Venice, Florence & Rome
Group Leader's name: Dorothy McCalla
Requested return date: 5/25/2025
Highlight: Anyone touring from June to November of odd-numbered years can opt during free time to attend the Venice Biennale, one of the world’s most renowned art exhibitions.
🔹 Curated experiences: Every program is intentionally designed to feature guided learning, cultural engagement, and independent exploration experiences to drive global competency development, denoted on each itinerary with a blue diamond. Learn more about these experiences.
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Day 1: Fly overnight to Italy
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Day 2: Venice region
Meet your Field Director at the airportEnjoy dinner in the Venice region
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Day 3: Venice
Learn about glass-blowing in a local craftsman's shop and watch expert craftsmen spin molten-hot wares
Take a guided tour of Venice
With your local expert guide you will see:
- St. Mark's Square, Venice's primary square and center of cultural importance
- St. Mark's Campanile, a 323-foot bell tower
- Grand Canal, Venice's major waterway filled with gondolas
Visit the colorful Venetian island of Burano
Add this in-depth excursion
🔹 Cultural engagement: Gondola ride
Enjoy the ultimate Venetian experience—a gondola ride through the city's famed canals, passing by enchanting waterfront homes and under historic pedestrian bridges.
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Day 4: Venice • Florence
Travel to Florence, the birthplace of the Italian language, opera, and the Renaissance
🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Florence
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Piazza della Signoria, which is lined with classic statues
- Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge where many of Florence’s famed leather and gold artisans still keep shop
- Basilica of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo and others are buried
- Gates of Paradise, bronzed doors that depict scenes from the Old Testament and are considered an icon of the Renaissance
Enjoy dinner in Florence
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Day 5: Florence
Add this in-depth excursion
Pisa
Journey to Pisa on this half-day excursion. Enjoy a guided tour of the city’s Field of Miracles, where you can snap a picture of the 12th-century Leaning Tower, aslant ever since the third floor was built. This is where Galileo was said to have developed his laws of gravity. Also, visit the adjacent cathedral and baptistery, which contain exquisite marble pulpits carved in the Gothic style by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
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Day 6: Florence
Visit the Accademia to admire Michelangelo’s statue of David and explore the winding halls of busts
🔹 Cultural engagement: Visit a bottega, where Italian artisans will share the local heritage and story through their creations
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend a half day exploring Florence on your own
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Day 7: Florence • San Gimignano • Rome
Travel via San Gimignano to Rome
Visit the San Gimignano Duomo and see its UNESCO World Heritage frescoes
Take a self-guided walking tour of Rome
You will see:
- Trevi Fountain, Rome's iconic landmark
- Pantheon, built to honor all the gods of Rome
- Piazza Navona, a lively square lined with restaurants and shops
- Spanish Steps, Europe's widest staircase
Enjoy dinner in Rome
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Day 8: Rome
Take a guided tour of Rome
With your expert local guide you will visit:
- Roman Forum, marking the former heart of the Roman Empire where Julius Caesar gave many of his political speeches
- The Colosseum, the world’s most famous arena used for gladiatorial combat
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend time exploring Rome on your own
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Day 9: Rome
Take a guided tour of Vatican City, the headquarter of the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope
With your expert local guide you will visit:
- Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s breathtaking frescoes
- St. Peter’s Basilica, a site of religious and historical significance over which the Pope presides
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend time exploring Rome on your own
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Day 10: Depart for home
-
Day 1: Fly overnight to Italy
-
Day 2: Venice region
Meet your Field Director at the airportEnjoy dinner in the Venice region
-
Day 3: Venice
Learn about glass-blowing in a local craftsman's shop and watch expert craftsmen spin molten-hot wares
Take a guided tour of Venice
With your local expert guide you will see:
- St. Mark's Square, Venice's primary square and center of cultural importance
- St. Mark's Campanile, a 323-foot bell tower
- Grand Canal, Venice's major waterway filled with gondolas
Visit the colorful Venetian island of Burano
Add this in-depth excursion
🔹 Cultural engagement: Gondola ride
Enjoy the ultimate Venetian experience—a gondola ride through the city's famed canals, passing by enchanting waterfront homes and under historic pedestrian bridges.
