In October 1843, out of concern for William's health, Mrs. Hunt and her five children sailed from New York to Europe, eventually settling in Rome.Catharine Howland Hunt, Unpublished Biography of Richard Morris Hunt (1896–1906), pages 19,20. There, Hunt studied art, but was encouraged by his mother and brother William to pursue architecture.Puritan Boston & Quaker Philadelphia, Edward Digby Baltzell, Published by Transaction Publishers, 1996 In May 1844, Hunt enrolled in Mr. Briquet's boarding school in Geneva, and the following year, while continuing to board with Mr. Briquet, arranged to study with the Geneva architect Samuel Darier.Catharine Howland Hunt, Unpublished Biography of Richard Morris Hunt (1896–1906), pages 23,24.
