Overview | Academics | Cost | Location | Life Abroad | Student Voices
Study and create art in stunning Florence, Italy at Santa Reparata International School of Art (SRISA). Generate ideas for your own creative work and scholarship by immersing yourself in the visual art and culture of Florence.
Over a semester term or four-week summer session you will use the city, once home to Donatello, Leonardo, and Michelangelo, as a source of inspiration for developing your own artistic voice and technical skills while being engaged in contemporary practice.
In addition to hands-on studio arts courses, explore lecture-based courses in art history, Italian history and Italian language. With a population of over 500,000, Florence has been a major center for the arts, literature, and scholarship since the Middle Ages and Renaissance. As a student of art, this is your opportunity to study firsthand some of the world's greatest paintings, sculptures, and architecture.
Not sure where Florence is? See it on a map here.
Florence, which combines some of the world`s 13 greatest artistic treasures with a surrounding countryside of remarkable beauty, is the ideal place for art studies. Surrounded by Tuscan hills and bridging the Arno River, Florence is considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities. It has been a major center for the arts, literature, and scholarship since the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Florence has a center population of around 370,000, but a small-city feel as you can walk across the city's historic center (closed to traffic) in 20 minutes. Those who live in Florence - even for short periods - are exposed to as diverse and exciting array of cultural opportunities as those who live in far larger cities. It contains more great artworks per square foot than any other city in the world. Don’t be surprised if you stumble upon a Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, Giotto, Masaccio, or Botticelli.
In addition to the historic sites, such as the Duomo, unique libraries, and world-renowned museums, like the Uffizi, Florence will entice you daily with its rich offerings of lectures, music, dance, cinema, and theater. Florence will charm you with its parks, fruit and vegetable markets, street fairs, artisan shops, high-fashion, cafes, and trattorias.
Getting to Your Program
You are responsible for arranging your own transportation to Florence but are given guidelines for arrival by SRISA.
Visa
SummerU.S. citizens studying in Italy for the summer session do not need a visa. U.S. citizens must have a passport valid for at least six months beyond the end of the program. If you are not a US citizen, contact your Study Abroad Advisor for guidance.
Semester/Academic YearAn Italian student visa is required for U.S. citizens studying for a semester or academic year. You will receive instructions from IAP on the student visa process. U.S. citizens must have a passport valid for at least six months beyond the end of the program. If you are not a US citizen, contact your Study Abroad Advisor for guidance.
You are advised NOT to leave the U.S. for any international travel up to three months before the program begins as your passport must be turned over to the consulate for visa processing. If you must be out of the country more than a couple of days prior to the program start date, there is no guarantee that the consulate will process the visa in time for your departure.
Orientation
IAP expects you to be an active participant in preparing yourself for your study abroad experience. As a participant on an IAP program, you will receive a pre-departure orientation, either in-person or online. The type and format of this orientation will vary by program and will be provided to you upon acceptance to the program. An onsite orientation will be provided by SRISA.
Housing
You will live in double occupancy rooms in shared apartments near the Santa Reparata International School of Art campus. All rooms are fully furnished and are equipped with a kitchen with a refrigerator and stove, dishes, pots, pans, flatware, and glasses, and a bathroom with a bath and/or shower. You will have access to experienced local staff, computer facilities, and a study area.
Excursions and Activities
An integral part of the programs at Santa Reparata International School of Art are the walking tours, field trips, and visits to local museums, and contemporary art events within Florence and in other destinations in Italy. Many of these events are integrated with individual classes, where instructors will coordinate trips to see special exhibits or museums that are relevant to their course curriculum. The school also keeps an up-to-date listing of the exhibitions, musical, theater, and dance events taking place in Florence.
Insurance
You will be enrolled in the UW System required health insurance through Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) and the cost of the insurance coverage is included in program fees.
On-Site Support
Santa Reparata International School of Art staff.
Handbooks
Use the links below to find out more information on academics, daily life and student impressions for this program.
SRISA Pre-Departure Handbook (Summer - 2012-13)
SRISA Pre-Departure Handbook (Summer - 2012-13)
SRISA Pre-Departure Handbook (Summer - 2012-13)
SRISA Pre-Departure Handbook (Summer - 2012-13)
SRISA Pre-Departure Handbook (Summer - 2012-13)
SRISA Pre-Departure Handbook (Summer - 2012-13)
SRISA Pre-Departure Handbook (Fall - 2013-14)
Returned Student Network
Click
here to see testimonials from students abroad or to contact a returned student.
Student Profiles
Check out student profiles to learn more about their experience abroad.
Andrea Knowles
Student Testimonials
"The painting trip to Florence, Italy was an irreplaceable experience. I was able to take myself out of the comfort of my own culture and respond in terms of artistic expression. What's better than that?"
Santa Reparata International School of Art (SRISA) is an independent non-profit school that provides academic-year and semester studio art programs and summer classes. SRISA was founded in 1970 as the Santa Reparata Graphic Art Centre, providing limited editions for artists, printmaking classes for students, and open-studio workshop privileges for independent printmakers. Beginning in 1971 the Centre began collaborations with various Florence-based American universities providing classes in etching and lithography as part of their academic year programs.
Recommended for UW-Madison art majors in the spring of sophomore year or fall of junior year, the school offers American University-level undergraduate courses in a variety of areas of study, such as photography, drawing, digital printmaking, fashion design (interacting with high fashion in Italy), jewelry, weaving, art history, and Italian language. The curricula and class schedules are based on the American University model and are taught in English, however, the school's students come from many countries and cultural backgrounds. Art majors from the local university are often invited to work alongside SRISA students in a collaborative project space. You can choose from any of the coursework offered by SRISA during the fall and spring semester, and two summer sessions.
During the semester and summer options your coursework will include academic lecture classes and studio classes. Academic lecture classes combine in-class lectures, discussion, and on-site visits and instruction. These classes meet two times a week during a semester, and two hours a day during the summer session. Studio classes are hands on courses with practical lessons, in-class demonstrations and presentations, and when possible, include site visits to exhibits and museums of relevance to your studies. In the semester, studio classes meet two times a week, and four hours a day during the summer session.
Recommended Courses at SRISA:
- Photography (especially, experimental)
- Drawing
- Painting
- 4D
- Contemporary Survey
- Printmaking
- Jewelry and Batik
- Fashion Design
- Art History
In the summer, you may only take one studio arts course per session; the other must be a lecture course. You may enroll in a maximum of three studio arts courses per semester; the remaining will be lecture courses. The Italian language requirement on-site is waived for UW-Madison students.
Affiliate Institution(s)
Santa Reparata International School of Art
Program Web Page(s)
SRISA Academics
Course Equivalents
Use the links below to see a list of courses that students have taken on this program before and the UW equivalents. Note: this list only includes pre-approved courses for your program and may not be an exhaustive list of courses or departments. You will get instructions on the course equivalent process after acceptance.
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