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Syracuse University anthropology major Ella Roerden came to Florence on the Discovery Program, meaning it was her first-ever college semester. She reflects here on her internship teaching English at a local elementary school called Madre Mazzarello in a neighborhood north-east of downtown about a 20-minute walk from SU Florence.

Madre Mazzarello is a private Catholic school formerly run by nuns that is now part of a coalition system. There are separate areas for babies and toddlers, but I spent my time with the students aged 6-9. I went there on Tuesday afternoons for two hours, spending the first seventy minutes in the third-grade classroom, assisting them with their homework. The third grade’s homework day is Tuesday, and the students often have English, Italian, math, and history or geography work. Oftentimes during that period students were not on their best behavior for the teacher present, but I was usually able to help maintain some semblance of order and worked often with kids one-on-one to help keep them on task.

For the last fifty minutes of my Tuesday shift, I joined my site supervisor, the English teacher Chiara, in one of the second-grade classes. We would usually lead the kids through a few pages from the workbook, working through it together on the board. The school’s English curriculum includes a lot of audio and video components, and some craft options to keep the children engaged learning English at such a young age. The second graders were usually pretty well behaved for us and were fun to work with.

On Thursdays, I went to the school for three hours, but it was a bit different than Tuesdays. I arrived at the school in time for the group lunch, with all five classes and the other teachers in the cafeteria, what they call the “canteen.” When I walked in, students would flag me down to sit at their table. Occasionally, they would ask me questions in English, and that happened more and more frequently as the weeks went on. It was really nice to be able to see the kids interact in a less academic setting.

After lunch was recess. The kids would go out to the school yard with some of the teachers, and I joined them. Sometimes kids would invite me to play with them or talk to them or watch them do something, and it was very fun to feel accepted and appreciated by them. After recess, I joined English teacher Chiara in the first-grade class. It was often a bit more challenging, because the first graders are the youngest and there are also two extreme troublemakers in that class, with no teaching assistants other than me.

After the hour in first grade, Chiara and I went to the third grade, which was always the best. Unlike in their homework period on Tuesdays, they behaved really well for Chiara in English lessons. Because they’re the oldest of the kids that I worked with and they’re the ones I spent the most time with, I got to know most of them really well and they spoke the most to me in English. I made strong connections with some of them, which I’m really happy about, and I hope that I’ve been a positive influence on their educational experience.

The third grade specifically has an important mandated English exam at the end of the school year, which is partly why Chiara wanted me to spend the most time with them, to practice with a native English speaker. Chiara and I did some mini lessons about how holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving are celebrated in America. For first and second grade it was mostly coloring, whereas in third grade I was able to explain more and show them some things because they have a higher level of English comprehension.

My birthday fell on a day that I went to the internship, and I let my supervisor know in advance, so when I arrived to the third grade that day, I was greeted with the kids all shouting “happy birthday” and running up to hug me (and then all of them continued saying it to me for the rest of the time I was there), and when I got to the second grade, they all sang the happy birthday song (in English) to me! It was very sweet and made me feel very appreciated. I loved getting to know the kids over the course of the semester, and some of the other teachers too. I was very satisfied with my internship, and I am so glad I did it!

By Jacopo Bertone

In a spirited display of camaraderie and athletic prowess, Syracuse Florence participated in the 34th edition of the Fiorenza School Cup, a calcetto (5-a-side soccer) tournament held at the iconic Lion’s Fountain in the heart of Florence. This annual event brought together students from various U.S. colleges in Florence spending a semester abroad, turning the historical city into a bustling hub of friendly competition.

The Fiorenza School Cup has become a cherished tradition, and this recent edition lived up to its reputation as a thrilling showcase of talent and teamwork. The tournament featured teams from different American colleges in Florence, each eager to claim the coveted cup and, more importantly, forge lasting bonds through the universal language of sports.

The Lion’s Fountain served as the perfect backdrop for the intense yet friendly matches that unfolded throughout the tournament. The atmosphere was electric as teams battled it out on the calcetto field, showcasing not only their skills but also their sportsmanship. The 34th edition of the Fiorenza School Cup embodied the spirit of fair play, fostering an environment where competition was balanced with a sense of community and friendship.

Syracuse Florence fielded a spirited team that demonstrated both skill and enthusiasm. The players engaged in several closely contested matches against their counterparts from other U.S. colleges. The competitive edge was palpable, but what truly stood out was the joy and camaraderie that permeated the event.

“The Fiorenza School Cup is more than just a tournament; it’s a celebration of the bonds we form during our time abroad,” remarked a Syracuse Florence participant. “It’s incredible how sports can bring people together, and this tournament is a testament to the power of shared experiences on and off the field.”

