Formerly located in Vicenza, GIA moved its Italy school to the beautiful city of Florence in October 2005.

GIA Florence gives you the ideal opportunity to immerse yourself in a city renowned for its jewelry culture. In addition to gemology, you can study design at GIA Florence.

Florence is considered the cradle of the Renaissance, where you can experience art in the medieval streets, the craftsmen's workshops, and the Renaissance Palaces. It holds a wealth of monuments and great works of art. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raffaello, Ghiberti, Botticelli, Donatello, Brunelleschi all lived and worked in Florence at some point in their lives.

Florence was recently awarded Travel and Leisure’s “World’s Best City” for the third time. The magazine said Florence’s warm trattorias, chic restaurants and shops, small luxury hotels, and friendly locals make it a top travel destination.

Florence is considered by many to be the design center of Italy. It has been a center of craftsmanship since the Middle Ages, and even today, the city remains famous for its high-quality leather production, goldsmiths, and marbled paper. You can find artisans plying their trade in workshops all over the city. The area around Santa Croce is home to the city's leather-makers, while the Oltrarno is filled with the workshops of local gold and silversmiths. The Ponte Vecchio is home to many elegant jewelry shops. Designer boutiques cluster around the Via de Tornabuoni and Via Calzaiuoli where Versace, Ferragamo, Gucci, Prada, and Valentino all have stores.