“I’m going to an art school in Italy” you no doubt heard that a few times from your artsy friends, but now it’s your time to pick your uni and maybe that art school in Italy wasn’t that much of a bad idea.

Lucky for you in Italy, we have a huge selection of art schools if you want to study architecture in Italy in english too, ranging from architecture schools in all the major cities, some of the best product design school in all of the world, and a great number of interior design schools in Italy.

Study abroad in Italy is something that many people want to do. In the article Study abroad in italy the complete 2019 guide  you’ll find all that you need to know about ( check our complete list of public universities in Italy)

So, now you’re all ready to hop on the fancy Italian art school train, but you’re still undecided on where to go. The major cities like Florence, Bologna, Venice, Milan and Naples, all have some of the best creative schools in Europe, so you should be looking there, and should be looking on StudentsVille to find your apartment for rent in Italy.

Also, you know about our love for Florence, so just in case go give a look at our Florence Design School list and our more generic university list the Schools in Florence Italy page.

Best design school in Italy

After we looked through a vast number of architecture schools in Italy, best interior design universities in Italy, design colleges in Italy, and the best jewelry design schools in Italy, because if you’re in Italy you can’t leave out all of the beautiful jewelry that the country has to offer. Just think about Florence’s Ponte Vecchio or the amazing jewelry shops in the Brera district of Milan. Jewelry, like fashion and design, is an intricate part of Italian culture, so if this is your passion, you should keep Italy in mind. Anyway, we came to select 6 different schools where you should check out.

Best Art school in Italy

ied

IED

If you’re looking to study design in Italy, IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) is right up your alley. You can find IED in 6 Italian cities: Milan, Florence, Rome, Venice, Turin, and Cagliari. offering a selection of courses such as Design, Fashion, Visual Communication and Management. No doubt considered of the best design schools in Italy

art school in italy polimoda

Polimoda

Polimoda is one the most internationally renowned Italian fashion schools, you can find Polimoda in Florence, and you’d be amazed by the things you can learn in this fashion hub. So if you’re planning on going to Florence keep Polimoda in mind.

Marangoni

Marangoni is another really important fashion school, the main difference with Polimoda is the international success it has, having its HQ in Milan, but a great number of other locations around the world, such as in Paris, London, Shangai, Shenzhen, Mumbai, Miami, and Florence. One of the best jewellery design schools in Italy, and one of the best fashion schools in the world, Istituto Marangoni is no doubt what you need to look into. Interested about studying in Milan? Read our guide.

Accademia delle Belle Arti Florence

Founded in1563 by Cosimo I de’ Medici, the Accademia delle Belle Arti di Firenze, has been home and mentor to a lot of artists, from the likes of Michelangelo to Vasari, from Bronzino to Kauffmann. It’s location today is in the square of San Marco, but this isn’t where you’ll find the David, that is the Accademia Gallery, in Via Ricasoli. Great to study interior design in Florence Italy.

Accademia Italiana

Definitely one of the best interior design schools in Italy, the Accademia Italiana has some of the best programs on offer:  Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Interior and Product Design, Jewellery Design, Photography, and New Media. So whatever you need to study in the Arts they’ve got you covered. Keep in mind you’ll find locations in Florence and in Rome, so the possibilities are endless.

The Florence Institute of Design International

One of the newest addition to the academic world, the Florence Institute of Design International was founded in 2008 and is now 10 years old. In here you can find yourself studying programs such as Interior Design, Graphic Design, Art History, and Architecture. Here would be a great place to study architecture in Italy as an International Student.

The IUAV of Venice

Want to study art in English? One of the best art universities in Northern Italy, founded all the way back in the 1920s when Italy was the hotbed of Futurism, one of the last art trends that came out of the country. At this Art school in Venice, you can find courses that range from architecture to urbanization. Plus, I mean Venice is beautiful so why not give it a shot. Read more about studying in Venice.

26 COMMENTS

  1. Hi, I barely have any money but I wonder how expensive would it be to move out of the US into Italy for a fine art major in an Italian school. I’ve been doing a lot of research but can’t seem to find something affordable or something for specifically fine arts. Got any tips on where I can find this information?

