The Florence program offers a variety of housing options including a homestay with an Italian family, an apartment, community apartment, or student residence hall. Students will indicate their housing preferences 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 nor Community Apartments.
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. The Florence housing office does not consider distance from the varied locations within the historic city center and no changes will be approved for distance. It is not possible to change accommodation type once assigned or after arrival.
Please note that NO overnight guests are allowed in any Syracuse Florence housing. This is both a Syracuse Florence housing rule and an Italian national law. At the national law level, violators are subject to penalties including administrative sanctions (fines). At the Syracuse Florence housing rule infraction level, violators are subject to conduct procedures which could lead to students’ removal from Syracuse Florence Housing.
Living with a host family
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 25-minute walk from the Syracuse Florence Center.
Host family features:
Double or single room with private or shared bathroom
Utilities covered; Wi-Fi; towels and bedding included
Fans provided (Air conditioning is not common in homestay homes)
Wardrobe with hangers or dresser for clothing storage
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
No independent use of kitchen (stove/oven) allowed
Small pantry space and use of microwave (when available)
12 meals weekly (7 breakfasts, 5 dinners)
Monthly bus pass reimbursements
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 (by payment), several outdoor common spaces, as well as Wi-fi service in all areas of the residence. Camplus is a 30-minute walk or a 18-minute commute (combination of public transportation and walking) from the Syracuse Florence Center and a 5 minute walk to the Re Dama residence.
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
On-site laundry facility (washer and dryer use by payment)
Air conditioning/heating provided (limitations on temperature control and duration of use)
Access to small on-site fitness facility
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. Most dietary restrictions can be accommodated.
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 (by payment). The residence is located a 28 minute walk or 20 minute commute (combination of public transportation and walking) 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 (washer and dryer use by payment)
Air conditioning/heating provided (limitations on temperature control and duration of use)
Monthly bus pass reimbursements
Includes weekly meal plan for 7 breakfasts & 5 dinners (Monday-Friday), excluding national holidays. Most dietary restrictions can be accommodated
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 walk from the Syracuse Florence Center.
Apartment features:
Shared double or triple bedroom in 2-to-9-person apartment (average occupancy is 4 students)
Single use bathrooms (one per every four occupants)
Wardrobe with hangers or dresser for clothing storage
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
The Community Apartments are dormitory-style buildings located in downtown Florence. Students living in these locations will be housed in double or triple rooms. Each floor houses approximately 6 to 25 students who will share a communal kitchen/living area and bathrooms. The Community Apartments are located a 18-25-minute walk from the Syracuse Florence Center.
Community Apartment Features (double or triple rooms):
Multiple-occupancy rooms on Co-Ed (mixed-gendered) floors with shared bath (1 single use bathroom per 3 residents)
Wardrobe with hangers or dresser for clothing storage
Desks provided in bedrooms
Access to shared common area kitchen/living room on every floor (kitchenware included)
Wi-Fi and utilities included
Bedding and towels included
Air conditioning/heating 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
Monthly bus pass reimbursements
Note: Food allowance or meal plan is not provided
Please note that within some apartments and community apartments there are very few single rooms available. While students can indicate their preference for a single room within their Housing Form, it is not a guarantee nor is possible to pay extra to receive a single room. Students seeking single room accommodation can choose from other housing options that can accomodate single room requests such as Homestays and Re Dama (one of the Student Residence options).
For questions or concerns about housing prior to arrival, please contact the Syracuse Abroad Office: syrflorence@syr.edu
While abroad if you have any non-maintenance housing matters, please contact the Syracuse Florence Housing Office: flrhousing@syr.edu
For maintenance requests please use the flrmaintenance@syr.edu