In the interest of full disclosure, I've taught here on and off since 1990 and know the director as…read morea friend. This is a very different and interesting learning environment. It started as a noncredit workshop for printmaking and over the years has grown to include painting, fashion, design and photography (my field). Classes in the summer usually run a month and there are options for language classes as well. Most of the students are Americans but the staff is mostly Italians and are top notch. The people who run the place are excellent and a great resource to help you make the most of your time in Florence. My university sub-contracts space from SRISA and its an excellent facility as well as having an on site gallery. If your interested in a summer, spring or fall class in the visual arts, this is a terrific place to start looking.

From the owner: Over the past 45 years, Santa Reparata International School of Art (SRISA) has become one of the…read moretop art and design schools in Italy. SRISA offers accredited programs of study including academic year, semester, and summer study abroad; Post-Baccalaureate Certificates; and internships. Courses are taught in the English language. Additionally, SRISA hosts a multitude of Faculty-Led and Customized programs throughout the year.

The Accademia Gallery in Florence offers a focused, more intimate, and ultimately defined by a…read moresingle, overwhelming masterpiece, Michelangelo's David. Founded in the late 18th century as a teaching collection, it evolved into one of Italy's most important art institutions You slowly move through the gallery of Renaissance paintings and plaster models. You curiosity begins to build as you anticipate viewing this famous David. Quite impressive...the statue's size, precision details, and sculpture expertise lives you in awe. The Accademia's smaller size allows for a more intimate experience. It highlights Michelangelo's works as well as adding meaningful context.

You cannot visit Florence without visiting Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's David…read more Though I had a tour guide, I felt like the pace was too slow. It's a great museum, don't get me wrong, but I'd rather beat the crowds to see David, and then take my time strolling through all the other works of art. Seeing 17' of David in person is unreal-- a human made this out of rejected marble. The magnitude of David's height and attention to detail is incredible and the lighting under a skylight highlights every vein and definition of muscle even more so. If you're looking for a deep dive art history lesson, I'd recommend using AI. Note: try to book skip-the-line tickets in advance. If you're unable to, you can try to book through a third party booking system such as Viator, but you'll be paying more.

25th Wedding Anniversary trip alert (European vacation)…read more.. The Uffizi Gallery is housed in a long, elegant structure designed in the 16th century by Giorgio Vasari for the powerful Medici family, the gallery retains an air of purpose and grandeur, its corridors opening toward views of the Arno River and the city's historic skyline. The Uffizi collection is widely considered one of the finest in the world, particularly for Italian Renaissance painting, and includes works by masters such as Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. Iconic paintings like Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera feel both familiar and astonishing when encountered in person. Their scale are beyond belief. The depth and breadth of the gallery is a bit overwhelming, with dozens of rooms and hundreds of masterpieces, creating moments where wonderment converges with a bit of tiredness. What lingers most is the sense of continuity: the Medici legacy encapsulated every wall, and the feeling that one is walking through the very cradle of Renaissance thought. The building itself is stunning...frescoed ceilings, eye-catching statues, and glimpses toward Florence's landmarks. Uffizi Gallery reinforces the idea that art, history, and city are intricately connected. Prepare to take adequate time to view the exhibits

The gallery was so GOOD! They have lots and lots of statues of heads on the corridors and the…read moreexperience was generally a good thing!

I would like to share my opinion about my own experience with this school. I came there several…read moretimes to do sculpture, and this is just a confirmation that the school and teaches are really good and professional! There is always a spirit of art and feeling of inspiration of doing something new and creative! The teachers are attentive and always help you to understand the way you should do the sculpture - in order not to have problems at the end! You have to be attentive to all given advice, especially at the beginning, as if you do something wrong - the sculpture could be destroyed later, as you need not only to empty properly your sculpture before putting it in oven, but also to press quite strongly the clay while doing your sculpture - to avoid air bubbles in clay! Over several years of my studies in this school, I noticed that teaches, and all who work for school are like one, big family! They smile, joke; help the pupils in their studies, treating them with great respect! Many pupils who have passed this course used to return and continue their studies, some, who became professional - just returned as teaches, is not is inspiring enough? The atmosphere in the school is warm, and all became friends, having fun of creating their own sculptures)) I plan to return and do another sculpture there, and now in marble! I strongly recommend this school - to feel yourself free, happy and creative! To gain new experience and develop new skills; to meet new friends in the beautiful art city of Florence!

I did an intensive one month sculpture course there in february 2016. I must say that I have very…read moremixed feelings about the school and would as a whole not recommend it. At face value, it seems professional and with a lot of experienced teachers. However they do not really have a teaching methodology. They just let you work on the clay and if something needs improvement, the teacher will often proceed to change it himself. I had to insist in the first week that they let me redo the parts that needed to be redone and that they explain why and how to do it. Now what really disappointed me is the way they handled the sculpture once it was ready to go into the oven. I had to leave by then, but paid the school the 30 Euros so that the sculpture can be put into oven.They then asked me to get in touch with a shipment company CARATELLO in order to have it shipped. First they did not want to put it in the oven claiming it was not properly emptied. I said that at no time before leaving did the teacher tell me this was the case. So then after several weeks they agreed to empty it and put it in the oven. Then however, when i received it, the sculpture was broken into many pieces, so the shipment company was obviously not a good one. I brought this issue to the attention of both the school and the shipment company and have heard nothing from them. In short, I do not think the attitude is professional. A pity really. So if you can find yourself a better school then do!

Don't go there please! Learn from the real ex-student that dropped out on time. You will waste…read moreyour time and money, The master in graphic design program costs 18000 euros and it's definitely not worth the price. I ended up in a hospital because business administration didn't want to give me the correct documents based on the actual schedule students get when the school starts - the actual classes lasts 6,5 months - not 11 months as advertised which was upsetting, Once you pay for the classes, the business administration will start making your life miserable as a student and won't answer any of your questions / concerns. Professor didn't show up for a lesson after 30 minutes and business staff laughed about students waiting. The worst private university on the planet.

Was there for a One Year course in Fashion marketing and Communication, everything went really…read morewell, professor are very skilled and staff is really friendly. I found a job after that and I would go back to IED tomorrow if I could

I studied at this school for a good chunk of time while living in Florence, and your personal…read moreexperience can vary a lot here - mine was not so great. They offer studies in the fine arts and in the Italian language, and I only studied art, so I have no idea how the Italian education was. The school's art 'curriculum' is very misleading, seeing as they actually have none, and a lot of the 'subjects' they supposedly had only exist if you bring it up to the teacher yourself. I think that the only redeeming quality about the school was the very dedicated teacher at the time, who was very knowledgable, pushed his students to do better, and clearly loved art. Two out of three of the people who run the school didn't seem to care very much about the students nor their experience at the school, which is probably why some students were unhappy with the structure of the school if they were studying there long-term. I'm not sure who the main art teacher is right now. This very tiny school is a good option if you want a very simple and basic experience in Florence and in the arts, because you do get a lot of freedom to just study whatever you feel like doing. In that case it's really nice, and a great option for people who want to learn art basics! Also, they'll provide very, very basic art supplies if you need them. However, I would not recommend staying there longer than 3 months at the most -- any more than that would be repetitive and the certificate in the fine arts that they offer doesn't seem to be very official. If you want a long-term study look into another school or even better, a university! So to summarize, good for less than three months of study, and think about what you want for your school experience.