Program Reviews

The entire course was wonderful in every aspect. The tutors were kind, caring, and passionate about their fields of knowledge. The friends I made in the course are the most incredible people I've ever met, and I will truly remember my time with AHA forever. I fell so deeply in love with Italy and all of the art we saw! I felt like I was living my dreams, with days spent talking passionately about Italian art, laughing and running free through the cities with new friends, and eating delicious food during dinners with the people that became like my family. This trip holds such a special place in my heart.

I loved my time with AHA. Six weeks of adventure, laughter, and memories I will forever cherish. I was able to experience Italian culture firsthand and learned so much about art history, which I am currently studying at university. It’s an experience that I would highly recommend. The tutors were extremely amiable, supportive, and knowledgeable in their subjects. One tutor even helped take care of me when I was sick, she took me to the store to get medicine. Overall, this program was amazing and I am so grateful I got to be a part of this life changing experience.

10000/10!!!!!! I made friends I am still close with :) we see each other all over the world and update our old chats. Everyone loved what they were teaching and we loved what we were learning which is the best way to experience education. It’s a safe place to experience the world while still having people around us who kept an eye out for us. The down time allowed us to go see more of the city, take a nap, or hang out, which you need when you’re walking like 10 miles a day. Though I couldn’t eat pasta or pizza for a few months after- it is seriously the best thing I did on my gap year (maybe in my teenage years)

AHA holds such a special place in my heart. I went on the Autumn Gap Year Program in 2022. Prior to going I loved art and loved Italy, so i had no doubt i would have a good time but i could have never anticipated quite how memorable and special those 6 weeks would be.

I made friends from all over the world, many of whom i still see regularly and keep in touch with and i learned so much - not just about art but history, music, poetry, literature, philosophy and language. The tutors were incredible and invaluable to the experience. The course completely departed from a school way of teaching, which is exactly what i wanted after finishing my A levels but this by no means hindered how much i learned (if anything the focus on discussion, listing to one another’s opinions and learning to look and learn with your eyes made me learn so much more about Italian culture compared to if i had been in a classroom!).

I really couldn’t say a single best thing about AHA - after all every single day was packed with exciting activities from visiting galleries and museums to exploring the catacombs in Naples and making pasta and rowing down the canals in Venice. But, if I had to choose, some highlights for me were walking up to San Miniato al Monte in Florence and looking over the whole city during sunset, doing the gold leaf workshop in Siena and listening to some of my friends singing in San Marco in Venice with no one else but us there. These are just a couple of standout moments but every day really was special in its own way.

I couldn’t speak higher of AHA and the time I had with them. Almost 2 years later and I have no hesitation in saying it was without a doubt the best 6 weeks of my life!!

My Fall Semester abroad with AHA was nothing short of excellence. It honestly was the best experience I have ever had. The tutors were extremely caring and genuinely wanted to build friendships with the students. The locations of the trip were incredible, and nothing like anything I have ever experienced. Learning about art history in the rich European landscape made the experience even more fruitful. Now that I am studying abroad again, I seek to travel to a lot of the locations I had been previously with AHA, and impressively, remember a lot of the history. Overall, I highly recommend AHA to anyone who is game for an adventure, and looking to make lifelong friendships with people from all over the globe.

Honestly, best 6 weeks of my life. As a person who is absolutely in love with art and Italy this was easily the most exciting and incredible experience I have had the chance to take. This would not have been possible if it weren’t for all of the other amazing students I met, whom I still am friends with, but also the knowledgeable tutors who made this possible. I wish I could go back in time and relive this, therefore I really recommend it to anyone who is thinking about it, I know that if I ever had the chance again I would!

I had such a wonderful experience with AHA, all of the administration felt like friends and not tutors(while they did a wonderful job teaching as well) the environment felt so loving and supportive! I remember one day sitting down at dinner with the entire group and Nick Ross stated that “these would be the friends we would keep for a lifetime”. It was hard to believe at first but I still keep in contact with many of the people I met on this trip. I strongly recommend joining, or atleast thinking about AHA as it was such an amazing experience I will never forget.

I had the best time on art history abroad, i learnt so much about many artists and art pieces and had so much fun learning! I met wonderful people and had an amazing experience overall. The students were all from different country’s so it was so fun to meet so many different people with different life experiences. We also all shared our opinions on art with the tutors and had amazing discussions and debates relating to the art. We saw amazing exhibits and galleries that were always really quiet making the experience peaceful. The tutors also set us the most fun and interesting activities in the art gallery’s that inspired and engaged us with the art.

It’s really hard to put into words just how much this course meant to me.

I had just left school and the last thing I wanted was to be taught like I was back in a classroom, but it never felt like this. The tutors were all young, kind and friendly. Yes they were incredibly knowledgable about the subject but what made them amazing was how engaging and passionate they were. I made some amazing friends many of whom I am still in contact with two years later. It was a mixture of British, American and Australian. Everyone was like minded, kind, funny, curious and wanted to make the most of it. I really believe your experience depends on your attitude to making the most of all the opportunities and just throwing yourself in.

I loved the evenings, all eating together at the most amazing restaurants - I have no regrets that my diet only consisted of pasta, gelato and aperol for six weeks. Some of the best bits included the private tour of the Vatican, trying to learn how to row a gondola, seeing Giotto’s frescoes, a cookery course and a wine tasting. Oh and singing in San Marco in the evening was something I don’t think I will ever forget.

I really am so grateful I got do to this trip and recommend this to anyone who wants to see Italy and make the most of all it has to offer.

I did the fall semester program in 2021. It was without a doubt one of the best choices I’ve ever made. From the very beginning, the group was steeped in such historicity, in some part because of the cities we visited, but more so due to the stellar tutelage we received from the AHA team. Learning never felt like a chore, and they helped me develop an entirely new lens through which to look at the world. The social aspect was even better, and I’ve kept in touch with many in the group. You’re sharing in some of the most beautiful places and memories that most will never have the opportunity to experience, and I can speak for any member of the group when I say that we’d redo it in a heartbeat if given the chance.