What city does Lily move to for a summer to focus on art?

Lily moves to San Francisco for a summer to focus on her art.

Before the series begins, Lily Aldrin and Marshall Eriksen have been together for nearly nine years and are engaged. Lily has always dreamed of becoming an artist, but she has largely put that ambition aside while building a life with Marshall. She breaks up with him and leaves New York for San Francisco, hoping to attend an art program and concentrate on her work.

The separation becomes one of the show’s earliest major relationship conflicts. Marshall is devastated, while Lily discovers that pursuing art does not instantly resolve her uncertainty. She eventually returns to New York, but the breakup leaves lasting emotional damage and delays their reconciliation.

A common mix-up is confusing Lily’s San Francisco summer with her later move to Italy. In season 8, Lily considers relocating to Italy with Marshall after accepting a position connected to the Captain’s art collection. San Francisco, however, is the earlier, temporary move she makes specifically to pursue her own artistic goals.