Learning that moves—across landscapes, histories, and lived cultures
At FSFA, field trips are not an add-on to the academic experience; they are one of its essential forms. Each semester unfolds through a rhythm of movement—out of the classroom and into the layered terrain of Florence, Tuscany, and the wider geography of Italy. Learning happens on foot, by train, through conversation, and in direct contact with place.
When we speak of education beyond the classroom, we mean engaging the full cultural body of Italy—from the civic rituals and ruins of Rome to the spatial poetry of Venice, from medieval hill towns to working studios and archaeological sites rarely encountered on standard itineraries.
These excursions are carefully shaped to deepen course content while inviting students into the lived realities of Italian history, art, and daily life.
Our field trips privilege depth over distance. Guided by FSFA professors and local scholars, artisans, and conservators, students gain access to sites, archives, workshops, and collections that reveal how culture is made, preserved, and contested.
These encounters foreground context—how geography, material, labor, and time shape artistic and intellectual traditions.
Field trips are integrated directly into academic courses, forming an extension of studio work, seminars, and research. Additional optional excursions are offered throughout the semester, open to all enrolled students, encouraging interdisciplinary exchange and shared discovery across programs.
What emerges is a balance of rigor and openness: structured learning paired with curiosity, observation, and reflection.
At FSFA, field trips are not about checking landmarks off a list. They are about learning how to read a place—its materials, histories, and silences—and understanding how Italy continues to shape the ways we think, make, and see.