August 19, there were 98 students from Elon on their way to Florence and would be spending the fall semester there. I was so excited to spend a semester in Florence and experience Italy in a way not everyone can. My mind was running a mile a minute with my list of things I wanted to do and see during my study abroad. I had been to Florence before in high school, and we crammed everything into one week, but this was going to be a test of independence and self-discipline, more so than at Elon. This was going to be different.

"Wisdom is knowing how to stay with the difference without wanting to eliminate the difference"

This sentence by Gregory Bateson summarizes in a few words what is one of the fundamental teachings of the study abroad experience proposed by AEF.

The students of the Summer Program arrived in Florence to live a unique experience of personal and professional growth. The city offers the opportunity to immerse oneself in an atmosphere full of inspiration and cultivate one’s passions, it is the ideal place for those who love music and the arts and want to turn this dream into a reality.

After a long winter, the Summer Program blossoms like a flower that has waited a long time to open and wants to show the world all its beauty.

At the end of the Spring Program 2021, the Accademia Europea di Firenze is pleased to present La Notte delle Arti, an evening dedicated to the arts that will see on stage the singers of the AEF Opera Workshop, the dance students of Elon University and the dancers of the Kinesis CDC company. The event is organized in collaboration with the Florence Dance Center.