ItaliaNoles – Issue 3

Original cover “Via Borgo degli Albizi” Created by our FSU Spring 2019 student Grayson Mary Durham

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Pic by ©Giuseppe Mondì

Florida State University Student magazine Issue 03 | SPRING 2019

FSU International Programs – Florence Director Frank Nero Associate Director Lucia Cossari Supervisor Patrick Merle Editors-in-chief Maria Michela Mattei Gaia Pianigiani Amy Gulick Staff Writers

Students FSu Florence Spring 2019 Bethany Baratelli Archer Biggs Kassidy Charles Cole Cumbest Carly Demaio Emalee Hitchcock Sophia Mansbach Celita Summa Olivia Nunes Camillle Obert Julia Regenstreif A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE PROFESSORS Paul Blanchard Amy Gulick Aoife Keogh Lucas Lanci Costanza Menchi Nadia Patrone Gaia Pianigiani A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO THE STUDENTS OF THE HISTORY AND TRADITION OF ITALIAN FASHION HOUSES COURSE FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE FASHION AND FOOD SHOOTING «UN GIORNO A PALAZZO» AND TO THE STUDENT GRAYSON MARY DURHAM FOR THE AMAZING COVER SHE CREATED FOR THIS ISSUE.

Table of

CONTENTS

Cover Story the partnership BETWEEN FSU FLORENCE AND AWA, Advancing Women Artists

P. #25

Stories MessageS from staff MEMBERS & STUDENTS

P. #6

Highlights from SPRING 2019 Photogallery

P. #11

FLOREnCE. THE HISTORY YOU DIDN’T KNOW

P. #14

FLORENCE THROUGH MY EYES

P.#19

OUR STORIES

P. #28

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ISSUE #3 spring 2019

Table of

CONTENTS

ISSUE #3 SPRING 2019

FSU FLORENCE ALUMNi profile Monica oluwek

P. #35

Giving and Gold FSU VOLUNTEERING AND CHARITY ACTIVITIES

P. #37

MY CRAFTSMANSHIP EXPERIENCE REPORTAGE

UN GIORNO A PALAZZO FASHION & FOOD shooting

PARLO ITALIANO! LANGUAGE EXCHANGE

P. #40 P. #43

P. #52

This issue has been made possible thanks to the help, efforts, laughs and collaboration of all the FSU Florence Spring 2019 students, guest speakers, faculty & staff members.

Thanks a lot!!!!!

all photos from the FSU Students or royalty free

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MESSAGES FROM STAFF MEMBERS

Every trip I get to know students better: my favorite part is experiencing students enthusiasm, humor, their idiosyncrasies, their stories- there are always small moments on trips where you get a glimpse into who they are- and you see a part of them that you may not have otherwise sitting behind a desk.

Laura Buonanno Program Coordinator

One of my favorite parts of the semester is the excursions we go on throughout Italy that help us bond with the students outside the classroom. The life experience they gain from this ties in well with teaching Italian and I use language learning to help motivate my students for their lifelong goals and just surviving the trials life presents to us in general. Just watching them change and grow over a few short months is very inspiring to me, and it is a great feeling to see them motivated and mentally prepared to face the world.

Charles Panarella Academic & Program Services Administrator

Always be kind. Always be fair.

Always let reason temper your passions. Always abandon prejudice.

Always Get Up! Always Be Huge!

Frank Nero Director

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I had a lot of beautiful memories from this semester, any occasion which allows me to be more involved with the students is precious to me, as I'm a big opera fan, I really enjoyed accompanying our students to the Barber of Seville opening night at Opera di Firenze.

Rossini's Barber has proven to be one of the greatest masterpiece of comedy within the music.

After two hundred years it still remains unforgettable, and I'm grateful I was fortunate enough to enjoy it with our students.

Vanessa Krummer Financial Assistant

Although I do not have much daily contact with students, I still notice how they change throughout the semester. Each student matures and grows and it is very satisfying to know that we are somehow part of this experience. Study abroad is always a challenge for each student, after all they are living a new continent, language, culture, and reality. It is quite a moving experience from my perspective, and I am happy to be a small part of it.

Tamara Pfeil Financial Coordinator

It’s very difficult for me to respond to this question. There are so many moments, emotions, and situations and every day there is something new. There’s never a day that’s the same as the one before. And even if the semesters sometimes seem to run together, each day is different.

Students change, groups change, stories change, but the students are what I love the best about each semester. I like to see them arrive, watch them grow, explore, and enjoy the opportunities they find at FSU Florence and our beautiful country. I like that I’m able to share special moments and personal stories with them about how they are growing, and even what their doubts and questions are. Most of all, I like to see them be themselves. I feel very lucky to have the possibility, thanks to this job and our staff, to be a part of what, for our students, is a unique and unrepeatable moment in their lives as they grow and become more aware of themselves and the world. My favorite moments throughout the semester are when students simply come to my office and ask me to get a coffee to go and chat about what’s going on in their lives. To take this journey with them, to walk together on this journey beyond geographical boundaries, art, traditions and culture as they abandon their comfort zones, enriches me as much as I hope it enriches them.

Lucia Cossari Associate Director

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The most memorable moment this semester for me was watching our amazing Noles visit the Casa Montedomini and spend time with local elderly Florentines. I was there to photograph these beautiful, heartwarming moments – our students were chatting and joking with these local people, spending quality time with them and sharing chocolates! Our Noles made sure it was a good time, and hammed it up with song and dance routines that made everyone laugh. I am so grateful for our big-hearted Noles, and for our faculty and staff who are encouraging so much generosity towards the local community.

Kathleen Dowling Librarian

My favorite moments of the semester are usually the First Day of Housing when I meet the students, who - until that moment - have been only names on a list.

My best moment so far this semester was when the first student checked in to one of the FSU Residences. Still on the threshold she hugged me and with a cheerful smile told me : WOW ... WE made it!

Yes my dear... WE made it!

Ilaria Mugnaini Housing Coordinator

My best memory of the semester is the orientation day. It’s always exiting to meet the new students the very first day. I can feel in the air their dreams, passion, expectations and curiosity for this new country. And we all are here to transform their dreams into achievements. Thank you all!

Maria Michela Mattei Fashion & Communication Program Liaison

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Messages from the students to staff members What we want you to know about them One of the best things you can do at FSU Florence is have a question that needs to be answered by the staff. Walking into the Administrative office I am always met with excitement and happiness as they all say Ciao and ask how my day is. What starts out as a simple question turns into the highlight of my day. Lucia, Laura, Vanessa, Charlie, and Ilaria are always there to put a smile on your face."

