I am going to be studying abroad this coming September for 3 months. I need to decide where I want to go either Rome or Florence. I have classes during the week but then the weekends I am free to travel. So whichever place I do not decide to stay, I can still travel to for a weekend or more. What place will I get the best experience and the best atmosphere to meet the locals and just have a good time while also learning a lot??? Help!

The cities have completely different vibes. I think Rome is like NYC in that it's a big city, fast-paced, gritty and exciting. Florence, IMO, is much smaller, quieter and slower paced. Which appeals to you more?

Two very different cities. Florence may be more "manageable" for a first-time resident, as it is small and compact. Lots of international students there, too, and they all hang out together, so the community aspect is built in for you. Rome, however, is where I would live if I were to choose. Both cities are rich with art, history, architecture, great food, beautiful people -- and life! It's somewhat like choosing between San Francisco and New York, imo.

Thats the thing they both appeal to me. I just don't want to get "lost" in Rome and feel overwelmed. But this is a once in a lifetime expereince so I dont want to pass Rome up.

We've only been to both once but I'll give my two cents. We spent 5 days in Rome. People told us you really have to get out of Rome to see the real Italy. We loved Rome, the people, the food, the history. We spent 4 days in Florence. We met more kids studying abroad than we did locals. Food was great, lots of little quaint towns to visit nearby, not as much to do as in Rome in our opinion. Glad we went to both but even our private guide in Florence talked about the numbers of kids from the US. Depends on what you want. Have fun. Either place would be great. When I was young, being around others who were like me and I could meet friends to travel with would have appealed to me. Now I would be looking for friends from that country to meet.

There was a thread on this exact topic about a year ago.

weiss816, I don't know how old you are, but I think it's good not to think of anything as a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience. (Well, except for a broken leg or a root canal!) Seriously, if you approach this decision with the idea that someday you can live in the other city, it'll be a lot easier for you to decide...and the truth is that someday you CAN live in the other city!

missypie- can you direct me to the thread from last year??

weiss, I don't know the specific thread missypie is referring to, but if you type "Rome study" and "Florence study" into the search box at the top of the Europe forum, you'll get several threads.

Cia weiss, here is the other thread which you might enjoy reading

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

BTW, personally I would chose Florence for your situation although I love Rome.

And of course I meant ciao, lol. Someday I will learn to type and to also use the edit button.

Let us know what your final decision is weiss.

Close your eyes,spin around and toss a coin in the air.Heads or tails,you win!

Hi W,

I would go for Florence.

You can easily visit Siena, Orvieto, Bologna, and VENICE.

>..and just have a good time while also learning a lot?<

The two are usually mutually exclusive.

Enjoy your stay.

LoveItaly is this the link to the thread you meant to post?

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34828143

And LoveItaly, here's the link to the very helpful Robespierre's how to edit a post after posting it:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34933220

If we're taking a vote, I vote for Rome over Florence.

I'm not a big city lover, but there was something about the vibe of Rome that appealed to me.

Florence, though indeed smaller, just didn't appeal to me.

Of course it depends on what you want. For instance, how much to you want to be immersed into the culture? Because Florence will have a more concentrated population of students from abroad. In Rome, the students are more dispersed throughout the city.

From Florence you might be more centrally located to visit more of Italy. You can easily train down to Rome a few times, plus see Tuscany, the Cinque Terre, Venice, Bologna, Pisa, Sienna, the mountains, etc.

What are your housing options? Same in each city? A dorm or an apartment with other students? Residing with an Italian family? Because housing will make a big difference.

Either way, you will have a blast. Our daughter lived in Florence spring semester '06, with a family in their apartment. She traveled all over Italy, and loved it. Even went to Greece for Spring break, and to the Olympics.
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Hi JAGIRL, yes you posted what I intended to..I do not know what went wrong! Thanks for posting the correct thread as I thought it might be of interest to weiss. Thanks also for the other thread!