The Fiorenza School Cup not only showcased the athletic talents of the participants but also emphasized the importance of community and cross-cultural friendships. In the end, while the scoreboard reflected victories and defeats, the true triumph was the collective spirit of sportsmanship and the friendships forged on the calcetto field, making the 34th edition of the Fiorenza School Cup a memorable chapter in the shared experiences of students studying abroad in Florence.

Words by Michelle Tarnopolsky. Photos by Graham Warren.

Every once in a while a Syracuse Florence student leaves an indelible mark on staff and faculty alike. Chinese-born Tianyi Zheng is one of those students. Tianyi studied in Florence in Fall 2023 and crowned her semester with a spell-binding art exhibition, “Giligulu,” that even attracted media attention from abroad.

While in Florence, Tianyi wanted to complement her in-class studies with real-world experience, so Internship Coordinator Olimpia Bozza secured an online placement for her with Studio Bianchi architecture firm in Rome. When Tianyi traveled to the Italian capital to meet her hosts in person, they showed her one of their projects in Termini train station. Tianyi’s curiosity about the iron door handles used there transformed into a weeklong workshop during fall break training in a small town in Southern Italy with 80-year-old blacksmith Raffaele Di Prinzio.

That adventure formed the core of Tianyi’s mixed-media show at the Villa Rossa in December, which friends and fellow architecture students Adrienn Virag and Graham Warren helped make possible by serving as curator and graphic designer, respectively. The Limonaia housed 20 sketches exploring ideas that emerged from her classes that semester: Italian with Vittoria Tettamanti, architectural history with Jane Zaloga, archaeology with Stefania Berutti, marketing with Simone Anselmi, and political philosophy with Debora Spini.

The show’s opening on December 4 began with an introduction by Adrienn and Tianyi and concluded with an engrossing public discussion with her professors.

Behind the long stone table in the corner of the garden hung a delightful illustration of the story behind the show.

Intriguing iron land-art sculptures decorated various parts of the garden.

And, finally, an engaging video of Tianyi apprenticing with master blacksmith Raffaele was projected in the ‘teatrino’ of the Villino.

For guests to the show’s opening, Tianyi prepared a pamphlet with a map and an explanation of the title “Giligulu”, the English translation of a Chinese word meaning “the humming of communication, the undertone, words that lose their individual meaning”:

In the largest tree in the Villa Rossa Garden, there is occasionally a group of Common Starlings perching. Their calls sound like “giligulu.” If you try repeating “giligulu” several times, “giligulu, giligulu, giligulu…” you sound just like birdsong. I wonder why they have so many things to say? I grew up in China and attended Syracuse University in the US. Now, here in Florence, in yet another new environment and language, what others say sounds like “giligulu.” This unknown aspect of language has opened up a sensory understanding of the environment. I may not understand the specific “giligulu” of the birds, and perhaps it doesn’t matter what they are saying, but their presence makes me curious and has inspired a series of artworks in the exhibition.

Pamphlet for Tianyi Zheng’s mixed media show Giligulu, December 4, 2023

We are all looking forward to seeing what new magic Tianyi creates from the materials of her experience. See her website for more of her work.

Professor Alessandro Ridolfi, who teaches a class on Dynamics for our engineering students, has collaborated on an exciting plan to reopen a pedestrian tunnel beneath Florence’s Arno River as a researcher with the University of Florence’s Department of Industrial Engineering (UNIFI DIEF), working on an underwater robot used to monitor the flooded tunnel (pictured above).

7.5 million Euros have been earmarked to fund the project, which will bring back to life the old “secret” tunnel below the Pescaia di San Niccolò, a small-scale dam perpendicular to the San Niccolò historical quarter. Nicknamed the “Underground Vasari Corridor” by Tuscan President Eugenio Giani, the 800-ft. Pescaia Tunnel leads from Lungarno della Zecca to Piazza Poggi.

Located 16 feet belowground, the passageway was once used by soldiers and later as part of the city’s aqueduct before being shut down in 1959. It needs to be drained, secured, and waterproofed before it can be reopened to the public and facilitate tourist access to Florence’s Oltrarno artisan district. See this article in Il Reporter newspaper for photos of its current state.

On February 7 four of our students attended Welcome Day 2024 in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s city hall. The event took place in the grandiose Salone dei Cinquecento which is decorated with 16th-century frescoes and Renaissance marble statues. “It was a great event, and I was able to speak to the mayor!” enthused Jean Castilla, who took the photos published here.

The gathering of some 200 American study abroad participants has become an annual tradition in which city officials mark the special relationship between Florence and the United States. As town councilor Elisabetta Meucci told T24 newspaper:

“The relationship with young Americans has long been special for our city, both for our strong ties with the US and because young Americans increasingly believe that studying in Florence is a significant part of their education.”

Indeed, a record 18 thousand American students will be residing temporarily in Florence this year.