- Sophia Mansbach

"After being coached by Frank for two semesters, and winning our first ever Fiorenza School Cup, it's no wonder that he was awarded Coach of the Year. I have never had a more passionate or inspirational coach in my 12 years of playing soccer.�

-Kory Rautter

"Lucia is one of the faculty members that makes FSU Florence so unique. Her attitude on life, passion, humor and love for coffee make her an iconic embodiment of the Italian woman. Her presence can always be felt in the room for her genuine interactions. I've gotten the chance to get coffee with Lucia and wish I had done it more sooner. And believe it or not, she is FSU's biggest cheerleader. Thank You Lucia!�

-Esther Gregori

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“Laura is always in control of any situation no matter how crazy or chaotic, and she knows just how to calm those who are running around like headless chickens.”

-Archer Biggs

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“Charlie has been not only an amazing teacher, but also one of the most inspirational people. He has motivated and influenced all of his students to strive to be the best they can and to push themselves towards greatness. I’ve never met a teacher that has been more dedicated to his students’ success in and out of the classroom”.

- Jessica Gabriel

“Ms. Michela is one of the most loving teachers I have ever had.

She adores her students, is always available to get coffee outside of class, and is genuinely passionate about each one of her classes”.

-Bethany Baratelli

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Highlights from Spring 2019:

Activities, fieldtrips, fun and much more!

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Calling all FSU Florence Alumni!

We are building an alumni network and online platform-A forum to share our newsletter, FSU Florence updates, post photos and share stories, recipes, and recommendations.

If you’d like to be a part of this network, please send your contact info to

Ip-Florence-info@fsu.edu

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FLORENCE, THE HISTORY YOU DIDN’T KNOW Class : 19th century European history.

Professor aoife keogh

My Everyday Walk through Piazza della Repubblica

By Camille Obert In Florence Piazza della Repubblica stands out for me because I walk through it, usually multiple times, every single day. It stands right down the street from the study center and I always admire the activity going on there. It is one of the main city squares of Florence and was originally the city’s old Roman forum. There used to be a ton of markets, shops, and churches all closely bordering the piazza. Medieval towers, churches, workshops, homes, and buildings were destroyed and later swept away from this area. A new piazza was formed when Florence became the capital of a united Italy in 1865.

Piazza della Repubblica has been booming with activity since the time of the ancient Romans until today. From the temples and basilicas of the classical period to being tranformed in the Middle Ages to the city’s main marketplace, the piazza has always been the heart of Florence. The city’s axes of the cardo maximus (the north and south street) and the decumanus maximus (the east and west street) meet at the famous Column of Abundance. The column dates back to 1431, but today the statue atop it is a copy of the original by Donatello. The Arch of Triumph, the biggest structure in the piazza today, celebrates the unification of Italy and the renovation of the old downtown of the city. It is the main thing you see when gazing at the square. The Piazza della Repubblica is still a gathering point for Florentines and many tourists, and is now home to different cafés and restaurants, hotels, stands selling little goods, and the carousel. Although I didn’t get to see Piazza della Repubblica back in the nineteenth century, I think the changes it underwent were positive.

The Piazza del Mercato Vecchio, today’s Piazza della Repubblica. ©getty images

Camille and her classmates in Piazza Della Repubblica today

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I believe change is essential to modern times and the new restaurants and hotels in place now help Florence serve the many tourists that visit here. It is also a space where street musicians play with the hope of getting a tip, and a place where you can buy paintings, handbags, and other local goods made in Florence.

When I walk home from class at night there is usually a musician playing and it is wonderful to hear the music flood the streets of Florence with its beautiful sound. I also enjoy seeing all the people hanging out there and doing different things. When the sun is setting behind the Arch of Triumph and the rays are poking through, it is a beautiful sight to see. I get to experience it every day.

Not only am I looking at an amazing view, but I am witnessing it in the center of Florence through a historical monument and with a historical lens.

Piazza Della Repubblica today. Cole, one of our FSU Spring 2019 student, on the carousel, located in the middle of the square

Along with the view, something I will never forget is the time my friends and I rode the carousel.

It was so fun and took me back to my days as a kid when I used to do that at fairs. I will never get over the fact that Florence has become my second home, and I get to walk these amazing streets every day while taking in all the beautiful views and historic monuments that you don’t really get to experience back home in the States.

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SOCCER PLAYER ACROSS THE OCEAN

BY COLE CUMBEST

Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, I was exposed to many sports. I played baseball as a young child but transitioned into soccer as all my friends played it. I discovered that I was a natural at the sport because of my passing ability and vision on the field.

Yet it was nothing like what expected me in my year abroad at FSU in Italy. Some days, I would walk down to my nearest park in Florence and play soccer with the Italian children. I speak very little Italian, but somehow I still played and kicked the ball around with them. They were between the ages of five and eight, and were all significantly better than me.

There is no competition when it comes to which sport is predominantly played and loved here in Italy. I constantly see someone playing, watching, or talking about soccer.

Unlike in the United States, soccer has always been a very popular sport throughout all of Europe including Italy.

Since the 19th century, when Italy’s national soccer association was formed, soccer started becoming the most popular and played sport in all of the country. Over four million people play yearly, from small kids to older men and women who have a passion for this sport, and Italy’s men national soccer team has had many successes. It has won the FIFA World Cup Four times, most recently in 2006. Soccer is a tradition that dates back centuries in Europe.

Interesting statistics about the diffusion of European professional Soccer Teams and the growth of football market in the last 10 years

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It was already in 1863 that a group of London-based schools came together and made up a set of rules for the game. From there, 11 schools formed the Football Association (FA) leading to the birth of modern soccer. Eight years later, in 1871, England opened its first competition between various club soccer teams- the FA Cup. Initially, it began as a lower-class sport, but over time it started being played also in English upper-class schools. Football Associations began popping up everywhere throughout the 1800s, and one of the most important teams until today, the Manchester United team, was founded in 1879, also including a kids league.

Unlike in the United States, soccer has long been a very popular sport throughout all of Europe. When I heard that FSU Florence had a study abroad soccer team, I was immediately intrigued.

Nervousness caught the best of my first semester, and I did not try out for the team. But when I attended the first game, I instantly regretted it, because it looked like everyone was having a blast.

I promised myself that the next semester would be different. .

Cole and his teammates ready to play the 28° Fiorenza International School Cup

In January, I was ready to play for a spot on the team. My coach and FSU Florence program’s director, Frank Nero, liked my stills and I was instantly drafted to the team. Practices and games were even more than what I wanted.

