Florence, Italy

June 28 - August 8, 2008

Photos | Quotes

Photos:

Medieval architecture and narrow cobblestone ways make Florence a largely pedestrian city, although you're apt to see even women in high heels and mini-skirts jetting around on motor scooters. One of the wonders of Florence is finding a sign for the world's best gelato in a 12th century stone façade. While the rest of Europe remained feudal, Florence emerged, in the 13th century, as one of Italy's first independent communes. While the different tribes and factions carried on a bloody war for power, the poets of the dolce stilnovo nursed the Italian language with their song. As the birthplace of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio, Tuscany is the cradle of the Italian language. During the Renaissance, Florence was praised as "The New Jerusalem." Florence was the center of Europe's great re-birth; she was home to the Medici, great patrons of Michelangelo, Alberti, and Brunelleschi. In the 16th century Florence inspired the political theory of Machiavelli and the scientific innovation of Galileo. Today Florence stands at the crossroads of time and thought, a monument to the birthplace of modernity.

Photos by Benjamin Stevens, NYU in Florence

Getting to Know Florence

Palazzo della Signoria and of the Arno river.	Santa Maria Novella.
The Duomo and downtown Florence.	The hills from Fiesole.
Class at Piazzale Michelangelo.	Santa Maria Novella's facade detail.
Inside the cloisters of Santa Croce.	Shopping at San Lorenzo open market.
Walking to an onsite class.	Waiting for the bus, downtown Florence.
Visiting Santa Maria Novella Cloister.	Walking downtown Florence.

Student Life at La Pietra

Talking and reading under the olive trees of the garden.	A morning walk to class in the beautiful garden.
Villa Natalia, the dorms, from Villa Ulivi.	Villa Ulivi, the academic center, where classes are held.
Renaissance garden detail surrounding Villa La Pietra.

Trip to Ravenna

Outside San Vitale.	Detail of the famous Byzantine Mosaic portraying Emperor Justinian.
Detail of Mosaics inside San Vitale.

Trip to Rome

Detail of Lacoon in the Vatican Museums.	Detail of Michelangelo's Moses.
Resting in the gardens of Villa Borghese.	Visiting the forum.
Touring the Colloseum.

Trip to Siena

Piazza del Campo and Palazzo Pubblico from the Bell Tower of the Museo del Duomo.	Palazzo Pubblico's facade from Piazza del Campo.
Chianti Shire from the Duomo's Bell Tower.	Duomo from downtown.

Quotes

Student Quotes

"Florence is a spectacular program and being able to study art history and learn the language in Florence itself rather than through a textbook alone was extremely useful. I enjoyed the Italian lifestyle very much and made some great friends. I like how the small group made that possible".

"The academic program made the summer worthwhile. It really was exceptional".

"Prof. McCluer and Campani were wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed the classes - they had an amazing breadth of knowledge of the subjects and were eager and responsive to all the students. I was more comfortable going to them with questions about Florence than any of the NYU staff".

"Prof. McCluer was excellent both as a professor and also as a source of general Florentine information - NYU should provide every student with such information. At the same time, NYU does a great job allowing students to really practice like on our own but with a source of information if necessary. Overall - fantastic program"!

"I have had an amazing time here. My Italian has improved 200%, I have learned so many details about the art, architecture, and history of the city. I love these people and my roommates were amazing girls as well. Thank you again".

"Both my teachers were excellent and enthusiastic to teach every day. They were very fair and curious about their students' ideas and opinions".

"Nicola Gardini was probably one of the most interesting, intelligent & passionate professors I've had thus far at NYU. Definitely exapanded both my knowledge and curiosity of Italian Literature and History".