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To the Gonzaga-in-Florence student, Italy is much more than a boot-shaped peninsula in the Mediterranean; it is an opportunity of a lifetime.  In 1963, Gonzaga University, a Jesuit institution located in Spokane, Washington, developed a program in Florence, Italy, which was designed to immerse students in both Italian and European life and culture. As private liberal arts college providing a Catholic liberal arts education, Gonzaga University is dedicated to the Jesuit, Catholic, humanistic ideals of educating the mind, body, and spirit to create men and women for others. Gonzaga constantly ranks as one of the best undergraduate universities in the United States, and Gonzaga-in-Florence holds itself to the same standards. With a top 25 ranking undergraduate engineering program in the United States, Gonzaga-in-Florence offers the only engineering program that is taught in English in Florence.



The Gonzaga-in-Florence building, The Mozilo Center, is located in the center of Florence, not far from the Duomo and minutes from Michelangelo’s David in the Galleria dell’Academia. The program offers a broad range of programs and activities that provide an array of services to ensure that each student’s experience in Florence is safe, successful, and full of rich opportunities. Options for engagement in outside-the-classroom learning include internships, cooking classes, community service programs, Toastmasters, English-for-Pasta, entry in Italian athletic tournaments, yoga classes, resume-development classes, and much more.  The Student Life staff assists students experiencing culture shock, homesickness, medical issues, or emergencies.
 

Academics

Gonzaga-in-Florence offers several academic tracks to help students stay synchronized with core and major requirements while studying abroad.  In addition to the tracks, a variety of core requirements are offered.  Visit the Course Offerings page to see the tentative and previous courses offered in Florence along with the Academic Guide.

Courses are taught Monday - Thursday and all are taught in English (with exception of Italian language courses).

Italian Language Requirement
The program does require all participants (with the exception of Engineering track) to take Italian language. Students attending one semester must complete Italian 101. This requirement may be fulfilled prior to or during the time abroad. Students participating for a full academic year must take ITAL 101 and ITAL 102 by the end of their time in Florence. Students who are studying in the summer have no language requirement. 
 

Living In Florence

Students have stated that the homestay option provides the most immersive experience and that if students want to truly learn Italian and the culture of Italy they should apply for the homestay program.  The other housing option is the pensionies,  Italian boarding-style hotels located close to the school. Students will typically have 1-2 roommates. The pensionies are run by Italian staff that provides food, safe living conditions, and support.

Living with a family while in Florence is the best way of having an authentic Italian experience. When living in a homestay, you aren’t disconnected from the rest of the Gonzaga-in-Florence community as most think. Rather, you have a perfect balance of spending time with friends in the program as well as becoming a member of a real Florentine family. This experience really allowed me to immerse myself into the Italian culture in a way that would not be possible without. At the end of the day, I wasn’t coming back to my dorm room; I was coming back to my family who cared about how my day went. I would strongly encourage more people to consider doing homestay, if not for the year, at least for a semester. It will be the most rewarding experience of your European adventure! -GIF Alumni, 2012-13

Costs 

See the following links for a budget breakdown by term: Fall | Spring | Summer | Academic Year