Introduction 

In many ways, studying abroad is a learning experience. There are so many things to discover and explore, whether it’s navigating the streets of a new city or trying a new food for the first time. As someone who prefers a more interactive and immersive style of learning, I’ve really appreciated CEA CAPA’s approach to academics. While abroad, the entire city of Florence essentially becomes your classroom, and you have the opportunity to visit museums, go out on tastings, and tour family businesses as part of the curriculum. Each activity/excursion is related to the course material and what you’ve been learning in class, which I find helpful. 

I wanted to share a few of my favorite “during-class visits” with you all and explain how they’ve improved my overall study abroad experience. So, without further ado, here are my highlights! 

Hi, I’m Ethan Shahbazian, a student at UMass Amherst! 

Palazzo Gucci (Gucci Garden) 

Towards the beginning of the semester, I went with my Family Business & Entrepreneurship class to the Palazzo Gucci (aka Gucci Garden). Palazzo Gucci is a museum which showcases the generational history and craftsmanship of the world-renowned family brand. 

My professor led us through different sections of the museum and provided us with background on the Gucci brand and their family history. I absolutely loved seeing all of the archival Gucci designs on display, and was especially amazed by the room with shelves upon shelves of Gucci handbags (pictured below). 

A perk of visiting museums with your class is that admission cost is often covered by CEA CAPA! I’d been wanting to visit Palazzo Gucci anyways, so this visit came at the perfect time. Even if you don’t end up going for a class visit, I would definitely recommend visiting Palazzo Gucci if you have some free time! 

Shelves upon shelves of Gucci handbags! 

Scuola del Cuoio 

Another one of my favorite visits was to Scuola del Cuoio with my Fashion Marketing & Merchandising class. Established in 1950, Scuola del Cuoio is a family business that specializes in handmade leather goods, from jackets to handbags. During this visit, we learned about the business’s history, got a glimpse of the leather embossing process, and toured their leather workshop downstairs. Scuola del Cuoio’s impeccable craftsmanship truly makes them stand out as a brand, and I was amazed by the amount of hard work and detail that goes into every single one of their products. 

I’m not too knowledgeable about leather goods production, so it was interesting to learn about their techniques and philosophies as a family business. Also, apparel/accessories production is fascinating to me, and I always enjoy learning something new about the fashion industry. 

Scuola del Cuoio’s workshop. 

Il Papiro 

My visit to Il Papiro with my Family Business & Entrepreneurship class was one of the more interactive visits I’ve gone on, and I loved it! Il Papiro is a family-owned paper/stationery business that specializes in Florentine paper marbling techniques and creates their one-of-a-kind designs in the back of their shop. My class had the chance to use their tools/equipment and follow their marbling method step-by-step. Getting to take part in the business’s creative process was awesome, and it gave me so much more respect for all of the artists and artisans who put so much care and detail into what they do. In the end, our class created a beautiful design to take home! 

These visits are full of perks! We received a discount card following our visit, so I might just need to visit again! 

Museo Ferragamo 

Museo Ferragamo was one of the more recent class visits I’ve gone on, and boy, did I love it! When you first walk into the museum, Ferragamo’s signature red branding is everywhere, which creates an immersive environment right off the bat. We learned a lot of interesting stories about Salvatore Ferragamo and the rise of his career in the luxury footwear industry. There were displays of Ferragamo shoes in every room, and my favorite room displayed Ferragamo shoes made specifically for movie stars/celebrities such as Judy Garland, Madonna, and Katharine Hepburn. Overall, it was such an immersive and informative museum, and the tour guide did an excellent job with walking us through the brand’s history! 

A pair of Ferragamo shoes made for actress Judy Garland. 

Mercato Centrale 

Last but certainly not least, we have the lovely Mercato Centrale. Exploring the Mercato Centrale was such a fun (and tasty) experience! We began with a top-tier prosciutto tasting and compared the flavors of Prosciutto di Parma with Prosciutto di San Daniele. Then, we transitioned into a photo scavenger hunt around the market, taking pictures of produce, cheese, and fish. This got us to explore the market’s vast selection of delicious food and made me feel less intimidated by its overall size. I really enjoyed this visit, as we could taste the very products that we’d been learning about during class! I find that learning about food becomes so much more engaging if you can experience its taste, texture, scent, etc., for yourself! 

Gorgonzola cheeses from Mercato Centrale.