Summer Study Abroad
About Program | Photos | Courses, Costs, & Dates | Contact Info | Info for Accepted Students
> Why NYU in Florence? | Housing & Facilities | Faculty | Excursions | FAQs | Links
Florence, Italy
June 23 - August 3, 2007
Application Deadline: Open
Due to strict Visa deadlines, the application deadline for NYU in Florence is earlier than many programs. The popularity of the program and rolling admissions means that the program may fill before the deadline. Students are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible.
Director of the Program: Stefano Albertini, Director, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimó
Why NYU in Florence?
La Pietra is NYU's center for study abroad in Florence. Donated to the University by Sir Harold Acton, this 15th-century, 57-acre estate is graced by five villas, formal gardens, olive groves, and a priceless art collection. Students experience the splendor of the Italian Renaissance as they are exposed to the cultural wealth of Florence.
The city of Florence serves as an extended classroom. World famous for its piazzas, palaces, churches, and museums, it is also close to the picturesque Tuscan countryside. The program organizes excursions within Florence and to such celebrated cities as Rome, Siena, Verona, Mantua, Ravenna and Arezzo.
Courses include intensive study of Italian in which the city of Florence is part of the learning experience. The program offers a variety of challenging and engaging courses in Italy's fine arts, contemporary culture, cinema, and literature.
Housing & Facilities
Students reside in the newly renovated Villa Natalia. Its facilities are air-conditioned and include a laundry, a cafeteria, a computer lab, a student lounge, and a gym. The greater La Pietra facilities include multimedia-equipped classrooms, a screening room, two computer labs, a reference library, and a second cafeteria with terrace.
Faculty
When selecting faculty we combine the best Italy has to offer with the best to be found in the States — all speak English exquisitely. Below are links to this summer's faculty.
Stefano Albertini
Director, Summer in Florence 2007
Laurea University of Parma; M.A. University of Virginia; Ph.D. Stanford University
This is merely Dr. Albertini's summer title. During the rest of the year he is Director of NYU's Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimó. An important cultural institute for the university and the city of New York, the Casa offers exhibitions, films cycles, concerts, theater and lectures. Prof. Albertini also teaches in the Department of Italian Studies at NYU, in the areas of film, contemporary Italian history and Renaissance Studies. This summer we will offer his wildly popular Cinema and Literature course at La Pietra.
Elena Bellina
Associate Director, Summer in Florence 2007
Laurea University of Bergamo; M.A. Youngstown State University; Ph.D. candidate New York University
A graduate student in New York University's Department of Italian, Ms. Bellina studies autobiographical writing in Italian twentieth century literature and literary theory. She also teaches Italian for NYU. Please contact Ms. Bellina with all your questions regarding Summer in Florence. You may reach her by phone at (212) 998-7590, by fax at (212) 995-4012 or by email at summer.in.florence@nyu.edu.
Valerie McGuire
B.A. Columbia University; Ph.D. candidate New York University
Valerie McGuire is a Ph.D. student in the Italian Studies Department at NYU with research interests in travel narrative and gender studies. After she completed her B.A. in Comparative Literature at Columbia she lived and studied in Rome for three years. She loves to learn and teach languages and speaks five (Spanish, Swedish, Greek, English and Italian), but of all of these, including English, Italian is her favorite. She thinks Italian is the most beautiful-the most musical and expressive.
Mauro Mussolin
Laurea and Ph.D. University Institute of Architecture of Venice
Professor Mussolin is an expert in Medieval and Renaissance Italian Architecture. He has done research on Italian Art History all over Italy as well as at Harvard University. At the moment, he is writing on a book on Michelangelo's work in Florence. In the last five years, he has taught for many American colleges in Tuscany. Besides doing research and teaching, he has published several articles and translated Art History books. He also works as a licensed architect.
Jennifer Newman
B.A. Arizona State University; Ph.D. candidate New York University.
Jennifer Newman is a graduate student at NYU studying Medieval and Renaissance Italian Literature. Her research interests include Dante, Machiavelli, and Renaissance court culture and literature, particularly Baldassare Castiglione's Il libro del Cortegiano. She received bachelor's degrees in Italian and French language and literature from Arizona State University. She teaches Italian at NYU.
