On April 6, the mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, met with a group of our intermediate and advanced Italian language students to present his new book, La Città Universale (The Universal City), about the role of cities in Europe today. The event, which took place in our aula magna (room 13), felt informal and intimate. After the mayor presented his book, he and the students engaged in a pleasant conversation based on questions they had prepared after reading abstracts of his book in their courses.
The questions focusing on everything from diplomacy and what it takes to run a city like Florence to the mayor’s passion for music, the possibilities offered by a political career, unusual places to visit in this city, and the large American community here.
Afterwards, everyone gathered around the wisteria in the garden to engage with each other further, take some selfies, and continue the informal conversation with great enthusiasm on everyone’s part.
“The Mayor reminded us the role that Florence plays internationally also thanks to its weighty cultural heritage,” said Director Perugini. “It was truly a touching and inspiring experience. Many thanks to our Italian Department for guiding the students in the reading and understanding.”