Simply running around with my classmates and friends makes playing soccer all worth it, and makes me feel an even deeper connection to the country that hosted me for my year abroad.

Some of our Spring 2019 students, attending a soccer match at the Artemio Franchi Stadium, cheering with joy Fiorentina football club!

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Class: Contemporary Art Scholarship and Practice—An Ekphrasis.

Prof. paul blanchard

Dawn with a Donna

BY Archer Biggs

Carlo Levi aims to showcase the cold, cruel feelings of unrequited love of youth through his piece Young Woman. Through her condescending glare it is made clear the one she glares at is seen as inferior to her and stands no chance of access to her love. The woman represents the embodiment of youthfulness and sexual vigor with her open body pose, showing that she is accessible but not entirely. Carlo Levi’s color palette for the piece primarily consists of the cold colors blue, grey, and navy–even his flesh tones are cooler and more blue in their hue (Batagoda, m. 2018) CARLO LEVI, Young woman, 1934 oil on canvas, Museo del 900, Firenze

This choice of cold colors to depict a young woman draws a clear parallel between the coldness of the environment in which the piece is set as well as the primary subject matter. The only pop of warm color is in the woman’s blonde hair, and even it is drowned out by the blues creeping into the warm yellow. This temperatureoriented depiction of perhaps a cold-hearted young lady is toyed with through Levi’s stylistic brush strokes. He encapsulates the feeling of being in thrall to unrequited and fleeting passion through his expressive and wild strokes, putting to canvas the whirling winds of passion.

The whirlwind of muted emotions in this piece emphasizes the bittersweet feeling of aging, the loss of love with the young lady of youth. Young Woman is more than just a painting of a woman on a mountain top. The symbolism and style indicate a far more passionate depiction of the viewer’s desire-driven need to latch onto the woman who is the embodiment of youth. The eyes, being the clearest aspect of the figure’s gaze, depict an aloof attitude, as if she says, “you have lost me and you will never regain me.” Does it mock the human desire to stay young and live forever? This mistress of youth reminds viewers that nothing is forever, and love, even a love as sexually tense and passionate as that between a man and his youth, will eventually deteriorate like our bodies. The choice of cool colors further emphasize this cruel reality of life. Perhaps Levi softens the blow of reality; instead of using cold, dark blues he softens the mood with murky whites and cool greys, allowing viewers to both mourn and accept the loss of their youth. The brush strokes are the final blow, suggesting the stark difference between youth and attitudes. The elder attitude is that which is more refined, more reigned-in and controlled. Here, in Young Woman, we see that none of that is present; there is no delicate blending or meticulous detail; the fiery winds of passion and sexual energy charge every brushstroke.

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FLORENCE THROUGH MY EYES

Class: research, genre, context.

PROF. AMY GULICK

Returning to my Roots

By Olivia Nunes

Florence is an amazing city full of history and art, which also happen to be two of my favorite things. For me, this has made the city even more inviting. The further into the semester I got the more I felt connected to my Italian heritage. Olivia is an Italian name, so I always feel a little special when locals ask if I’m Italian after introducing myself. Experiencing and learning about Italian culture have been my favorite parts of my time in Florence. Things like going to a bar, which is what Italians call cafes, and ordering an espresso; having longer more intimate meals; and really getting to know the locals are things that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. After spending the last seven months in Florence, it has become a second home to me.

A portrait of Olivia, with the river Arno in the background

Sometimes I feel a stronger connection here than to my home in the states, and I think this is because of my Italian roots.

My time in Florence has influenced me so much that I have decided to minor in Italian and my hope is to come back to Italy after I get my degree and work here as a speech pathologist.

A view of Florence by the Arno river

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EVOLVING IN FLORENCE By carly demaio Since moving to Florence last August my motivation for education has grown, my perspective on social and cultural differences has evolved, my previous aspirations have heightened, and I have developed new passions.

Before I arrived in Florence I had planned to major in Elementary Education, but beyond that I wasn’t sure of my interests. Knowing exactly what you want to do with the rest of your life is difficult for an eighteenyear-old student. The most daunting part, however, is hoping the degree you are putting years of time and effort into is going to stay in line with your life goals.

Throughout my education, I have grown to understand that a teacher’s approach to building a strong foundation for a child’s emotional, social, physical, and mental development is so important. This was fascinating for me, and thus, at the age of fourteen, I took on babysitting gigs and volunteered around my hometown to experience life with children. I will forever be grateful for such experiences. I volunteered weekly at the Casa San Paolino Women’s Shelter in Florence. There, I noticed how the children studied me with as much curiosity as I must have been showing them. I was assigned to care for them after they had been fed. I played tag, cards, board games, and assisted with their homework.

I fell in love with helping them improve in school and it quickly became my mission.

Together we celebrated every achievement, because each of their improved grades was a reward for me. I found both my avocation and my vocation through my work with children. I am enthralled by being able to help educate children, and I hope to continue to improve the lives of children from all cultural backgrounds.

After only a few weeks of living in Florence, I already began to notice small changes in my motivation for education and schooling, as well as a strengthening of my aspiration to one day become a teacher.

Being surrounded by faculty and staff with young children attending school here in Florence, I was compelled to learn more about the elementary school system here compared to schooling back home. This sparked my aspiration to become a teacher, and now I plan to return to my new beloved city and grow as a teacher here.

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Because of my opportunity to volunteer in Florence, I found clarity, realizing there is a more specified path within the field of education after I complete my studies. I have fallen in love with the Italian language and the people I find myself in contact with on a day-today basis. Even the more insignificant differences in my life, such as new cuisine, a wide variety of authentic Tuscan wine, meats, and cheeses, have added to my love for the city I now call my second home---thank you to the program Florida State allowed me to be a part of for the last year.

Being immersed in a new culture opened up my mind to new possibilities for my future.

Luckily, Florida State Florence favors volunteering. Every Tuesday in my Italian class, we would go to the Montedomini Senior Citizen Center to chat, practice our Italian, and do different activities with the seniors. We were given the opportunity to interact with young Italian kids, and of course, I was all for it. I was able to experience what I did at home, but with kids with different ethnicities and backgrounds.

My passion for teaching has hit its peak.

Carly and her friends, FSU students during a creative workshop

I now plan to minor in Italian Studies and work to become fluent in Italian.

With this, and my experience studying abroad, my desire to teach has evolved into a passion to teach English to young students here in Italy after I graduate from FSU.

Being immersed in a program such as this one, I have been given opportunities that have opened my eyes to what a future as a student and teacher could be. I will forever be honored and grateful for everything Florida State University Florence has given me.