Alan Pascuzzi
BA Nazareth College of Rochester; MA Syracuse University, Florence, Italy; Ph. D Washington University; Fulbright Scholar to Florence 1995-96
An art historian and practicing artist, Alan Pascuzzi teaches Renaissance Art History and Renaissance painting and drawing techniques at NYU in Florence as well as other American universities in Florence. Besides lecturing, he also has his own studio inside the historic Palazzo Rucellai of Leon Battista Alberti where he works on private and public commissions in painting and sculpture in a traditional, renaissance style. He has several permanent public works around Florence in fresco, painting and sculpture.
Roberto Scarcella Perino
Laurea/M.A. University of Bologna; Lecturer New York University 
Professor Scarcella Perino has been the recipient of very important honors and awards, including an International Competition for Children's opera and the Musical Analysis International Competition N. Slonimskij. He taught Music Analysis at the Arturo Toscanini Foundation in Parma for many years. He has written operas, music for theater, choir, chamber ensemble, and music for children's productions, and has done orchestrations of numerous works. His music was performed in important venues in Italy (Parma, Teatro Regio; Busseto, Teatro Verdi; Pisa. Teatro Verdi; Messina, Teatro Vittorio Emanuele) and in New York (Weil Hall at the Carnegie Hall, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo', Tarrytown Music-hall, ARDT spring dance concert). He holds degrees in Piano and in Composition. He also studied at Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, at Accademia Petrassi in Milan, and at the Julliard School of Music in New York City.
Anna Piussi
BA New York University, MA/Ph.D Oxford University, St. Anthony's College, RHS General Certificate, West Oxfordshire College, Diploma in Garden Design, Oxford College of Garden Design
Alberto Zambenedetti
Laurea University of Venice Ca' Foscari; M.A. New York University; Ph.D. candidate New York University
Alberto Zambenedetti was born and raised in Venice, Italy. He has a Laurea in Foreign Languages and Literatures from Univeristà degli Studi di Venezia, Ca' Foscari, a Master's degree in Cinema Studies from New York University, and he is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Italian Studies from the same institution.
Excursions
We offer day trips most Fridays and one weekend trip to Rome. The excursions are designed to fit the art history curriculum, beginning with the Roman and Byzantine and concluding with Piero della Francesca. This year we will offer visits to western Tuscany, Umbria, the Adriatic coast and Rome. Our tour of Rome includes the Vatican museums and the archaeological highlights.
Summer 2007 Schedule (subject to adjustment):
- Friday, June 29: trip to Ravenna
- Friday and Saturday, July 6-7: trip to Rome
- Friday and Saturday, July 13-14: Small Cities of the North: Verona and Mantova
- Friday, July 20: Siena
FAQs
How many students attend the program? Is the program exclusively for NYU students?
We'll take 80 students to Villa LaPietra this year. Students from other universities are welcome to apply. Last year 50% of our student body came from outside NYU.
Is the program competitive? Where can I get an application?
The program is very popular and thus admission is competitive. Admission is rolling but applications must be received by March 31st, 2007. To request a bulletin/application you should contact the Office of Summer Sessions at (212) 998-2292, or via email, summer.info@nyu.edu. You may write to Elena Bellina (at summer.in.florence@nyu.edu ) with any questions.
Are the excursions required? Do they cost extra? What about independent travel?
Excursions are included in the program and activities fee, and so they are already paid for by the time you go. Since excursions are designed to fit the curriculum, we make the schedule with the cooperation of professors. Participation is expected. Students frequently travel Italy during the weekend, often using the excursion destination as a starting point. As far as independent traveling goes - we recommend that you maximize your Italian experience by remaining in Italy.
How much spending money do I need? Should I get travelers' checks? Will I be able to use my ATM?
This really depends on the individual, where he/she wants to go, what he/she wants to buy etc. Unfortunately this year the exchange rate is not favorable. Breakfast is included with your housing as is dinner Mon. - Thurs. Students may eat lunch in the Villa Ulivi cafeteria for roughly 5 euro. We recommend about 150 euro per week as a minimum. It's always good to have a little extra when traveling abroad.
You might want to have some traveler's checks, especially for weekend travel. But you can use most ATM cards while in Italy. If you bank with a small bank, you might want to check that your card is Cirrus or NYCE compatible.