  2. Hi there! Great article, it really helped me to find some information about Italy’s university! I just wanted to ask you if you would know about MA in Fine Art?

  3. hey, great article! I have been looking for a fine art BA in Italy. But I’m scared that they are a bit too old fashioned and more traditional. What are, in your opinion the most “modern” fine art courses in Italy?

    • Hi Maria, your question is very interesting as it addresses one of the main criticalities in Italian Schools of Fine Arts. Please keep reading Studentsville’s blog – We are preparing an in-depth guide about the most contemporary fine art courses in Italy!

    • Most of the best schools for fine arts are the Accademie delle Belle Arti, and probably two of the most important are in Florence and in Milan.

  4. Hi, Great article! I am deciding on where to go atm. What do you think of: “scuola di belle arti brera”, is there any reason it is missing on your list?

    • Not at all, it’s a great art university to attend, plus it’s in one of Milan’s most beautiful districts. The School was founded by Maria Theresa of the Holy Roman Empire in 1776, to democratize art studies. Plus it’s in the Pinacoteca that has some of the best pieces of art in Milan.

  5. Hi there! Great article, it really helped me so thank you!! I wanted to ask you if you would know when the iscriptions open in IUAV??

    • Heya thanks so much! So, I’ve checked out when the inscriptions were open for last year, and they go from mid-June to mid-August. But with the whole situation that is going on atm, I couldn’t find any info for next year. But I’m sure it’s always going to be in that range period.

  6. YOU ARE THE BEST!! that’s exactly all I needed to know. I know what I’m about to ask doesn’t fit your article but do you know any other art university that suits me? in my country (Iran) system doesn’t work as Europe and no one can help me to choose a fit uni & I’m basically helpless. I understand if you can’t (or don’t want to) but you seem sweet so I’m just shooting my shot.

    • Hey, no worries at all! I’d love to help you out, I’m just going to need a bit more info on what unis you’re looking for. Cause Italy has a lot of different art Unis that specialize in a variety of fields. So, let me know what you’re looking for and I’ll make a new post with some in-depth research. That cool?

      • I literally dk how to appreciate u enough!!i study my senior year at an art school & hoping to apply for italys unis for bachelor degree.Although i’d love to study painting, photography & viduals but my #1 is design(like the programs in “Rome university of fine arts” or “accademia di belle arti di Firenze” uni)well the problem is I rlly need the scholarship to survive,i cant find a Valid source for list of unis that do this kind of scholarships so i need your help in there.also i dont want to miss out for deadlines so if you can help me in anyway possible lemme know!

          • Thanks for trying!!Rufa scholarship is cool but i can speak italian so my choices arent limit to eng language programs & also in this scholarship the Competition is intense(just like 4 winners there is a weak chance),dsu seems a lil more heart-warming to rely on tho.

  7. great information. I was hoping all of these universities support the “DSU” scholarship. If you have any information about this I will appreciate if you drop it.

    • Just to be clear we’re talking about the “Diritto allo Studio Universitario” scholarship, right? If so I’ve found that IED, the Accademia delle Belle Arti di Firenze, Accademia Italiana Arte Moda e Design all do. After some research, I’ve also found that Polimoda did in 2017, but I am not sure if they do anymore. Hope this is the info you were looking for, if not let me know and see what I can do.

    • Dear admin,

      Thank you for the information. I searched almost all the “Accademia Italiana Arte Moda e Design” website but I did’nt find any information about DSU :(. Am I mistaken? I really hope there is something like DSU there

    • That’s a great idea! I’ve got to say both places are really nice to live in. It depends on what you’re looking for Florence has a small city center and once you get into the city’s vibe you’ll feel at home. While Milan is the most metropolitan city in Italy, you get a good mix of the Italian lifestyle, with the excitement that an international city brings. But both cities have great fashion courses that accept international talent. So you should definitely come over!
      Anyway, here’s a link to our Florence and Milan tags so you can read some stuff on both cities. I’ll also pop in two lists on where to find some of the best vintage spots in Milan and in Florence, if you’re looking some inspiration pieces once you pick where you want to study.

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