PLEASE NOTE: NYU Summer in Southern Italy and Sicily will NOT run for Summer 2009.

Please check out our list of programs for Summer 2008.

NYU in Southern Italy and Sicily

May 31 - July 12, 2008

Why NYU in Southern Italy and Sicily? | Facilities | Housing | Passports & Visas | Faculty

Director of the Program: Dr. Mahnaz Yousefzadeh, General Studies Program

Why NYU in Southern Italy and Sicily?

NYU in Southern Italy and Sicily offers an exploration of the Mediterranean world on the northern shores of the sea or viewed alternatively in the Italian Souther. This strategic location at the crossroads of diverse cultures (Byzantine, Arabic, Norman, Spanish, Jewish) serves as a backdrop for a study of historical routes and cultural roots that contribute to the continuing geopolitical relevance of this region. The program

The program will begin (May 31-June 21) in the Baroque city of Lecce, dubbed "the Florence of the south," which is located in the sub-peninsula of Salento at the southern tip of the Italian heel, a location that has served for millennia as a passageway between East and West. The pristine Mediterranean beaches on the Ionic and Adriatic seas have long boasted dramatic coastlines and stunning grottos; cyclists, boaters and divers are drawn to this area for archeological ruins, Paleolithic human traces, and prehistoric art. But this location also opens onto important medieval port cities such as Otranto which served as a historic theatre of interaction for between Islam and Christianity. The Salento countryside is home to the pre-Roman Messapian civilization, the Trullo stone dwellings, and the ancient Tarantella Pizzica dance which enjoys a new popularity at Festivals world-wide.

The second half of the program will take place in Syracuse, on the east coast of Sicily (June 21-July 12). This ancient city was acclaimed by Cicero as "the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all." Syracuse has a rich and complex history, including periods of Greek, Roman, Muslim, Byzantine, Norman and Bourbon rule. This is evidenced not only by museums and by archeological sites such as the Greek theater and the Temple of Apollo, but also by the architecture that remains as part of the city today. The program will be based on the Island of Ortigia, the historical center of the city, known for its narrow medieval roads and numerous Baroque and medieval palaces and churches.

Outside of class students will take part in a variety of academic and cultural experiences, including a theatre workshop on the Commedia dell'Arte, a lecture series featuring professors from the University of Salento and the University of Catania, a lesson on Pizzica, the traditional ritual dance of the Salento region, and a hike of the Pilgrim's route in the Salentine Countryside.

Facilities

In Lecce classes are held at the landmark medieval Monastery of Olivetani which houses the University of Lecce's Historical Studies Department. In Sicily classes are held at the University of Catania's Beni Culturali building in Ortigia. Classrooms in Lecce and Sicily are fully equipped with multimedia technology. The classroom locations and settings facilitate student interaction and integration with student life in the host cities.

Housing

In Lecce, students reside at the elegant bed and breakfast Centro Storico, which is located in the baroque center of Lecce. The 17th-century rooms, with high, vaulted ceilings, are newly renovated and are furnished in the style of the epoch. There is a common meeting room, a spectacular roof deck, and a charming dining room. Centro Storico is in the hub of student life in Lecce and enjoys the exciting milieu of many cafes, bookstores, shops, and music bars.

In Sicily, students reside in the centrally located landmark building Residence Alla Giudecca on Syracuse's Island of Ortigia, within walking distance of the beaches and the Bay of Syracuse. The magnificent building in the historical center of Syracuse features stone walls and vaulted ceilings, and the property also houses ancient Hebrew baths used for the ritual of purification dating back to at least 300 AD. All rooms include modern facilities and air conditioning and students will have internet access.

Students may choose to participate in an optional weekend excursion to the Amalfi Coast for an additional cost.

Passports & Visas

Passports

Everyone needs a valid passport for travel overseas and to re-enter the U.S. If you already have a passport and it is due to expire during the Southern Italy & Sicily program, renew it now. Please send us your passport via certified mail or deliver it to our program at the Southern Italy & Sicily Program, 726 Broadway, 639; New York, NY 10003.

If you deliver your passport to the program, please leave it with either the program director or the administrative assistant of the Southern Italy & Sicily Program. Make two copies before sending the original one, keep one for yourself and consider giving a copy to your parent/guardian for security in the event that it is lost or stolen.

International students holding F1 or J1 visas should contact the Office of International Students and Scholars or other appropriate office at their home institution for information regarding F1 or J1 visas.

Visas

Note: All participants in the NYU Southern Italy & Sicily program who plan to continue on to the NYU in Florence program will need a student visa. We will collect your passport and apply for a visa for you. Students NOT planning to continue on to the NYU in Florence program do NOT need a student visa.

Two forms are necessary to obtain the visa: Visa/Passport Information for Florence and the Visa Application Form. These forms are available online in pdf format on the "Info for Accepted Students" page. You must include a $50 visa processing fee together with your passport, visa/passport information form, and visa application that you submit to us.

Faculty

Mahnaz Yousefzadeh,
Ph.D. 2002 (Modern European History), State University of New York in Binghamton

Mahnaz Yousefzadeh teaches courses in history of social and political thought, modern Italy, Mediterranean history, and Middle Eastern Studies at New York University. She completed her dissertation entitled, "The National Festival of Dante: Regional Traditions, Modern Associations, and The Rise of Italian Civil Society," in 2002 at State University of New York at Binghamton. She directs the New York University summer program in Southern Italy and Sicily.

Jennifer Newman

Jennifer Newman is a PhD student at NYU studying Medieval and Renaissance Italian Literature. Her research includes Dante, Machiavelli, and Renaissance course culture and literature, particularly Baldassare Castiglione's Il libro del Cortegiano. She received bachelors degrees in Italian and French language and literature from Arizona State University. She teaches Italian at NYU.

Beatrice Sica

Beatrice Sica received her "laurea" in Modern and Contemporary Italian Literature from the University of Pisa as well as the "diploma" of the Scuola Normale Superiore also in Pisa. She has published various articles in particular on twentieth century Italian literature. She is the editor of Ruggero Jacobbi,L'Italia simbolista, introduzione di Anna Dolfi (Trento: La Finestra, 2003) and Ruggero Jacobbi e la Francia. Poesie e traduzioni, con uno scritto di Andrea Camilleri (Firenze: Societa Editrice Fiorentina, 2004). She is the author of Poesia surrealista italiana (Genova: San Marco Dei Giustiniani, 2007). She has been teaching the Italian language for many years at NYU at all levels.

Carlo Vecce

Prof. Carlo Vecce is Professor of Italian Literature in the Faculty of Languages and Literatures at University of Naples "L'Orientale." His research focuses on Renaissance Literature: tradition of classical texts, history of intellectual workshops in the dawn of Modern Age (printing and manuscript notebooks), visual culture and arts.