In Florence, students can choose between the following housing options: a homestay with an Italian family, an apartment, or student residence hall. Students will indicate preference in one of these options in the Housing Form questionnaire found as a post-acceptance item on their OrangeAbroad student portal.
Architecture students: You are assigned apartment housing by default and may request to live in a homestay on your Housing Form. Homestay assignment may be granted based on availability. Architecture students cannot be housed in either student residence hall.
See Independent Housing Policy below
Students requesting disability-related housing accommodations should indicate this while completing their post-decision questionnaire “Accommodations for Students with Disabilities” due within 10 days of acceptance. View Disability Accommodations Abroad to learn more.
Living with a host family – an authentic Italian experience
While you’re studying in Florence, you may live with a host family. Time and again, Florence alumni say their host family experience was the most valuable part of their time abroad. The combination of formal Italian lessons and home-based language practice with native speakers has proven to be an authentic, effective means of learning a language. Moreover, being part of a family means participating directly in Italian daily life—the best way to gain insights into and integrate fully with a culture.
Syracuse Florence has been working with our host families for years (and decades, in some cases)! Host families are carefully screened by the Florence Housing Office. Staff will use the information from your housing form to match you with a family that is compatible with your needs (dietary, smoking/non-smoking, pet allergies, do/don’t like pets etc.). Your hosts represent all walks of life and professions: large families, retired couples, divorced or single individuals, parents and couples with or without children. Host families are located throughout Florence, with the maximum distance of a host family being a 35-minute commute from the Syracuse Florence Center (by combination of transportation and walking).
Host family features:
- Double or single room with shared bathroom
- Utilities covered; Wi-Fi; towels and bedding included
- Fans provided (Air conditioning is not common in homestay homes)
- Wardrobe or dresser for clothing storage with hangers
- Desk provided in bedroom or another area for study
- One weekly washing machine load for personal items
- Weekly room cleaning and change of towels/bedding
- Small pantry space and use of microwave (when available)
- 12 meals weekly (7 breakfasts, 5 dinners)
- Monthly bus pass reimbursements
Learn more about Homestays on the Syracuse Florence website.
Apartments
Apartments are booked in advance by the Florence Housing Office and assigned to students by using the information from your housing form. All apartments have fully furnished kitchens and bedrooms, and are equipped with basic utilities such as washing machines, kitchen utensils, towels and bedding. Apartments vary in size and have a shared common kitchen area with dining table and additional seating. A separate common living room as students may think of it in the States is less common in Florentine apartments. Apartments are located throughout Florence, with the maximum distance of an apartment being a 35-minute commute from the Syracuse Florence Center (by combination of transportation and walking).
Apartment features:
- Shared bedroom in 2-to-6-person apartment (average occupancy is 4 students)
- Single use bathrooms (one for every four occupants)
- Wardrobe or dresser for clothing storage with hangers
- Desk provided in bedroom or another area for study
- Shared living kitchen (functions as a living or common area, kitchenware is included)
- Utilities covered; Wi-Fi; towels and bedding included
- Washing machine and drying racks within the apartment
- Fans provided (Air conditioning is not common)
- Monthly common area cleaning
- Monthly bus pass reimbursements
- Note: Food allowance or meal plan is not provided for students living in apartments.
Learn more about Apartments on the Syracuse Florence website.
Camplus Residence Hall
Camplus is a residence hall which provides double rooms with an en-suite bathroom, 24 hour reception, shared common areas, study rooms, a communal kitchen, a gym, a recreation room, an in-house restaurant, laundry facilities (token-operated), several outdoor common spaces, as well as Wi-fi service in all areas of the residence. Camplus is a 27-minute walk or a 18-minute commute (combination of public transportation and walking) from the Syracuse Florence Center.
Camplus features (double room):
- Double room with en suite bath and mini fridge
- Wardrobe for clothing storage with hangers
- Desk provided in bedroom for study
- Access to on-site shared kitchen on ground floor (kitchenware not included)
- Shared common and study areas
- Wi-Fi
- Sheets/towels included
- Weekly room cleaning and change sheets/towels
- Air conditioning provided (limitations on temperature control and duration of use)
- Gym access
- Monthly bus pass reimbursements
- Includes a weekly meal plan at the in-house restaurant for 7 breakfasts and 5 dinners (Monday to Friday), excluding national holidays. Dietary restrictions can be accommodated.
Re Dama Residence Hall (single rooms only with en-suite bath):
The Re Dama residence provides single rooms with an en-suite bath, 24 hour reception, shared common areas, study rooms, a communal kitchen on each floor, and laundry facilities (token-operated). The residence is located a 28 minute walk or 20 minute bus ride from the Syracuse Florence Center and a 5 minute walk to the Camplus residence.
Re Dama Features (single room):
- Single room with en suite bath
- Wardrobe for clothing storage with hangers
- Desk provided in bedroom for study
- Access to on-site shared kitchen on each floor (kitchenware not included)
- Shared common and study areas
- Wi-Fi and utilities included
- Sheets/towels included
- Weekly room cleaning and change sheets/towels
- On-site laundry facility (token-operated)
- Monthly bus pass reimbursements
- Includes weekly meal plan for 7 breakfasts & 5 dinners (Monday-Friday), excluding national holidays. Dietary restrictions can be accommodated; breakfast is served at Re Dama, while dinner is served at Camplus Residence Hall. Camplus Residence Hall is a five minute walk from Re Dama.
- Note: Food allowance is not provided; this residence does not have a fitness facility.
Ricasoli Community Apartments (double or triple):
The Ricasoli Community Apartments are two dormitory-style buildings located on the same street. Students living in this location will be housed in double or triple rooms. Each floor houses approximately 6 to 14 students who will share a communal kitchen/living area and bathrooms. Each building has an assigned Resident Assistant (RA) that is available to assist students with housing questions. The Ricasoli apartments are located a 15-minute walk from the Syracuse Florence Center.
Ricasoli Features (double or triple rooms):
- Individual or multiple-occupancy rooms on Co-Ed (mixed-gendered) floors with shared bath (1 bathroom per 3 residents)
- Wardrobe or dresser for clothing storage with hangers
- Access to shared common area kitchen on every floor (kitchenware included)
- Shared common and study areas
- Wi-Fi and utilities included
- Bedding and towels included
- Air conditioning provided (limitations on temperature control and duration of use)
- Weekly room cleaning and change sheets/towels
- Bi-weekly bathroom and common area cleaning
- On-site laundry facility with washers and dryers on ground floor
- Monthly bus pass reimbursements
- Note: Food allowance or meal plan is not provided; this residence does not have a fitness facility.
View the Florence Budget sheet for cost differences by housing option.
Independent Housing Policy
Syracuse University’s policy requires all students to reside in program housing unless they meet specific criteria and are granted a waiver through a petition process. Our independent housing petition process is limited to students who meet one of the following criteria: religious reasons, disability disclosure that cannot be accommodated by program housing, or family member resides in the city of program.
The deadline for submitting the independent housing petition form waiver is May 1 (for fall semester) and October 1 (for spring semester). View Independent Housing Policy for more information.
Please note that while we will try to honor your housing preference, we cannot guarantee that you will be placed in the housing option that you prefer due to space limitations in each of the housing options.