Director’s Welcome
Benvenute e benvenuti.
You’re not just stepping into Florence—you’re stepping into a living chapter of your own making. Yes, there will be art, pasta, wine tasting and sunsets over the Arno. But there will also be conversations that unsettle you, ideas that shift your foundations, unexpected halts and choices that will echo long after this semester ends.
Florence is a bit of a paradox. It may seem small, but it contains multitudes. It wears its Renaissance heart on its sleeve, yet pulses with contemporary urgency. It may lure you with postcard-like settings and gelato, but its true treasures lie off the page, in quiet courtyards, unexpected encounters, and the grit beneath the beauty.
Since 2011, I’ve welcomed students who arrive with suitcases, TikTok driven suggestions on what to do and very long to-do lists—wide-eyed, slightly overwhelmed, often unsure of what they’re looking for. And I’ve watched them leave with sharper questions, deeper thinking, and a quiet sense of determination they didn’t have before. That’s the kind of alchemy we cultivate here.
Syracuse Florence is not a break in your education. It’s a pivot. A stretch. A deep breath that expands your intellectual and emotional lungs. Academic rigor here doesn’t mean rigidity—it means intention. Attention. It means showing up fully, not just in class, but in life. Immersion isn’t something that happens to you; it’s something you choose, daily.
You’ll learn from faculty who will demand your best, from classmates who will challenge your assumptions, and from Florentines who remind you that understanding often begins where words fall short. You will get lost—on cobblestone streets, in conversations, even within yourself—and each detour will be a kind of map.
So let this be your season of radical curiosity. Let Florence complicate you. Let it teach you to see sideways, to listen differently to risk complexity over convenience. Let it become not just a setting, but a co-creator of who you’re becoming.
We are here—present, attentive, and unapologetically invested in your growth.
We are ready. The city is waiting. Are you ready to dive in?
Sasha Perugini
Contact Information
- Location: Villa Rossa RM 22
- Work Phone: +39 055-503-1336
Biography
Professor Sasha Perugini is a trilingual academic leader (Italian, Serbian, English) with over three decades of experience across U.S., Italian, and Australian higher education. She serves as Director of Syracuse University Florence and Director of Global Innovation for Syracuse Abroad. In 2025 she was also appointed Courtesy Faculty at the Whitman School of Management.
Since assuming leadership of Syracuse Florence in 2011, she has modernized the academic and operational architecture of the center, strengthened its civic and cultural partnerships, expanded its visibility, and positioned it as a model for experiential and intercultural learning. She also serves as Syracuse University’s legal representative in Italy.
Her current portfolio in Global Innovation focuses on piloting innovative, non credit bearing learning models, AI-enhanced educational design, executive education for Syracuse Abroad. She pilots scalable programs that connect academic innovation with institutional strategy.
A published author and frequent speaker, Professor Perugini writes on cultural narratives, leadership, and the implications of artificial intelligence for education and society. In 2023 she was awarded the Chancellor’s Fellowship for innovation and cross-cultural leadership. She is also active in advancing women’s leadership and regularly leads seminars on governance, inclusion, and intercultural strategy.