Professor Francesca Parotti, who teaches Sustainability in Civil and Environmental Systems at Syracuse Florence, has published a chapter in the book Il design nell’era della creativitàartificiale (Design in the Era of Artificial Creativity), edited by Simone Aliprandi and published by Ledizioni.
Her chapter “Gendered Codification: Bug or Feature?” explores the positive and negative relationships between Artificial Intelligence and the gender gap.
A free online version of the book is now available here.
Last summer, Terry Christovich Gay returned to the Villa Rossa with her husband to share with him a place that had a huge impact on her life. She decided to go into law because of the class that she took here with Professor Donald Meiklejohn. She went on to practice in New Orleans for 47 years.
The syllabus for Terry’s Philosophy of Law class including readings from Macchiavelli and Dante
Terry, who has two children, met her Tampa-born lawyer husband in New York. She had a Proustian moment when they walked into Room 13, our Aula Magna, during her tour of the campus. She was reminded of Professor John Clark Adams’ passion for opera, something he transmitted to countless Syracuse Florence students.
During the tour, Terry had a chance to see the Villa Rossa garden for the first time. Back in 1971, Countess Bona Gigliucci still occupied the top floor of the Villa Rossa, and the only outdoor space Syracuse students had access to was the public Piazza Savonarola out front.
Another difference is that students would stay with two different families over their semester in Florence, though Terry would have preferred to remain in just one. “We would take the bus home for lunch!” Back then, lunch was the most important meal of the day, and was always cooked by Italian host mamme.
“Florence has my heart,” Terry sighed wistfully as she walked around her old stomping ground. She said Florence is much the same today as it was when she studied here, except for the presence of so many tourists.
Another lasting impact of the program for Terry were the friendships she solidified. She and her girlfriends all attended Sweet Briar College back home in the States. “The four of us really became good friends in Florence even though we knew each other before. We all adored our time at Syracuse and had great experiences with our host families. We can’t believe it was such a long time ago!”
A particularly bonding experience for the girls was hitchhiking to the Island of Capri.
On the boat to Capri: “We are from left to right: Betsy Perry, Terry Christovich (me) and Deborah Ziegler. Our other Sweet Briar friend, Jane Potts, was taking the picture.”
She and Deborah Ziegler roomed together when they returned to Virginia and continued studying Italian. Like Terry, Deborah’s interest in law was also awakened in Prof. Meiklejohn’s class. “It has been a lot of fun to learn from Terry about her visit to Villa Rossa,” says Deborah. “Our Syracuse semester in Firenze was a pivotal and exceptional part of each of our lives, and it is heartwarming to know that the program is still thriving!”
From a recent Sweet Briar reunion
Terry’s parents also visited her while she was in Florence and Terry found a letter her dad wrote to her afterward.
I hope the Perruzis are all well and know you will give them our best. You are really lucky to have been quartered with such kind and intelligent people and in this regard I would only have to say, somewhat immodestly I fear, that the Perruzis are very lucky themselves!
At the right of being unduly philosophic, I might express a few thoughts about your situation in Florence. You have many great friends whose company I know you will continue to enjoy, and whose companionship in such a pleasant environment will be doubly pleasant to you. But there will also be times when you will be alone; in that loveliest of cities solitude can contribute to a really rewarding experience. Your Mom likes to kid me about my devotion to “tombstone elegies” but she would agree with me that the opportunity to be alone and have time to consider the beauty and artistry of so many things would be a very fulfilling and happy thing.
From the letter Terry’s dad wrote to her while she was in Florence
The newly established Syracuse Florence book club, hosted in the charming Villino Library and led by the delightful British-born April Child, recently had the honor of welcoming a very special guest. Syracuse alumna and acclaimed YA author Charlotte Balogh graced one of their meetings, bringing with her a wave of excitement and inspiration.
Charlotte, whose much-anticipated book Kill the Lax Bro is set to be released next summer by Delacorte Press and Penguin Random House, shared her fascinating journey with the book club members. Over tea and ‘biscuits’, she delved into her experiences breaking into Hollywood writer’s rooms, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and triumphs she faced along the way.
The discussion was not just about her past achievements. Charlotte also gave a sneak peek into her upcoming project, a unique blend of memoir, novel, and fairytale, which she is currently crafting in the serene libraries and bustling coffeeshops of Florence. Her passion for storytelling and her dedication to her craft were evident.
