On-site learning
Nearly every course at ISI Florence includes learning experiences beyond the four walls of the classroom. Course field trips are an integral part of academic life at ISI Florence where students have the opportunity to engage in the practical application of their studies.
In many ways, the city of Florence is our classroom. At ISI Florence, you won’t just study the Birth of Venus painting by the great Renaissance master Botticelli from a book, your lectures will take place in front of the actual masterpiece prominently displayed in the nearby Uffizi gallery. You will do more than read about the engineering techniques employed in the construction of the Duomo by the incomparable Brunelleschi, but examine the structure from inside the dome itself.
Local academic trips include all the major museums and monuments of Florence (Uffizi Gallery, Galleria dell’Accademia, Duomo, Palazzo Pitti, Galileo museum – just to name a few), artisan boutiques, studios, and local businesses, and of course the Fortezza da Basso where many important trade shows and conferences take place, such as the Pitti Immagine Uomo and Pitti Filati.
Beyond the city walls, students have the unique possibility to discover traditional wine-making and oil production techniques of the rich Chianti area. Just up the hill is the area of Fiesole, home to an important archaeological site.
Whenever possible, ISI Florence professors exploit to the fullest our prized location in central Italy – through field trips, excursions, guest lecturers, and local on-site learning to neighboring areas of the country and even sometimes to selected cities throughout Europe. For example, many courses on the History and Culture of Food in Italy will have you simply taste balsamic vinegar – you will visit the artisan factory in Modena and discuss the complex process of the maturation of flavors with the producers themselves. Hop on a train and you will find yourself studying the ancient ruins of Pompeii or Rome in person rather than just in a book. Architecture students experience hands-on cities like Milan, Verona, Venice, Padua, Berlin, Paris, and Copenhagen to witness up-close the major “must-see” architectural monuments.
