Activities and Opportunities
Student Life
Field Trips and Activities:
As a complement to the academic program, students can participate in activities that are organized by their Student Advisor within the city of Florence and take day trips to nearby towns (many of the activities are free of cost). Students may also participate in optional field trips to places such as Rome & the Vatican, Urbino, Venice, Cinque Terre, Mantua, Ferrara, Nice & Montecarlo, Arezzo & Cortona & Montepulciano, Pienza, and Sorrento & Capri. These field trips are led by faculty from the school. Field trips are not included in the program cost.
Student Clubs Concept:
According to the philosophy of the school, Lorenzo de Medici's main focus is the student's personal growth, which can be strongly affected and improved by a cultural experience abroad. For this reason, LdM created and supports the student clubs, where people with the same interests can develop and increase their skills, flair, and background together in a completely different social environment. This full immersion in Italian life, society, and culture is explored through various forms and aspects in order to include as diverse a range of people as possible.
The clubs help in obtaining a good balance between the students' mutual interaction and socialization and their introduction, adjustment to, and participation with the host community. For this reason, LdM will coordinate with the most important and representative local institutions and associations in the different mentioned fields.
Student Clubs include:
This club will provide students with the opportunity to publish their written works on a school blog as well as in a local publication (in English). The club will also provide information about publishing opportunities in the U.S. Since some of these magazines are also interested in pictures, feel free to join the club even if you're not a writer!
This club will accompany students to discover and revitalize some historical and famous dances, such as the Tango and Latin American dances. The main goal of the club is to provide students with a basic knowledge of the subject, through dance lessons held by local teachers.
The aim of this club is to introduce students to the current and historical Italian and European movie scene and its analogies and diversities with the American and International ones. The program will include film selections, in co-operation with some of the most important Cinema Associations in Florence, and information about upcoming events, festivals and reviews related to the subject.
The main goal of the LdM Sound Club is to provide students with a taste of the Italian and European musical scene and its analogies and diversities with the American one. This sound experience will include several different aspects: free concerts selected from the best musical events in town, the opportunity to sing in choirs, the opportunity to play live music at venues in Florence and updated information about ongoing concerts and music festivals.
Scuola Lorenzo de' Medici has always been in the forefront in the campaign against racism, discrimination and intolerance. For this reason, the club's main goal will be to allow LdM students to join the Italian volunteer community and connect them with the Italian social life.
This club will try to help students experience and observe Italian everyday life and culture through the camera lens. Students' previous background and knowledge of the subject will be stimulated by researching, creating and developing a photography project related to the main thematic areas. These will be shown, after a preliminary selection, in the LDM Photography Exhibit.
This club will provide students with an idea of the role of sports in contemporary Italian society. The goal of this club is to introduce our students to the local sporting environment and culture with information about upcoming events and competitions regarding the most important disciplines and the most representative sporting clubs in town, and through sporting events for students arranged by LdM.
This club will try to help students to discover, understand and experience an important and sometimes misunderstood aspect of the Italian everyday life and culture: the art of drinking. This "art" will be shown from a critical and responsible prospective, through an historical and technical explanation about the meaning of wine in Mediterranean culture, and through tasting experience.
Note: If you are interested in summer study abroad in Florence, see the list of summer program options.
Housing
Housing is not included in the Program cost. Students have three housing options:
Option 1: Residence La Contessina
Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the Residence is divided into 20 nice small apartments.
The Residence is located in the heart of the San Lorenzo district, near the train station, 600 metres from the “Duomo” and two minutes walking distance from the Lorenzo de’ Medici’ main building.
PLEASE NOTE: all 20 apartments are the same size and are held to the same standard and they are suitable for two or three students.
The Residence consists of: 20 apartments, Bar/cafeteria, meeting room, reception service and courtyard.
Residence Description:
Residence La Contessina is a facility that offers its clients hotel-style living accommodations and services.
- There is a cleaning service once a week.
- All the apartments are fully furnished and provided with: a kitchen, towels, bed linens, blankets, air conditioning/heating, 2 colour TV, 2 phone lines with internet connection, a safe and a hair-drier.
*We recommend this option to those students interested in being provided with specific services.
The cost in EURO per person is:
- room for 2 people: Euro 4,860
- room for 3 people: Euro 3,456
*Above costs are based on the Spring 2008 semester.
Option 2: Single or Double Bedroom in a Student Apartment
LdM is pleased to facilitate students in making their housing arrangements for a spot in a student apartment. Most apartments have two or three bedrooms. A very limited number have only one bedroom, and some may have more than three bedrooms.
- 4 to 6 (or more) students generally share an apartment.
- In a double bedroom two students share the bedroom.
- In a single bedroom, the student has his/her own bedroom.
- In all cases students share the apartment with several other students.
Apartment Description:
- Apartments are furnished and equipped with: bed linens, basic pots and pans, kitchen utensils, washing machine and TV.
- Towels are generally not-included in the apartment and we recommend students to bring their own set of towels to Italy with them. Students can bring a few towels (not many) and buy them in Italy.
- The student shared apartments are usually suitable for minimum of 2 to a maximum of 8 persons.
- They are not all located in the same building, but within walking distance from the school facilities.
- Although apartments are of the same standard and have similar facilities, no two apartments are alike.
*For housing arranged by LdM, the housing coordinator in Florence assigns roommates based on the completed housing profile. Students can request to room with a student they already know as long as both students make that request.
The cost per person is:
- Double bedroom: U.S. $ 2,950
- Single bedroom: U.S. $ 3,550
*Above costs are based on the Spring 2008 semester.
Option 3: Independent Housing Arrangement
Students are free to organize their own housing arrangements.
Students who choose the Independent Housing Option and who choose to look for their own apartment may contact the following English speaking real estate agency:
Florence & Abroad
Via San Zanobi 58
50129 Firenze – Italy
Phone: + 39 055 48 70 04
Fax: + 39 055 49 01 43
Web-site: www.florenceandabroad.com
e-mail: fa@florenceandabroad.com
Alumni Feedback
“I gained a greater perspective of how people in other countries live. I was exposed to so much culture and completely immersed in Italian life. I would highly recommend this program to other students. Florence is a great city with great people, you get the city feeling but it is still small enough to walk everywhere.”
- Alyssa Nocerino
“Study Abroad is an amazing experience. I think every college student should take part in a program. It is truly a pivotal moment in my life. This experience gave me the strength to battle my insecurities about traveling abroad. I met some wonderful people and made several friends while abroad. This experience helped me grow spiritually and intellectually. My advice to future students would be to enter the program with an open mind and have no limitations. Let the program influences your experience and explore as much as possible.”
- Kevin Calisto