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The Invisible Artists of Florence BY kassidy charles

One of the street-art creations made by Blub, that you find around the city center of Florence described by Kassidy

Every visitor to Florence has a list of things that are essential to making the trip worthwhile. For me the list included seeing Michelangelo’s David, climbing to the top of the Duomo, taking a picture of the Ponte Vecchio, and discovering the renowned and timeless works of art of the Renaissance. Upon arriving at the road that leads to Palazzo Vecchio, the medieval seat of government, there, across from the local panini shop, your attention is drawn unexpectedly to one of the West’s most familiar images, "The Girl with the Pearl Earring." Yet, from the very first glance, you notice that here something is awry, that there is a startling difference between the original and this remake. The famous painting, here glued with paper on a Florentine wall, shows “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” breathing bubbles underwater and wearing swimming goggles. It may seem strange at first, but since I started paying attention to the City of Florence’s side streets and tuckedaway corners, I discovered a world of art that is creative, new, and unlike anything in the museums of the city. They are the invisible artists.

This is an apt name, because in contrast to the artists of the past who inhabited this same town decades ago, these individuals are not celebrated in the same sense. Throughout the Renaissance great patrons, whether merchants or princes, commissioned painters, sculptors, and architects who were then celebrated, and sometimes criticized and even shamed, for the caliber of their work. Since the nineteenth century, rarely do wealthy patrons commission artists as they did in the Renaissance. But now, Florence has a cadre of contemporary street artists who take to the streets without patrons or expensive materials in an attempt to challenge its citizens’ long-standing belief, first coined in the nineteenth century by the historian Jacob Burckhardt, that the “the city is a work of art.” Florence’s street artists have taken that idea to a new level.

Working by the moon's dull glow, in avoidance of authorities who would never approve-- and sometimes seek to delete their work-- they create temporary masterpieces that make passersby stop in their tracks and admire. These artists refuse to sign their real name and yet, have gained a certain amount of fame for their images.

One of these artists is known only as Blub. He specializes in revamping famous paintings by reimagining the images underwater, and then he glues them around the city in a poster-like fashion. These works feature iconic historical figures like portraits of Dante, Galileo, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, or famous works of art like Johannes Vermeer’s "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" and Botticelli’s "Birth of Venus". Blub, whose gender is a mystery, believes that depicting art as if it were underwater could be read as a metaphor: despite drowning in a wave of mass tourism, social media, and the commercialization of the museum, “art survives and swims on regardless of what happens.”

Artists like Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo shaped the Renaissance and explored new ways to convey meaning through paint, marble, and bronze. Their contribution to art history was groundbreaking and revolutionary. These “invisible artists” show us that even in the city known as the cradle of the Renaissance, contemporary artists can still literally make their mark in the streets of Florence.

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Class: comparative and international media studies.

Prof. gaia pianigiani

FSU Students Refine Palates at Wine-Tasting Masterclass

BY CELITA summa White linen-covered tables stretched the length of the well-lit room where Valentino Tesi, named second best sommelier in Italy in 2019, pensively swirled a wine glass. Across the tables, students mimicked his technique, moving their wine glasses in smooth circles, before inhaling the complex aromas and savoring the unique taste of each specimen.

The students braved a rainy winter Saturday afternoon to find themselves at the Fortezza da Basso, a fortress built into the walls of Florence in the sixteenth century.

The occasion? PrimAnteprima, the opening of the Tuscan wine preview week, where journalists and international buyers taste the latest vintages. While PrimAnteprima spotlights about a dozen “smaller” wine consortia, the rest of the week’s events was run by the larger brands who produce Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino.

Celita, author of this article attending the wine-tasting masterclass

The 2019 edition organized by the Region of Tuscany took place on February 9, and for the first time offered an experimental master wine-tasting class specifically for American study abroad students. “This was an incredible opportunity to see how a wine-tasting works and learn some basics,” said senior Alejandra Caraballo, who attended the event. Ms. Caraballo was one of the three students from Florida State University (FSU) who attended the free event where they were taught the basic steps of proper wine-tasting and allowed to sample some of Tuscany’s finest vintages.

The wine-tasting masterclass

In a region like Tuscany, wine is not only a part of local history and culture, but also a driving force behind the economy and tourism.

Wine-tasting events, targeted at professionals and the general public, are common in Italy. n America an opportunity to attend an event like this would never have been possible for FSU students. Being trained in winetasting techniques in a professional and refined setting is highly uncommon for young college students. At this event, FSU students had the chance to educate their palate like Italians do and spit their sip into a bucket to prepare for the next wine.

“The wines had impeccable flavor, a unique color, and best of all they were locally produced in Tuscany,” said Ms. Caraballo. During the event, Mr. Tesi led her and other students through the proper process of wine-tasting, pointing out the meanings of particular colors and outlining the importance of things like acidity and tannins in the wine we drink. He spoke of the presence of aromatic memories in wines, guiding students through the scents found in each of the three wines. He noted hints of blueberry, coffee, and chocolate and invited the students to sample from their own glasses to draw on their individual scent memories. These flavors are not physically present in the wine itself, he explained, but they are reminiscent of innate memories contained in the brain of the taster.

“The talk on scent memories was really interesting because it allowed me to notice distinct flavors I might not have picked up on,” said junior Maia Donahue, another participant. “When I tasted the wine, I was almost reminded of different moments that occurred throughout my childhood.” Mr. Tesi also presented slides with information on how and where each of the three wines sampled was produced. At the conclusion of the tasting session, which was punctuated by occasional flashes from cameras of the local press, Mr. Tesi fielded questions.

Students received some tips how to pair wines with particular foods in the question-and- answer session: red wines usually go best with meats, while whites go with fish, but it depends on the particular meal in question.

Moving forward, the students who attended this event gained a new a new appreciation for the wine-making process, and along with it a more refined taste for Tuscan wine that might be difficult and expensive to satisfy in the United States. “I view wine in a new light now,” said Ms. Caraballo. “Every time I have a glass with dinner I will be paying attention to the smell and flavor, savoring every sip.”

FSU students attending the wine-tasting masterclass and a view of a typical Tuscan vineyard

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COVER STORY Women for Women

AWA Works to Restore Valuable Artworks by Florentine Women

BY CELITA SUMMA

The Virgin Presenting the Christ Child to Santa Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi (1767) was slated for restoration in 2015. When restorers removed the eighteenth-century painting from the wall of the church it called home, they discovered residual mold eating away at the work as a result of humidity trapped in the walls from Florence’s 1966 flood.