-
Day 4: Venice • Florence
Travel to Florence, the birthplace of the Italian language, opera, and the Renaissance
🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Florence
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Piazza della Signoria, which is lined with classic statues
- Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge where many of Florence’s famed leather and gold artisans still keep shop
- Basilica of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo and others are buried
- Gates of Paradise, bronzed doors that depict scenes from the Old Testament and are considered an icon of the Renaissance
Enjoy dinner in Florence
-
Day 5: Florence
Add this in-depth excursion
Pisa
Journey to Pisa on this half-day excursion. Enjoy a guided tour of the city’s Field of Miracles, where you can snap a picture of the 12th-century Leaning Tower, aslant ever since the third floor was built. This is where Galileo was said to have developed his laws of gravity. Also, visit the adjacent cathedral and baptistery, which contain exquisite marble pulpits carved in the Gothic style by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
-
Day 6: Florence
Visit the Accademia to admire Michelangelo’s statue of David and explore the winding halls of busts
🔹 Cultural engagement: Visit a bottega, where Italian artisans will share the local heritage and story through their creations
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend a half day exploring Florence on your own
-
Day 7: Florence • San Gimignano • Rome
Travel via San Gimignano to Rome
Visit the San Gimignano Duomo and see its UNESCO World Heritage frescoes
Take a self-guided walking tour of Rome
You will see:
- Trevi Fountain, Rome's iconic landmark
- Pantheon, built to honor all the gods of Rome
- Piazza Navona, a lively square lined with restaurants and shops
- Spanish Steps, Europe's widest staircase
Enjoy dinner in Rome
-
Day 8: Rome
Take a guided tour of Rome
With your expert local guide you will visit:
- Roman Forum, marking the former heart of the Roman Empire where Julius Caesar gave many of his political speeches
- The Colosseum, the world’s most famous arena used for gladiatorial combat
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend time exploring Rome on your own
-
Day 9: Rome
Take a guided tour of Vatican City, the headquarter of the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope
With your expert local guide you will visit:
- Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s breathtaking frescoes
- St. Peter’s Basilica, a site of religious and historical significance over which the Pope presides
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend time exploring Rome on your own
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Day 10: Depart for home
What's Included
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Transportation
Various modes of transport are tailored to your program. While some transfers are included, others may come at additional cost.
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Accommodations
Safe, comfortable lodging will be waiting for you at your destination.
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Select meals
Enjoy a combination of included meals and the freedom to explore local cuisine on your own.
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End-to-end support
Your dedicated EF team helps secure administrative approval and academic credit, provides enrollment tools, and helps establish your program’s ongoing presence on campus.
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EF Global Learning Toolkit
We offer various tools to help educators facilitate student growth abroad and on campus, including academically enriched travel programs, industry engagement opportunities, global learning resources, and a Global Competencies Assessment tool.
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Guided exploration
Gain insider knowledge and cultural perspective from licensed local guides: natural historians who provide cultural insights to enhance learning moments throughout the program.
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Field Visits
Experience academics in action during engaging visits with relevant organizations, thought leaders, and partners.
Building skills for a global world
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| Â 97% growth in the number of students who were confident navigating unfamiliar places post study abroad.1 | Â 93% of students who studied abroad and entered the workforce were employed within 6 months of graduation, compared to 49% who did not study abroad.2 | Â Students who studied abroad saw 100% greater improvement in GPA.3 |
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*Sources: 1: EF Study Abroad Program Impact 2018; 2: IES Abroad 2015; 3: Georgia Learning Outcomes of Students Studying Abroad Research Initiative 2010Â Â
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