When I arrived in Florence for my six week study abroad program, I didn’t know what to expect. Like many students, I signed up for classes that I knew would transfer back to my home school, not giving them too much thought, but still hoping to get classes that seemed interesting. When I heard back regarding which classes I successfully enrolled in, one intrigued me the most. 

The class, titled Art and Community: Secret Florence Walks, was labeled as a WWAC, which stands for Walks Without A Classroom. I had no idea what to expect from the course, initially. I had never had the option of taking a class of this sort, but was intrigued by the idea of it. 

At FUA, this type of course is quite common. WWAC courses always have a designated meeting point. Sometimes the meeting point is at one of the FUA buildings, while other times it may be somewhere else in the city center. 

One of the main reasons I chose to study abroad in Florence was because of all of the art history that is rooted here. When I saw that this course involved exploring the city, I knew I had to take it. While I initially took this course to simply fulfill a course requirement for my degree, it ultimately provided me with the priceless opportunity of experiencing and learning about my new second home. 

I couldn’t have asked for a better class to take as my first course in Florence. It felt like I had a personal tour guide of the city, at a time in which absolutely everything felt unfamiliar to me. While I navigated the culture shock I was experiencing when I first got here, my professor continued to make this unfamiliar place feel like a second home. 

My professor would often mention how the information we learned in the course is not widely known by locals. It really felt as though I was getting a secret peek into Florentine history that not everybody has access to. 

The highlight of this class, though, was the sense of community it built. We had a group of twenty or so students, all of us having landed in Florence just days before starting the class. Our professor made sure to let us in on her own recommendations for places to eat, among many other tips for how to experience Florence as authentically as possible. 

This class felt like more than an academic course. While I learned a lot of historical information about Florence, I also learned so much more about how locals experience their lives here. Having a knowledgeable professor made all the difference.

Outside of class, I found myself walking around with my friends, filling them in on the information I learned from my class. I also began navigating the city without needing my phone to get me from point a to point b. Physically walking around the city with my class elevated the confidence and independence I felt, which ultimately shaped my experience living here as I no longer felt as intimidated by navigating the city by myself. 

As I wrap up my final days here in Florence, I can’t express how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to take this class, as it truly set me off on the right foot. Even though my semester here was just six weeks long, I feel that Florence is a second home.