Studying abroad... rome or florence?

I am planning on studying abroad next semester, in the fall of 2009. I am debating on whether or not I should choose Florence or Rome? I will be there for 4 1/2 months.... I just don't know which one would be best.

my pick would definitely be Florence. I just liked it better and it has some seriously awesome countryside to explore close by. Its not such a huge city too. I loved it!

Florence, Florence, Florence. While I love Rome, I ADORE Florence. You can take day or weekend trips to so many places from there. It's an absolutely beautiful city and I guarantee you'll never get tired of it. Enjoy!

I'd pick Florence, but for an entirely different reason. Rome's public universities (yeah, all three of them) are a complete mess. Don't let rankings like ARWU fool you; while a place like La Sapienza has delivered its share of famous scholars, day-to-day management and teaching is of incredibly low quality.

Unless you really just want to have a good time, Florence is the least bad option. But even then, for most programmes (history of arts being one of the few notable exceptions) you'd be better off in a place like Padova, Milan, or Trieste.

[ Edit: Edited on Jan 13, 2009, at 1:03 PM by bentivogli ]

If it is a question of money: Florence is very expensive. It is easily the most expensive city in Italy apart from Venice. For the amount of tourists that flock into the city each year it is relatively small, so many appartment blocks have been converted into hotels. Accomodation is difficult to find and you pay more for everything, from bread and apples to clothing, shoes and writing utensils. I found the price-level in Rome much more student-friendly.

Padova or Milan??? no no no don't! I don't like Milan (though it's beautiful, but...), and, while Padova is very nice, there is absolutely nothing to do, especially at night! Florence and Rome are both wonderful, it's just that Florence is smaller while Rome very big: now it depends on how you would feel better, if you prefer a smaller or a bigger city. both are very lively and interesting.