Nor was the gathering a one-sided affair. Charlotte was genuinely curious about the reading habits of the book club members. She engaged them in a lively conversation about how they select their books, their reading preferences, and their use of modern reading apps like Kindle and BookTok.
Book club members Quinn Gonzalez and Lucy Genung with librarian April Child
The meeting was a perfect blend of inspiration and interaction, leaving everyone with a renewed love for literature and a deeper understanding of the writing world. The Syracuse Florence book club, under April Child’s enthusiastic leadership, is a beacon for book lovers, fostering a community of readers and writers who inspire each other.
Photos on our Flickr account by Francesco Guazzelli
On Wednesday, December 11, the Syracuse Florence campus was abuzz with excitement as students, faculty, and guests gathered for the Final Art and Architecture Show. The event showcased the incredible talent and hard work of our students, who have spent the semester creating a diverse array of artistic and architectural pieces.
The exhibition featured a stunning variety of works, from beautiful handmade metal jewelry to intricate architectural sketches. One of the highlights was a wall fresco, crafted using traditional techniques. The creativity and dedication of our students were evident in every piece on display.
This event was also a poignant moment for the Syracuse Florence community as we bid farewell to our beloved restoration professors, Diane Kunzelman and Ezio Buzzegoli. Both have made significant contributions to our program, and their retirement marks the end of an era. Director Sasha Perugini shared heartfelt comments, expressing gratitude for their years of dedication and impact on countless students.
Adding to the evening’s significance, renowned art collector Christian Levitt attended the show, engaging with students and discussing their work before the exhibition opened to the public. His presence was a great honor and provided valuable insights and encouragement to our budding artists.
The turnout was fantastic, with attendees marveling at the brilliant work on display. The atmosphere was filled with pride and celebration, a fitting end to a semester of hard work and creativity. For more photos capturing the essence of the evening, be sure to check out the stunning images taken by our talented staff photographer, Francesco Guazzelli.
We look forward to seeing what our students will create next and wish Diane and Ezio all the best in their retirement. Thank you to everyone who made this event a memorable success!
2024 Florence Graduate Symposium presenters with their faculty members
On December 6, Syracuse Florence hosted the 38th edition of the annual Florence Graduate Symposium in Italian Renaissance Art History. Six art history Master’s candidates presented their individual capstone research projects to a standing-room-only audience in Villa Rossa Room 13 on topics that ranged from the impact of French manuscript illuminations on Simone Martini’s 14th-century frescoes in Assisi to the relationship between time and magic in Salvator Rosa’s early 17th-century depictions of witchcraft.
Florence MA Program alumni assembled with the graduating cohort of 2024
Because 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of Syracuse University’s Florence Graduate Program, we were honored to have a number of special guests with us to celebrate that milestone, including Dr. Behzad Mortazavi, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and Dr. Erika Wilkens, Assistant Provost and Executive Director of Syracuse Abroad. In addition, nearly thirty program alumni attended the event, including program supporters Nicole Squires Marca (’90) and Peter Weller (’01), both of whom traveled from the West coast to be there.
Watch the full event on YouTube
In January 2025 we will welcome a record-breaking new cohort of 12 MA candidates to the Villa Rossa, yet another sign that our prestigious graduate program is alive and well.
Pheonix, Arizona native Puja Pradhan, who is currently studying at Syracuse Florence, recently travelled back to the US to present at a conference in Houston, Texas. The Northwestern biology major tells us about the experience and how it came about.
This past weekend, I had the honor of presenting my research poster at the Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO) conference. This poster is a summary of all the work I’ve been doing in the lab in the past two years. Our lab studies an aggressive brain tumor called glioblastoma and we’re trying to understand the mechanisms behind its radioresistance and recurrence after radiation. My project specifically focuses on understanding what cell subpopulation is primarily responsible for tumor recurrence.
I began working in the lab in 2023 and have been contributing to experiments, research papers, and discussions ever since. My Principal Investigator (PI), a renowned neuropathologist and regular attendee of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) conference, recognized my contributions and invited me to present my work this year!
Last week our students had the pleasure of chatting informally with Lorenzo Zazzeri, who won silver for Italy at the 2020 Summer Olympics and bronze this past summer in Paris.
Lorenzo spoke about the ups and downs of his exciting career as a pro swimmer, as well as his work as a painter and the book he recently published, Laurearsi Campioni (“Graduating as Champions”).