Nearly fifty years after the tragic flood, which damaged works of art across the city, restorers were able to rescue this newest victim just before it was lost forever. But this rescue was also a symbol of something else.

Florence during the Renaissance and Baroque periods was a city filled with works of art of all kinds, from frescoes to fine paintings and ornate sculptures. Yet, something was missing. For centuries, citizens and tourists alike have neglected the works of female artists. An international organization with its home base in Florence, Advancing Women Artists (AWA), is attempting to change this long-standing pattern by restoring valuable Florentine works of art created by women.

Women artists always existed in the shadows. From the 1500s to the 1800s, Florentine women were banned from joining artists’ workshops or viewing nude male bodies. Many women artists also struggled to finance their work or were forced to assign authorship for it to their fathers or husbands.

Facing these obstacles and lacking a platform to achieve fame, many of their groundbreaking and undiscovered works fell into disrepair.

The Virgin Presenting the Christ Childs to Santa Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi.

Painted in 1767 by Violante Siriès Cerroti, it represents one of Florence’s very few examples of a large-scale devotional canvas by a woman.

The restorer working on the painting: The Virgin Presents the Baby Jesus to Santa Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi

In 2005, Jane Fortune, an American philanthropist, read about Florence’s first known female artist, Plautilla Nelli. She was inspired to visit one of Nelli’s paintings and found the piece dull and lacking what must have been its former glory. On the spot, she decided to fund the painting’s restoration. During the process, restoration experts found the painting crawling with woodworms which would have inevitably led to the destruction of the object, as well as its artistic neighbors in the church. Ms. Fortune recalled her own art education in Florence and how there was little or no mention of female artists. To fill in these gaps in the city’s artistic heritage, she decided to found Advancing Women Artists, a nonprofit organization with the aim of “identifying, restoring and exhibiting artwork by women in Florence’s museum storages.”

Through conservation work, AWA hopes to highlight the work of Florentine female artists who lived between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries. Ms. Fortune sadly passed away last year, but her legacy lives on. “[We] work with a team of international and local women for all of our projects, and together we are rescuing the art of our historic counterparts, as Jane would say, ‘one art work at a time,’” explained current director of AWA, Linda Falcone.

In 2018, AWA worked to restore several works: the strong narrative scene in Vittoria Morelli's Interior with Figures, a piece by still-life artist Fillide Levasti, and a work by portrait artist Adriana Pincherle were successfully brought back to their original splendor.

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This October AWA will reveal a twenty-one-foot long painting by Nelli. After four years of conservation efforts the work will be displayed to the public in the Museum of Santa Maria Novella.

This summer AWA will also begin a partnership with Florida State University. FSU Florence, as part of its charity work in the community, will be joining forces with AWA to promote and fundraise for AWA’s Art Angels program.

“We are very excited to begin a partnership with FSU,” Ms. Falcone said. “We are also developing a didactic program with visiting professors to give students access to educational opportunities to experience, understand, and advocate for art by women in the city and further afield.”

As AWA continues to grow, fundraise, and restore valuable and forgotten works of art, its core mission remains the same: to shine a spotlight on female artists who have been forgotten over the years. “Making each artist’s achievements available to a wider audience of art lovers and scholars is fundamental to ensuring their contributions to art history will not be lost,” said Ms. Falcone. “Ultimately, art must be seen in order to be studied, valued and protected.”

The restorers working on the painting: The Virgin Presents the Baby Jesus to Santa Maria Maddalena de’ Pazzi

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OUR STORIES Faculty or Family?

How FSU Florence Professors embody Italian Culture

By Sophia mansbach

Some of our classroom-out of the class-room educational situations

Florida State International Programs and the staff of the FSU Florence Study Center had a vision a few years ago.

This vision was to unite students of all levels, from all over the United States, in Florence, Italy for a once-in-alifetime experience. Together they envisioned a program that was not constrained to traditional classroom styles of learning, but a program that was run by intellectuals from every field, brought together by their common passion for education.

The team wanted to change the lives of students by teaching them to live on their own in a foreign country while taking courses that were both interactive and interesting. Overseeing this vision are Director Frank Nero and Associate Director, Lucia Cossari. Now, nearly three years after they became the leaders of FSU Florence, Mr. Nero and his “partner in crime,� Ms. Cossari, have made that vision my reality.

According to their ideas, Seminoles are not just in Florence to study, but to become part of a family of students, faculty, and staff who can grow alongside each other throughout the course of a semester or year abroad, the ultimate goal being to learn from and inspire one other. Our journalism professor, Gaia Pianigiani, is a reporter for The New York Times in Rome. Longtime FSU professor, Luca Bufano, is also a published editor and writer on topics such as the city of Florence and the Medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri. Our Food and Culture professor, Lucas Lanci, also works in the exportation and distribution of Italian wines. The team of professors that has been assembled here at Florida State University is what distinguishes it from other study abroad programs in Florence.

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Once Mr. Nero and Ms. Cossari select prospective professors based on their resumes, they move on to the interview process. Mr. Nero, laughing, said in interviews he actually does most of the talking. He explained that since the majority of students in the fall and spring are first-year students, it is important that prospective professors understand the school’s culture and are able to instruct using different methodologies besides sitting behind a desk and reading from a book. How prospective professors react to an explanation of FSU’s identity and culture is what Mr. Nero and Ms. Cossari are most interested in hearing from them during interviews.

“Many of our students are eighteen when they first arrive here,” Mr. Nero said. “For most of them it’s their first college experience, first time on their own away from parents, first time abroad in a different culture with a different language.”

“It's about giving our students a taste of all the possibilities that are out there,” he continued, “while preparing them for the home campus and for the real world.”

FSU Florence professors are, in fact, known for taking their students beyond the classroom. Students learn about the architectural genius of Brunelleschi's Dome while standing beneath it with Professor Sean Nelson; with Professor Bufano they read an excerpt from “The Prince” while sitting in the villa where Niccolò Machiavelli wrote it; with Professor Lanci students make their own pizza as part FSU Florence’s International Food and Culture Course.

With both longtime and new faculty, FSU Florence continues to grow under Mr. Nero’s and Ms. Cossari’s direction. The program has doubled in size in the last two years. With its accomplished and energetic faculty, the vision has begun to take shape.

Mr. Nero explains that this was not only achieved through the addition of a broader curriculum with more classes, but through the creation and projection of an overall vibe that encompasses the program and its role in the community.

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“Because of our dynamism, because of our flexibility, and

because of the family-like atmosphere, we are attempting to instill a feeling that everyone is vital and expected to be fully invested in the program,” he said. “By the end of the semester there is a love between students, faculty, and staff that is palpable.”

