Accademia del Giglio

Such an excellent experience! I'm from Canada, and I recently completed a three-month curriculum at Accademia del Giglio. The open structure helps you focus on what you want to learn, and I can't say enough good things about the staff - always attentive and polite, making every day enjoyable. The instructors are very patient and give great feedback during the creative process. I'm a painter with a lot of experience and although I usually paint alone, it was so nice to paint alongside others every day - discussing art creation and life as an artist. I attended from November through January and I'd highly recommend this time of year (quiet time for tourism and beautiful holiday displays!). Special thanks to Lorenzo for helping me finally get to the school! - Molto Grazie!

What a great experience! They met us at our hotel and walked us to the studio. Just one instructor for the two of us and a three hour session. Our creations are attached in our photos. What fun!

This has undeniably been one of the best experiences of my life. The atmosphere is phenomenal, and the dedication of the teachers is remarkable. They genuinely help you develop your talent to its maximum potential. I highly recommend this experience to anyone looking to grow.

Accademia del Giglio was one of the best experiences of my European tour. (I attended two, eight week courses) All of my life, my artistic side was pushed down by those around me. I never felt ok letting my artiste out. Appollon my art instructor and the amazing staff there embraced me and were so patient. At the end, I felt so much better about my art. I relearned all I had lost so many years ago and also learned so much more. Thank you AdG for being amazing humans and fantastic art teachers! I cant reccomend this school enough!

The location is great. Stefano was my teacher and he was excellent at understanding and nurturing my artistic thought process. I’d rate him five stars. The school in general, however, is suitable for people who are looking to improve their skills or to dabble into art or learning a new skill, not necessarily to push artistic boundaries and create thought-provoking art to create conversation. For non-contemporary direction - it’s good.

I loved my experience at Accademia del Giglio! Barbara was an incredible instructor - she has a wealth of information and was an amazing resource when we toured the museums. Everyone was so sweet at the Accademia as well! If you're interested in visiting Florence and learning more about the details of the art you're seeing, this is the course for you! It makes the experience so much more meaningful when you have an educated guide who can take you right into the heart of the Renaissance in the most art-rich city in the world!

I attended three days of classes at the Accadamia Del Giglio back in May of 2022. Because of the staff; the director, teachers etc I have returned three times since. I have learned so much from my teacher, Stefano. Not only are they skilled and talented, they are kind and the environment allows for individual growth and personal attention as needed. The student takes a journey into the artistic experience they desire, receiving hands on assistance to expand and appreciate their creative process. I am grateful to have found a place where I can grow my art in a positive, supportive environment. Thank you ADG. See you soon. Laura Mayer, New York, USA

I spend 2 incredible months at Accademia del Giglio! I started at a total basic level and ended not only with a lot of new techniques and skill, but also with a much bigger love for art than I had imagined. It such a cozy, but yet professional atmosphere with room for totally newbies(like me) to professionals with years of experience. I would definitely come back if I have the chance in the future. Thank you SO much and good luck to everyone at Accademia del Giglio!

I studied at this school for a good chunk of time while living in Florence, and your personal experience can vary a lot here - mine was not so great. They offer studies in the fine arts and in the Italian language, and I only studied art, so I have no idea how the Italian education was. The school's art 'curriculum' is very misleading, seeing as they actually have none, and a lot of the 'subjects' they supposedly had only exist if you bring it up to the teacher yourself. I think that the only redeeming quality about the school was the very dedicated teacher at the time, who was very knowledgable, pushed his students to do better, and clearly loved art. Two out of three of the people who run the school didn't seem to care very much about the students nor their experience at the school, which is probably why some students were unhappy with the structure of the school if they were studying there long-term. I'm not sure who the main art teacher is right now. This very tiny school is a good option if you want a very simple and basic experience in Florence and in the arts, because you do get a lot of freedom to just study whatever you feel like doing. In that case it's really nice, and a great option for people who want to learn art basics! Also, they'll provide very, very basic art supplies if you need them. However, I would not recommend staying there longer than 3 months at the most -- any more than that would be repetitive and the certificate in the fine arts that they offer doesn't seem to be very official. If you want a long-term study look into another school or even better, a university! So to summarize, good for less than three months of study, and think about what you want for your school experience.