The students in the Italian class of Professor Francesca Bea, who organized the event along with Italian Department Coordinator Loredana Tarini, had this to say about it:
Many of us in that room would have never imagined that we would get the opportunity to be able to meet and talk with an Olympic athlete, especially as part of learning Italian. This is one of the unique experiences of studying abroad and becoming immersed in the culture and achievements of a country. It helped us realize that we could understand more than we thought and the open Q&A helped break the hesitation of having a normal conversation in Italian. Even in a more advanced conversation, practicing using context clues to piece together certain parts of the lecture was highly beneficial. I don’t think we could have gotten a better immersive experience as we got to know about the life of an Italian athlete and how it differs from the US.
Lorenzo Zazzeri with Professor Bea’s students
The students in Antonella Salvia’s advanced language class wrote their comments about Lorenzo’s talk in Italian:
Penso che sia stato generoso da parte di Lorenzo condividere la sua esperienza con noi…Sono rimasto stupito dall’umiltà di Lorenzo. Si presentava come una persona umile e amichevole. Non c’era arroganza o freddezza in lui.
Robert Salvato
La cosa che mi ha colpito durante questo incontro sono stati i commenti di lorenzo sulla salute mentale nello sport. ….Ho imparato che la famiglia e la comunità sono molto importanti nello sport e nella vita. Penso che sia importante avere un’attività diversa da una professione. Per Lorenzo, questa è l’arte.
Alexandra Meier
Alla mia domanda “come gestisci lo stress quando hai una gara”, ha risposto che usa la tecnica della visualizzazione, dove immagini ogni parte della gara che va perfettamente. Voglio provare a utilizzare questa tecnica nella mia vita.
Lucas Catilina-Rebucci
Mi piace come Lorenzo usa l’arte per calmare la mente. Penso che l’equilibrio mentale sia una parte importante del successo nello sport. Lorenzo è un uomo intelligente.
“It’s a dinosaur!” says Syracuse Florence gardener Gelso Sassonia. The city of Florence has officially registered our beloved, centuries-old pino, which has towered over generations of U.S. students from the back of the Villa Rossa Garden, as a monumental tree.
That means, among other things, it is now a crime to damage it, with a fine of up to 100,000 Euro. It also means we cannot make any changes to it with approval from the Florence municipality.
A plaque has now been placed beneath the tree, which reads:
On April 10, 2024, this specimen was designated as a monumental domestic Pinus Pinea – Pino.
Written by Giorgia Sartorio and translated by Michelle Tarnopolsky
Author Giorgia Sartorio on the left in the classroom
On November 14, 2023, my class and I did a cultural exchange activity at Syracuse University in Florence. The American university offers the possibility of spending a semester abroad, and one of the locations offered is Florence. These semesters are intended to prepare students for a world shaped by globalization by attending various courses including one in Italian.
This is how we came to meet students from a completely different reality from ours, one that we were ready to learn about and appreciate, in the same way American students would appreciate ours. The project, which involved an initial division of my class into pairs, involved starting a dialogue between an American student and a couple of us Italian students. The dialogue took place half in English and half in Italian so we could practice the foreign language on both sides and discover the differences between our culture and that of America.
Giorgia with her fellow high school students visiting from Livorno
What made this experience so important to me was the discovery of the various and different points of view with which one can analyze a concept or a habit. The girl with whom I interfaced had a totally different conception of aspects and lifestyles such as the relationship with her parents and the concepts of fun and leisure. Starting from these simple examples, I managed to expand this perspectivism to all fields of my life, even more so when I started studying the philosopher Nietzsche.
Another aspect, which for me was the most important, was the possibility of establishing a conversation with an unknown person who would not judge me. In fact, I have always had a kind of fear in relating to unknown people, even more so in English. This problem, which I call the “fear of making mistakes,” started in my first year of high school, a period of new friendships where the only thing I wanted was to be perfect.
I only managed to overcome this harmful desire in my last year, both because I understood that it was impossible, but also thanks to this project. By establishing a dialogue with a person who, like me, had to learn, she helped me understand how all my paranoia was imaginary: how she did not judge my mistakes, and I did not judge hers. So, I consider this experience essential. Beyond the growth to which it led, it was a pleasant day with my classmates, with whom I lived the most beautiful years of my life.
The paper analyzes how innovations and better land management boost sustainable food production in BRICS countries. It was co-written with Cosimo Magazzino, Muhammad Usman, and Donatella Valente and published in the journal Ecological Indicators, which is part of ScienceDirect, a leading platform of peer-reviewed scholarly literature.