A first year abroad student, Morgan Gelberg, is one of the undergraduates who has been impacted by the team Mr. Nero and Ms. Cossari helped to build.

“The professors here at Florida State University Florence really show how much they care about us,” she said. “The dynamic of this program creates a more personal relationship between the students and the staff.”

“Even outside of the classroom, they continue to show how much they care about each individual student,” she added.

“Whether it concerns your schoolwork or even your personal life, they are always there to help us with any issue.”

Gaia Pianigiani, my professor of Comparative and International Media Studies, adds to her busy life as a New York Times reporter to spend time with a handful of students every Monday morning at 9:00am. Every week she uses her expertise in the area of journalism to teach and inspire her students about how to be the best, most informed writers they can be. Her Tuscan origins allow her to connect students with the location in which they are studying. In class, we read the major Italian newspapers, learn about Italian politics, and compare it with American media culture. Her passion and charisma encourages her students to explore and learn.

“Working with Gaia has opened my eyes to how journalism works throughout the world, not just in America,” said Celita Summa, an English major, who is minoring in Communication at Florida State. “She has led the class through the different stages of newswriting in both a personal and professional way. Now I have a new perspective on my minor and how I will incorporate it into my future.”

As a first year abroad student myself, I have witnessed firsthand the impact professors have on the students of Florida State Florence. Each professor, no matter the subject, has embraced FSU Florence’s vision.

Due to the immense passion I have witnessed while sitting in class or standing in a piazza, I have drastically changed the direction of my future. My professors have inspired me to potentially pursue a career in academics.

After being in Florence for two semesters, and going on my third, I also decided that whichever career path I choose, it will lead ME be back to Italy.

Florence Italy has become my home and it would be an amazing privilege to have the opportunity to live and work here later in life, I have formed a personal bond with several professors here at FSU Florence that I will hold with me for the rest of my life, and I would like to thank Frank Nero, Lucia Cossari, and all of FSU Florence for creating such a lifechanging atmosphere.

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Dogs in Re-tail By emalee hitchcock

Mia sits by the door of the dimly-lit restaurant, Trattoria Boboli, watching pedestrians pass. Occasionally taking a break from this position to make her rounds about the trattoria, she is the unofficial greeter of the cozy, familyowned restaurant. This spot, deemed a fan favorite by Florida State International Programs’ students, and a frequent stop for locals, keeps people coming back because of the pasta al dente and famous bistecca alla fiorentina. Michael Florestani, whose wife owns Trattoria Boboli, says that some people come just for Mia. The eight-year-old French Bulldog is a trademark of the popular establishment. A Boboli dinner would not be the same without the faint sound of her snorts as she moves from table to table. Maybe the spice from my go-to order, spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino, would help clear her sinuses.

The entrance of Trattoria Boboli

It’s common to see dogs like Mia in restaurants and retail stores. In fact, it’s common to see dogs in just about any setting in Florence. In 2008, the Florentine government passed a bill that gave dogs permission to go almost anywhere. The only place off-limits is The Teatro del Maggio Musicale, which is Florence’s Opera House. Technically, owners of establishments can deny entry to animals, but according to Mr. Florestani, it almost never happens. This makes dogs much more a part of daily life in Florence compared to America. Florentines don’t have to leave their dogs at home while they run errands and live their life.

They can and do bring their four-legged friends with them everywhere. Dogs are technically required to wear a leash and muzzle when in public, but it’s rare to see that rule being followed. You’ll see dogs walking freely next to their owner or sometimes even a few strides ahead.

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Mr. Florestani admits that while customers’ dogs are allowed in restaurants, dogs of owners typically are not. This doesn't stop Michael and his wife from bringing Mia to work because, according to them, Mia is more like a “vacuum cleaner” than a dog. She’ll sniff around the floor of the trattoria searching for even the smallest crumb. On one occasion I saw Mia being followed around by a little boy with his mother's phone. The boy crawled under tables and shuffled between chairs on a mission to get every picture of the dog he could. Mia was just as unfazed about the attention she was getting as she was about the rules regarding her being there. Mia’s case doesn’t just embody attitudes towards dogs in Italy, she also represents the trattoria’s spirit.

The dog Mia drawn by our student Grayson Mary Durham

Mr. Florestani’s goal is to preserve the culture of the traditional Italian “trattoria,” which focuses more on the bonds made with each customer than on getting people in and out to flip a profit. Michael knows every detail about the menu from top to bottom and values the connection made with each customer that walks through the door. He doesn’t like how the restaurant business in Italy is shifting from the traditional sit-down, friendly service Italy is known for, to more fast food or service that doesn’t value each individual customer. The classic family-owned-and-run restaurants foreigners imagine when thinking of Italy are now having to compete with chains and fast food. The streets of Florence are getting filled with more and more restaurants that stray from the traditional Italian model. Tourists crowd the cobblestone roads of the historic city and are drawn into tourist traps and away from local restaurants. Apparently Mia feels the same way because she never fails to greet with a wave of the tail every hungry customer that walks through the door.

Details from Trattoria Boboli

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home away from home FSU Students find Tuscan comfort food in Florence

by Sophia mansbach When local shopworker Valentino Langella is asked which American student he had the most memorable connection with while working at Pizzicheria Antonio Porrati, Valentino has a story to tell.

A local Florentine who has worked at many jobs since the age of twelve—a cobber, a mechanic, a carpenter, and a farmer—, Valentino now wears a maroon apron behind the colorful counter at Pizzicheria Antonio Porrati. Just a few steps away from the FSU Florence Study Center, his alimentari is the incarnation of Italian food culture and has become a favorite for many study abroad students.

Our student and article’s author Sophia with Valentino Langella, in the Pizzicheria Porrati

When you enter the shop, Valentino immediately greets clients with a spirited “Ciao!” or “Buongiorno,” and with the feeling that he and his partner, Antonio Porrati, the shop’s owner, are genuinely excited you have chosen to eat at their establishment. Their place is very narrow, with a variety of breads, snacks, and beverages stacked on its shelves. Tucked between the counter full of prosciutto, salami, and assorted Tuscan dishes, the two men eagerly assist the large groups of customers in the alimentari. People sit at every table available on the patio, enjoying a bowl of freshly cooked pasta and a glass of wine. Both locals and American college undergraduates fill the shop. It is the perfect place to test the students’ Italian language skills and enjoy great company while dining on a wide assortment of classic Tuscan dishes.

“Ciao Valentino,” exclaimed a group of three FSU Florence students.

