural studies short course. 2-week summer programme for a Midwestern liberal-arts college, 14 students. Faculty-taught Italian fashion history + curated visits to Ferragamo Museum, Gucci Garden, Pitti Uomo trade-fair grounds + craftsmanship workshops in Oltrarno. Music history & opera studies. 4-week summer programme for a U.S. conservatory cohort, 12 graduate students. Faculty-taught Renaissance and Baroque music + visits to Maggio Musicale Fiorentino archives + masterclasses in the campus auditorium + opera performances in Florence and Pisa.

Programs above are representative and anonymised. References, transcripts of partnership scope, and direct contacts at past partner institutions are available under standard confidentiality terms - request via the partner desk.

What our partners say

Selected feedback from visiting faculty and study-abroad office directors at past partner institutions. Full reference list and direct contacts available on request.

How to start a partnership - timeline

The typical path from a first conversation to an arriving cohort. Concrete dates are negotiated to align with your institution's curriculum-approval and admissions cycles; the steps below are the standard sequence.

1 · Initial enquiry. You contact the partner desk with a brief outline: institution, faculty leading the program, target dates, cohort size, discipline, language component required, key constraints. We respond within two working days with a first-call invitation. 2 · Intake call. A 45-60 minute call with the partner desk and (where relevant) the academic coordinator from our side. Goal: understand academic vision, institutional context, and operational requirements. We document the call in a structured intake brief shared back to you within five working days. 3 · Site visit / faculty fam trip. The visiting faculty member and (optionally) a study-abroad office representative come to Italy for a 2-4 day campus visit. We host classroom walk-throughs, sample lessons, meetings with our academic team, and a tour of housing options and field-trip destinations. 4 · Scoping document. A detailed scoping document is co-developed: program structure, calendar, syllabus integration, language component design, housing plan, field-trip schedule, risk-management plan, Academic Approval Pack outline, and a draft pricing worksheet. Iterated until both sides are aligned. 5 · MOU signing. Memorandum of Understanding (or equivalent partnership agreement) drafted and signed. Covers academic scope, operational responsibilities, pricing and payment terms, risk allocation, intellectual property, data protection, and exit clauses. Reviewed by both institutions' legal teams. 6 · Operational setup & recruitment. Joint launch of student recruitment at the home campus (information sessions, marketing collateral, application platform). On our side: Academic Approval Pack delivered, housing reservations confirmed, Italian language placement test scheduled, faculty pre-departure pack issued, risk-management protocols finalised. 7 · Arrival & program delivery. Cohort arrives. Three phases of support kick in as described above (pre-departure, on-site, re-entry). Single named partner-desk contact throughout. 8 · Post-program review & renewal. End-of-program debrief, post-program report to the home institution, satisfaction survey results, accounting reconciliation. Partnership-renewal conversation typically within 30-60 days of program close, in time for the next academic cycle.

Florence regional context - field-trip and excursion network

Florence sits at the centre of one of Europe's densest cultural and field-study networks. Programs can integrate excursions to any of the destinations below as standard inclusions or scoped add-ons.

In Florence (day visits). Uffizi · Bargello · Palazzo Pitti · Accademia · Opera del Duomo · Museo Galileo · Brunelleschi's Dome · Santa Maria Novella · Santa Croce · Palazzo Vecchio · Mercato Centrale · Ferragamo Museum · Gucci Garden · craftsmanship workshops in Oltrarno. Tuscany (day-trip range). Siena · San Gimignano · Arezzo · Pisa · Lucca · Volterra · Cortona · Montepulciano · Chianti wine region · Versilia coast · Maremma · Cinque Terre (with longer day). Italy beyond Tuscany (weekend / break-trip range). Rome, Bologna, Venice, Ravenna, Verona, the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Naples - accessible within 2-4 hours by high-speed rail from Florence Santa Maria Novella station. Standard mid-program break trip: Rome (3 nights). Want a different Italian city focus?. For "Deep Italy" small-city immersion, see Faculty-led in Mantua. For all four campuses (Milan and Turin included), see the faculty-led overview.