In Fall 1982, Duane Blue Spruce left Slocum Hall for a semester with Syracuse Florence as a fourth-year architecture student, living with a nonna on Via del Pallone and forging an unlikely friendship with an Italian teenager that led to a Thanksgiving dinner and a World Cup-era soccer match. Over 40 years later, he returned to Villa Rossa to see how the program and the city have changed, journal in hand from the only time in his life he’s kept one.
It’s rare for our architecture students to live with host families, but you did. What was that like?
My SU roommate, Don Argus (Architecture), and I shared a bedroom in the apartment of a nonna – Signora Luisa Colzi. She lived about a 15-minute walk from Piazza Savonarola. As architecture students, we didn’t spend much time there except to sleep and eat breakfast. I remember that hot water was at a premium, so we were each limited to 1-2 showers per week. We supplemented this by showering on our weekend field trips outside of Florence!
Do you have any funny/interesting/moving stories about adapting to the Italian culture?
This was my first trip abroad. Even as a jaded New Yorker, I was immediately enchanted with Italy’s historic beauty and with the warmth and hospitality of the Italian people. Italy had just won the World Cup so maybe the whole country was in a good mood! My positive encounters with Italians were a strong incentive for me to learn the language as quickly as possible.
After about a month, I was lucky enough to befriend an Italian teenager named Max. He approached me on the street because he wanted to practice his English and talk about the NBA! He played basketball and was over 6’ tall. Max invited me to dinner with his family, and I also attended one of his basketball games. I invited him and his sister, Alessandra, to the SU Thanksgiving party at Piazza Savonarola where they tried things like stuffing and pumpkin pie for the first time. Later, he took me and a couple of other students to a soccer game between Florence and Torino. The match ended in a scoreless tie, but the stadium atmosphere was fantastic, and we got to see two Florentine players, Antognoni and Graziani, from the World Cup team. It was a day when we really felt like locals.
What did you like most about the Syracuse Florence program?
Aside from the gelato and living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, I most enjoyed being able to experience firsthand some of the world’s greatest works of art and architecture. The whole experience was a welcome departure from the isolation and rigors of Slocum Hall and only being able to study these buildings in books or slides. Our curated weekend field trips took us to numerous places outside of Florence that we probably never would have visited on our own. Architecture is best experienced in person and the Florence program gave me that opportunity for 4 months.
How did your study abroad experience affect your life afterwards?
My experience boosted my confidence and my openness to different experiences. My SU campus experience was perhaps a little sheltered. By having to fend for myself in a foreign country at the age of 21, I experienced genuine personal growth.
How does Villa Rossa and Florence compare now to when you were here in 1982?
I kept a journal during my semester in Florence. It is the only time in my life that I have kept a journal. When reading my journal, what stands out is how wonderfully tech-free our lives were! Living phone-free and pre-internet in Florence allowed for a lot of spontaneity, chance encounters, and the freedom to be fully present in the city. Florence today is as beautiful as ever. Of course, there are more tourists now but areas of respite, such as Piazza D’Azeglio, are still as accessible as they were in 1982. Trattoria La Casalinga was a favorite spot in 1982 because it was good and it was cheap. I was glad to see it was still there after 44 years. Still delicious.
In 1982, SU occupied the main floor and the garden of Piazza Savonarola. My architecture studio was in Piazza Donatello. On my recent visit, the staff were very welcoming and let me wander around the facilities. I was most impressed with the upstairs classrooms and the separate library building. The students are very lucky to have these physical resources. Special thanks to Valentina Brocchi for her hospitality in showing me around.