“Buongiorno a tutti! Pappa al pomodoro? Lasagna today!” Valentino offered as he pointed out the plates made fresh that day. The students ordered a variety of specialities and enjoyed their meals on the patio as they studied the vocabulary for next week’s Italian quiz.

This small shop is a place where Florence meets Florida and friendships are built.

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Years ago, Valentino said, there was a young American boy who would come in two or three times a week. Once Valentino had built a relationship which this student, the boy confided in him that he was gay. Although this boy did not yet have the courage to come out of the closet, he felt close enough to Valentino that he could share this with him. Years after the boy’s study abroad experience, he came back to Florence. This time, he was with his partner. When he went back to Valentino’s, it was as if no time had passed. Now the boy could introduce Valentino to his partner and the rest of his family.“ It was so meaningful that he shared this thing he had inside of him with me… and that he came back to see me,” Valentino said. Valentino’s, the nickname this shop has been given by FSU students, is a home away from home for many students studying abroad in Florence. When walking in, students are treated as if they were part of the family. Valentino greets us with excitement and warmth as he recites our everyday favorites or introduces us to local dishes most students have never tried before.

“Ciao Carly! Come va?” Valentino exclaimed as FSU Florence student Carly DeMaio walked in after Italian class

one spring afternoon as the sun shone through the door displaying the counter of cuisine behind which he was standing. “Molto bene Valentino! Can I get a number 8?” DeMaio responded. “Try today Melanzane alla Parmigiana! Fresh today. Otto domani,”Valentino suggested. Ms. DeMaio politely declined Valentino’s offer and got her usual panino. However, Valentino insisted that she try a bite. In the end, Valentino had his daily English class and Carly realized that she really liked eggplant parmigiana, a dish she would have never tried without Valentino’s suggestion.

That was just a day on the job for Valentino. Pizzicheria Antonio Porrati is a place where a sixty-five-year-old Florentine man who speaks little-to-no English can form a bond with a nineteen-year-old American girl from Florida who is here for too short a semester and is eager to learn more Italian. Every FSU Florence student knows this alimentari and for many of them it is their favorite place to get a panino or bowl of pasta.

“I am quite older, I don’t focus on the business so much, I always imagine you as my kids when you all are abroad and I like to treat you with love and fairness,” Valentino explained. He feels as though FSU students are his own children, and he thoroughly enjoys seeing a student improve their Italian language skills.

When ordering at Pizzicheria Antonio Porrati, Valentino requires that we order our meal in Italian. He walks the students through each word and shows excitement when students correctly order their meal. Through this interaction, Valentino not only teaches students Italian, but he is able to pick up some English as well. He feels that his duty is to introduce students to the traditional Tuscan dishes that are made fresh every day, such as pappa al pomodoro (tomato soup with roasted bread), ribollita (Tuscan soup, made with bread and vegetables), pasta con la zucca gialla (pasta with a yellow pumpkin sauce) and veal tripe- although he confesses that almost no student likes the tripe. Regardless of their final choice, he always gives students a small bite to show the diversity of Florentine food culture.

Pizzicheria Antonio Porrati has been serving foreigners and Florentines alike for over 130 years.

To me and so many others, Valentino Langella has made this shop my home away from home during the time I spent in Florence.

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Fsu florence alumni profiles MONICA OLUWEK. FSU FLORENCE PROGRAM ALUMNA

BY EMALEE HITCHCOCK

A portrait of Monica Oluwek

Monica Oluwek is an FSU alumna originally from Naples, Florida. She spent a spring semester in Florence with the FSU study abroad program in 2011.

A foreign language was a requirement for her major in college, and while taking Italian in Tallahassee, her professor made her fall in love with the idea of Italy. It was then she knew she wanted a study-abroad experience to be a part of her college career, and knew that the Florence Program would be the right choice for her. Once she was abroad, Ms. Oluwek began studying creative writing and ended up doublemajoring in creative writing and Italian. The hardest part about living in Italy was trying to practice her Italian with the locals because they all wanted to practice English with her instead.

While in Florence she lived in the Via Romana residence which is about a 25-minute walk from the study center. She loved the walk to class because every day she would go past Palazzo Pitti, then walk over the famous Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge spanning the Arno river known for housing high-end jewelry shops. She would walk by Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall of Florence, or through Piazza della Repubblica, the main city square, depending on her choice of route. She loved the Panini from Natalino, a local sandwich shop, and the women who worked there at the time. She frequently went to Gusta Pizza, Trattoria Anita, and Gusta Osteria, all local restaurants where FSU students can use their meal vouchers. “The strozzapreti from Gusta Osteria may have been one of my favorite pastas in Italy,� she remarked.

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While abroad Ms. Oluwek took advantage of Europe’s low-cost transportation to travel in and around the continent. She went to London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Valencia, Marrakech, and Cinque Terre. One place in particular she loved visiting was Marrakech, Morocco. She had never traveled to a Muslim country before so the experience was very eye-opening. She loved the nice people and amazing food and even rode a camel.

Being in Florence was a very transformative experience for Ms. Oluwek. It sparked her interest in art history and museums, and she made a lot of great connections with the people on her program. Her program was made up of twenty-four girls and four boys. She said they all clicked and brought out the best in each other.

According to Ms. Oluwek, the students on her program “made [her] feel comfortable being [herself] for what felt like the first time in [her] life”. She believes the experience pushed her to come into her own. Ms. Oluwek still talks every week, if not every day, to the friends she made while in Florence. In fact, one of the connections she made with a friend in Italy eventually helped jump-start her career.

She is now a managing editor at Simon and Schuster Books in New York City. Through the Florence Program she made a friend that introduced her to someone working in the book publishing industry named Patrice Farameh. An independent coffee-table book publisher, Ms. Farameh helped Ms. Oluwek get an internship with one the “big five” publishers. The “big five” is a nickname for the major book publishing companies in the United States. They are Hachette Book Groups, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster. Ms. Oluwek was able to then transform her internship into a full-time job as an assistant editior with Simon & Schuster in New York City.

Despite her success and how much her life has changed since studying abroad, she’ll never forget her time in Florence when she lived at Via Romana 61.

“An address I’ll never forget,” she said.

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Story. volunteering and charity activities at Fsu Florence

Giving & Gold Study Abroad Students .

Carry the Torch of Giving Back to Florence

By Bethany Baratelli

Attending an orientation in a country none of us was familiar with, surrounded by a language we did not yet recognize, we students listened as Frank Nero, program director of FSU Study Abroad Florence, made a lasting impression: “Since 1966, Florida State University has enjoyed a strong heritage and tradition of volunteering in Florence,” Nero said.

