Gonzaga-in-Florence, established in 1963, is a junior year or summer program of the USA Jesuit institution from Spokane (Washington).
The City of Florence was chosen because of its tradition as the intellectual and artistic center of both the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It also was the student home of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, patron saint of Gonzaga University.
The new Gonzaga-in-Florence center, sponsored by Angelo and Phyllis Mozilo family, looks onto the Giardino dei Semplici, the sixteenth century garden created by the Medici family.
The newly renovated building includes a 10,000 volume library, a computer center, and a chapel. The renovation plans for the lower level include a music practice room, and art studios.
Designed as a junior year of foreign study, the courses offered at Gonzaga-in-Florence cover a wide range of subjects in the humanities including: art history, drawing, economics, English literature, history, beginning through advanced Italian language, philosophy, political science, sculpture, sociology, and religious studies, as well as business courses in business law, operations management, marketing and finance.
The Gonzaga-in-Florence faculty is composed of professors both from Gonzaga University and from Italian universities in Florence and Bologna.
The city of Florence is host to about 60 U.S. study abroad programs. There are literally thousands of American students (and their visiting families) in the city throughout the year. These programs provide a substantial amount to the local economy. As a result, students and other visitors are very welcome in Florence.