Art history professor Jonathan Nelson has co-authored a book that is free to download from here until January 25. Prof. Nelson wrote Risks in Renaissance Art: Production, Purchase and Reception with Harvard economist Richard Zeckhauser, weaving insights from their two disciplines to produce this study. The two also co-wrote The Patron’s Payoff published by Princeton University Press in 2014.

From the publisher’s description:

“Production Risks, for artists, include late and non-payment. … Reception risks arise when art brings shame, not acclaim. … Ignorance afflicts players in the art world who cannot even conjecture important possible outcomes from their actions. … Major losses were common in the Renaissance art world, but these stories were often buried, while successes got proclaimed. This study corrects this rosy record. It recounts dozens of intriguing cases where parties suffered significant losses, and we diagnose the causes. You are encouraged to take a tiny risk: look at this short study presenting a new approach to a well-studied field. Consider the impact of risk on art production in Renaissance Europe and beyond.”

The Syracuse Florence art and architecture departments held another successful exhibit of student work on December 13 in their studios spaces in Piazza Donatello. Kicking off the event was the screening of a documentary following the architecture students on a field trip to the island of Elba. Guests were heard expressing admiration and delight over the skill and talent on display. Students showed work from their classes in painting, drawing, photography, architecture, painting conservation, metalsmithing, and silk screening.

Photographs by Francesco Guazzelli.

On Friday 1 December 2023 the Villa Rossa hosted the 37^th Annual Florence Graduate Symposium in Italian Renaissance Art, where our graduating class of six MA candidates presented the results of their capstone projects.

“The students did an excellent job of showcasing their research, which covered a wide range of topics,” said graduate program coordinator Molly Bourne. “They gave presentations on works of sculpture, painting, and portable textiles for religious and lay communities in Florence, Venice, and northern Italy. We are very proud of our grads, who each made an original contribution to the field.”

In 2024 the Graduate Program in Italian Renaissance Art will be celebrating its 60^th anniversary with events: stay tuned for updates! 

Northwestern econ major Mary Kate Tracy, who is studying at Syracuse Florence this fall, found out about the Firenze Marathon from her friend who is studying in Madrid and came to run the race with her. It was the 39th edition of a classic race that takes place on the last Sunday in November. “It was pretty cold in the morning, but overall pretty ideal running conditions,” says Mary.

She was surprised by how many people were there. In fact, Mary was among some 8000 runners, many who came from abroad for what has become one of the 20 most important marathons in the world.

The flat, entirely asphalted 26-mile course is particularly attractive to participants for all the natural and human-made beauty that surrounds them. “The route was so pretty,” says Mary. “It was so cool to go by all the Florentine monuments.”

It was Mary’s first marathon, and she was very happy with her time of 3 hours and 47 minutes. “I loved it! It was so much fun.”

Syracuse student and Coast Guard member Marisa Ashworth is one of the first four scholarship recipients to attend Syracuse Florence thanks to the generous donation of Daniel D’Aniello. Syracuse University has a long tradition of supporting the US military, as does D’Aniello after whom was named the Institute for Veterans and Military Families on the home campus. In October, Ashworth and her fellow grant recipients attended a special ceremony at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence in which Mayor Dario Nardella gifted the keys of the city to D’Aniello.

Where are you from originally? 

I’m originally from Southern California’s Santa Clarita Valley. 

What led you to join the military? 

I chose to join the U.S. Coast Guard out of a deep-seated desire to serve my country and community.

What did you do and how long did you serve? 

I have proudly served in the Coast Guard for 11 years and plan to continue this commitment. This path reflects my dedication and professional commitment. 

How did that experience affect your life? 

Serving in the Coast Guard has been a transformative journey for me. It has profoundly enhanced my understanding of humanitarian efforts, especially during critical times like the COVID-19 pandemic response. 

Is there a connection between your service and your education? 

My military career has been instrumental in my educational journey, significantly supported by resources and guidance from the Coast Guard and the Syracuse University Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA), and I have to thank the Daniel D’Aniello Foundation. 

What are you studying? 

Cyber Security. In my career, I’ve developed a strong interest in policy and intellectual property regarding technology, with a focus on cybersecurity, which has directed my academic pursuits in this vital field. 

How did your study abroad experience come about?  

My academic journey took an exciting turn when I became a part-time online student at Syracuse University in 2021. The supportive academic environment, along with the OVMA office’s encouragement, led me to be selected for the Daniel D’Aniello Study Abroad Program under the mentorship of Deputy Director Dwayne Anthony Murray. I am forever grateful for this opportunity. 

What are you enjoying the most about your semester in Florence? 

I am professionally immersing myself in Italian culture and daily life. I am benefiting greatly from the unique perspectives of the teaching staff, cultural exposure, language, adaptability, and diverse experiences of my fellow students.