6-week Gap Year Course in Italy | Art History Abroad

I adored everything about this trip! I took an art history class my last semester of high school and fell in love with the subject so I knew I wanted to do something related to it during my gap year and I found Art History Abroad. Before I went on the trip I was mostly worried because I knew I was one of two or three Americans in a group of mostly English students and English tutors, but once I met everybody and we spent time together it absolutely didn't make a difference and actually made it a lot more fun that we were from different places. Plus, now I have friends to visit in London! The tutors were super knowledgeable and since I wasn't doing the program for credit it was a great way to learn more about this subject I'm interested in without the stress or pressure of an actual classroom. Aside from our morning and afternoon sessions we were pretty much free to roam, which was one of my favorite parts of the setup of the program. With so much free time we really got a chance to get to know the cities and towns we were staying in, trying lots of restaurants, finding the best hidden spots, and meeting locals. As horribly cliché as it sounds, I truly made some friends and memories that will last me a lifetime. I would highly highly recommend this trip to anyone, and especially any Americans out there, it was such a great experience!

I have never studied art history as a subject, however there was never a boring moment throughout my time in Italy. The tutors are passionate, thoughtful, knowledgeable, engaging and want nothing more than for you to learn!
I joined AHA for the 6 week course in January to February and I can honestly say I was amazed. If you have an interest in people, places, art, architecture, history, food, wine, travel, you will find this course fantastic.
I fell in love with every city we visited only to fall in love with the next when we moved on - it's remarkable how many places you may end up visiting that aren't on the schedule!
This experience with AHA was truly inspiring and will stay with me for a very long time.

AHA was an incredible 6 weeks with beyond memorable experiences and with friends I will hopefully have forever. The tutors are fun and interactive really bringing more life to a usual dull classroom where I had previously been learning history of art for the last two years. If anything I would recommend anyone to do it who has any tiny sliver of interest in adventure, travelling, art or just a fun thing to do on your gap year or any time in your life!

Writing a review of any given month is a hard task. Writing a review of an entire month in Italy with Art History abroad is truly gargantuan. The sheer variety of activity from reading Dante in Verona, joining the victorious contrada for their triumphal banquet in Siena to learning how to be a Gondolier in Venice is extraordinary and it would be an easy task to write an extended piece about any of these events.
It was such a pleasure and a privelege to be so immersed in Italian culture lead by tutors whose passion both for Italy and the art we saw was so infectious that I believe anyone no matter how uninterested in art would have enjoyed themselves and profited greatly from the trip.
The organisation was thorough both on an overall level and day to day. Everything was pre booked and there was not a single moment in a month when there was any logistical hiccup, testament both to the tutors on the ground but also clearly a well oiled machine behind the scenes.
If I was pressed to pick a single "favourite" aspect I would have to pick the atmosphere and the camaraderie present in the group. By this I mean the manner in which we as students were encouraged to discuss culture in a way that we do not normally have time nor the inclination to do so. This took place at so many different points and in so many different ways, from being asked to read poetry on our night time gondola ride to simply being challenged in our own presuppositions and perspectives. It is a hard thing to articulate but rather than being teachers and taught we were simply a group revelling in our surroundings and challenging each others perspectives on what we were seeing. I feel priveleged to have been a part.

It is always difficult to convey what an AHA course entails exactly, and what every student will inevitably gain from the trip. Phrases like "study abroad" and "guided tour" simply do not do this magically all-encompassing, fulfilling adventure justice. The impeccable local knowledge of the tutors makes falling into any "tourist traps" highly unlikely. For example, I remember thinking how authentically Italian our experience was when we were welcomed to a big celebratory supper in the street with members of this year's winning Contrada of the Palio in Siena. Learning to row gondolas, paper marbling, wine tasting and going to the opera in the Verona Arena are just a mere handful of examples of the experiences outside of Art History that made my four weeks in Italy with AHA so priceless and unforgettably special.
It was a real privilege to examine all art and architecture in situ. This, combined with such rigorous expertise and infectious enthusiasm of the tutors meant that each day was revelatory and enriching in some way, and the act of learning felt effortless.
Joining a course with AHA is immeasurably valuable and I cannot recommend it enough!

In a heavy rain storm one afternoon in Rome we were rushing back to the hotel and passed the Pantheon, and so decided to take shelter in it. Seeing the rain streaming through the oculus really brought home why geniuses like Brunelleschi were so fascinated with such ambitious Roman engineering. It's original function as something dedicated to 'all Gods' also was evident as it's very much at the mercy of the elements, and this classical harmony seemed almost reverential to the power of Mother Nature and the Gods.

Before starting the course I had never studied art history formally, and I wasn't really sure what to expect from it. I needn't have worried, however, as the tutors were extremely supportive and their passion and enthusiasm allowed my love of art history to grow throughout the course.

The course was a great way of meeting new people and learning about Italian culture. In the evenings, the meals together were a good way of getting to know the other people on the course and they were also just really good fun. The tutors knew of local places off the beaten track with amazing food.

I thoroughly enjoyed the weeks I spent in Italy and would wholeheartedly recommend AHA to anyone with an interest in art history.

I had the most amazing time on the AHA course and would recommend it anyone even if they have never done History of Art before. I hadn't done History of Art before and it wasn't a problem as the tutors are very good at explaining everything as well as keeping it interesting with games and their general enthusiasm bouncing between paintings and sculpture starts to resemble some kind of dance!

Spending 6 weeks with 15 other people also means you get to know them well and hopefully make life long friends ships. The evenings spent in bars and restaurants are great fun and an easy way to break the ice when you don't know anyone else.

Some special moments were the Scrovegni Chapel, a private tour of St. Marks, visiting the underground Etruscan tunnels and visiting a textile factory in Venice. I can't think of a better way to spend 6 weeks.