Explore Florence, Italy with World Class Programs

My daughter went on this trip in 2021 to Italy and I could not possibly feel better about recommending this program! There was an excellent combination of education and leisure, and I felt extremely comfortable about her health and safety with the staff members who were with her. They were able to see so many amazing things and the value for what we paid was unparalleled. Could not be more thrilled with this program and will be sending two kids with them next summer! Thank you to Derek and the staff for an amazing experience.

I am a parent of a program participant. My daughter has been home for a little over a week and has not stopped talking about her experience. We had hoped she would have the chance to assert her independence, have a chance to meet some potential friends with a variety of interests and opinions as well as experience a taste of a different culture. Our hopes were spectacularly exceeded. At first, the program may look a bit pricey, but almost everything is included once you are in the host country, including many unique learning opportunities. This is an incredible program and worth every penny.

What a great experience. The staff was world class. The program allowed the students to immerse in the Italian culture. They got to see many parts of Italy. Plus, learn about the country and food. Each student picks two areas to study. This allows them to learn more details about Italy that they want to focus. Being a parent, safety was at the top of my list. The staff answered all safety questions. Plus, the staff has been to Italy many times, so they know what to expect. It helped that they have a person from Italy to help with the program. This was the best experience.

I would definitely consider myself an adventurous person. I love venturing outside of my comfort zone and meeting new people. Being completely candid, the weeks leading up to the program were nerve racking. Good nerves, obviously, but this was the first time I was really genuinely nervous to do something I enjoyed so much; adventuring. Within the first 24 hours, I realized that these nerves were most certainly unwarranted. I was welcomed with open arms not just by staff, but by the students as well. We all instantaneously connected, and I was so excited to start this new journey with all of them. I came on the trip with my main intention being to improve my Italian skills. Not only do I feel 10 times more confident in my Italian, but I've walked away having learned so many lessons. In addition to basically becoming a pro at walking a minimum of 5 miles a day, I've eaten some of the best meals of my life, seen the most breathtaking churches and museums (and I'm not a museum or church person!) and created long lasting friendships with people all across the country. Alluding to the title of my review, I can indeed confirm that I did have the adventure of a lifetime. I was able to not only explore one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but live there for 3 weeks. Whenever my roommates and I were out, we would constantly say, "I want to go home." Not home as in our actual homes back across the ocean, but our "home" in Florence. Some of my best memories were spent in that city, and as I am currently writing this in Rome, I really truly can say that I am "homesick." One of the main takeaways from this trip is also the feeling of having a second family. For 3 weeks, I went from living with 10 strangers, to living with a crazy, caring, energetic, and amazing family. Throughout all the ups and downs, we all had one another's backs, every step of the way. I couldn't be anymore thankful to Derek, Catherine, and World Class Programs for giving me an experience I truly will never forget. As Derek said at the very beginning of the program, "I hope this will be the trip that you tell your kids, and grandkids about," and I truly can't wait for the day I get to do so.

I transferred from the Japan program to the Italia program in World Class and the process was quite easy. Miss Katherine was very helpful when I bombarded her with questions concerning the program. I felt quite safe the whole time and still had a ton of fun. I entered into the program with no expectations but I was still blown away. I must say that I have learned quite a bit about myself. Thank you Miss Katherine, Mr. Tano, Miss Abby, and Mr. Vieri. I appreciate you putting up with me and my speed walking.

I was able to learn so much through this program, and was able to totally expand my horizons. I was really worried about what college would be like with dorm living before this trip, but I was able to learn so much about what that would be like through this experience. If you are looking for a true dorm living and study abroad experience, this is the program for you! The memories that you will make will last a life time, and is truly the most rewarding part of the whole experience. The staff are so kind, and make this experience so enjoyable. This program is life changing, and very unique. I would recommend it to anyone in high school, as it truly expands the standard school style. Loved this program so much, do it if you can!

After completing the Florence 2021 trip, I strongly urge those interested to attend. Whether experiencing the rich culture, amazing museums, or delicious foods, we got to experience life as a Florence native. Alongside classes and group activities, we had the opportunity to explore the city or relax during the generous amount of hours of free time. My favorite aspect of this trip has to be the various day trips visiting other cities. Although focused in Florence, we were able to familiarize ourselves with many other key Italian cities. Lastly, I want to thank Katherine, Derek, and all the teachers, for their commitment to keeping this program both fun and formative. I am so excited to attend another World Class Programs Trip!

From the moment I was accepted to the Florence/Italy program, I had a great feeling about my upcoming adventure. The memories and friendships I’ve made wall traveling are something I hold close to my heart! The staff are so incredibly kind, I dislike calling them staff because they more felt like friends during this trip than a authoritarian figure. I truly believe about this program changed my life especially after attending philosophy class with Derek. We took ideas, beliefs, ideologies, and what we believe or considered the good was in the world and compared it, to say the least the conversation never stops in that class!!!! Another life changing experience was attending churches and museums with the fine art and drawing teacher Katherine, we spent much of our time exploring the city to do live figure drawing and architectural landscape drawing. One of my favorite classes we did was at Santa Croce, it is famously known for the vibrant and decadent stain-glass windows; after a brief history lesson in a little studying of the stain-glass windows we successfully produced beautiful watercolor Stainglass window paintings! If you are interested in art and enjoy challenging your skills to improve them I recommend this class 100%. Safety was never in question, I never felt unsafe once in the city (Florence) because of the local guide/tuscan cuisine teacher Vieri. I can wholeheartedly say I have never met such a kind person in my life, going above and beyond every cooking class to make sure we enjoy and learn wall creating every single meal. Unfortunately I couldn’t take every single class offered by the world class team, so I was not able to take photography taught by Abby. From the moment I met her she has been so kind and fun every moment I spent with her, we mostly just screaming about all the cute dogs we saw well venturing through train station, city’s and in stores! It got to a point where if we saw a dog outside of the apartment we would send photos of it to each other!!!!! Honestly you would think 10 girls in a apartment by themselves would get in to drama or cat fights, there was never a single moment when we weren’t laughing uncontrollably about thing that crossed are way. There was never a moment I felt homesick or sad while traveling, because of the family I made here with the staff and new lifelong friends around me. In complete honesty sitting here writing my review I still can’t believe it’s been three weeks, and I did not just get of the plain yesterday. After having such a wonderful experience with World Class Program I hope to attend another one of their programs next summer!!!!