While Florence carefully maintains its Renaissance culture and architecture, it is not locked in time, which you will soon discover when you learn Italian here: the city pulses with life from the businessmen who whiz by on Vespas to scurrying students in the university quarter.

Few cities of comparable size can boast such a variety and profusion of high-quality goods. Walking around the city you will find shops selling antiques, jewellery and fashionable clothes as well as typical Florentine crafts. Florence has always been noted for its crafts: hand-made marbled paper, terracotta and decorative glazed ceramics, leather goods, gold and silver jewellery.

Florentine food grows out of a tradition of peasant eating rather than rarefied high cooking. The typically saltless and butter-less Tuscan bread frequently features in Florentine courses, especially in its famous soups. The most famous main course is the bistecca alla fiorentina, a huge steak cooked over hot charcoal and served very rare.

The rich artistic heritage, the numerous cultural events, and beauty of the surroundings make Florence one of the world's most beautiful cities and a unique centre of attraction for visitors from all over the world.

Florence is a unique city where you can practice and learn Italian language and will give you the chance to communicate with local people every day.