He was referring to the Mud Angels, the students who helped recover thousands of priceless works of art during the Great Flood that swept over the entire city in 1966. As early members of one of the first American schools to open in Florence, FSU juniors selflessly decided to aid in rescue efforts in a city they had come to love and cherish as their own.

4 November 1966. Curious onlookers in the Piazzale Michelangelo - Archivi Alinari, Florence.

The Uffizi during the great flood, November 1966.

Archivi Alinari, Florence.

Mr. Nero continued, listing off simpler, but no less noble acts of service fellow Noles have been performing ever since. “Over the past two years our students have worked to bring love to the city’s senior citizen homes, a women’s shelter, an asylum-seekers’ hostel,” he recounted. “And we have spearheaded charity drives for the Children’s Hospital of Florence and the Robert F. Kennedy Institute’s initiative to combat bullying in Italian elementary schools,” he said.

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One afternoon last spring, I sat next to a little girl, no more than seven-years old, in a fluorescent green room as I volunteered on the second floor of the Casa Famiglia di San Paolino, or the House of Solidarity. She was coloring a picture of a mask for the traditional Italian festival, Carnevale. She murmured something in Italian; I caught only some form of the conjugation of the verb “parlare” and the ubiquitous “Italiano.” I looked to my fellow FSU student volunteer who was in a more advanced Italian class than I and she translated with a laugh.

“She’s complaining we don’t speak Italian,” she explained. Same here, little girl. For my first few weeks in Florence, I was shocked at how prevalent English was. And although the omnipresent language of my home country made everyday tasks like finding an open dressing room or a delicious panino easier, I felt like I was not taking advantage of a key component of studying abroad. The activity that eased this guilt was volunteering at Casa San Paolino every week on Tuesday evenings. Time and time again I found words I had been reading in a textbook come to life and used in practical ways– by the only demographic whose Italian was anywhere near my pre-beginner, children-younger than-ten-years-old Italian skills. The residents of Casa San Paolino are not just better at Italian than I am, they also have seen a lot more of real life than I have. The shelter’s purpose is to offer the hope of a brighter future for those who come from difficult pasts. These kids will have endured more hardship before they hit double digits than I have at nineteen. Whether escaping abusive families, socio-economic hardship, or even a war-torn country they used to call home, San Paolino is full of families of varying nationalities, cultures, and ethnicities.

Alexandra, Yasmin, Bethany, Olivia and Alejandra: some of our lovely Spring 2019 Students who made the Voluteering activity at Casa Famiglia San Paolino

Underlying their struggle, though, is the assurance that not only will their material needs be satisfied, but that they will also find the sympathy, respect, and human warmth so often denied those, through no fault of their own, pushed to the margins of society. These families depend on San Paolino to provide living arrangements outside their original one, and volunteers coming in to play with the kids is a step towards normality. They welcome students, despite their poor Italian, with open arms. The little children use their tiny arms to climb all over the volunteers.

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And yes, we may come from seemingly different worlds, but we have plenty in common. The viral song, “Baby Shark,” for example, had somehow made its way to Italy. The children counted to ten in English for me. And as we drew people with markers, they retaught me in Italian every color and part of the body. I learned a song featuring the lyric, “La Felicità,” and I attempted to teach them “If you’re happy and you know it.” I quickly realized that it’s a difficult song for non-English speakers.

“Questa qui”, or “This one, here,” was used to style my hair, not with a comb but a toy fork, or “forchetta”– reminding me of my own childhood dreams of using a “dinglehopper” like Ariel, The Little Mermaid. At Christmas, we used a toy beard to dress up a volunteer as Babbo Natale, the Italian Santa Claus, exactly like we do back home.

I learned how to play horse and gallop like “un cavallo,” and let myself become sore from the amount of piggyback rides I gave. “Andiamo!” and “Dai!” meaning “Let’s go!” and “Come on!” in thick Italian accents were the answers to my every plea for a break. I rediscovered my love of wheelbarrow races, and realized the only words I needed to understand when swinging the tiny kids around were, “veloce,” and “alto,” meaning “fast” and “high.”

The children at San Paolino are at that stage of childhood where they won’t hesitate to correct you, but they also won’t judge you for making even the most amateur of mistakes—a lesson they taught me that proved even more valuable than their crash course in Italian.

And while I may not have been salvaging a Caravaggio masterpiece from 600,000 tons of mud, or restoring Ghiberti’s doors to the Duomo’s Baptistery, I was giving back to Florence, enriching my study abroad experience in ways I had not expected.

Since 1966, Florida State University has enjoyed a strong heritage and tradition of volunteering in Florence.”

The shelter’s purpose is to offer the hope of a brighter future to those who come from difficult pasts. These kids have endured more hardship before they hit double digits than I have at 19. [The residents] find the sympathy, respect and human warmth that are often denied to those who are put into the margins of society.[The kids] won’t hesitate to correct you, but they also won’t judge you for making even the most amateur of mistakes.

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Reportage

My craftsmanship experience Photos and text written by the students of the fashion and craftsmanship in florence course.

Prof. Costanza menchi 40

“During those three hours of crocheting I grew a fondness for the art. It is a very technical art that takes time and patience--lots of patience-- to master.

This is what those who quit so quickly didn’t understand. You needed to be gentle with the hook and the yarn, to become one with it and find a rhythm that worked for you. Once you find this rhythm, it was all cake from there –I mean cake compared to how I was doing initially, because if you would have seen the way our instructor moved with yarn and hook, it was just on another level!”

-Catalina

“When I saw the setup of the box filled with water I was interested to see what we would be doing.

Matteo, our

instructor, explained to us that the inside of the box was full of distilled water and wallpaper glue. We watched him strategically pick colors to carefully splatter into the water. He told us that if you hit the brush higher up and lighter with less paint on the brush, it would create smaller dots. If you had a lot of paint on your brush and hit it harder and closer to the water, the dots would be bigger”

- Dylan

“Our goal during the workshop was to create a headband using multiple stitch techniques. Everyone got situated in their designated areas with their crochet supplies, and the instructor taught us the chain stitch technique, the most basic and common of all the crochet stitches.

The idea of the chain stitch is to bring the yarn over the hook from the back to the front and to draw the hooked yarn through the slipknot and onto the hook.

This process completes one chain stitch and you repeat it as many times as you want until you reach your desired number of stitches.

We also learned the double-crochet stitch. Although a little more complicated, this stitch created the foundation for the headscarf. For this technique, we would stick the crochet hook two loops down the starting point of our chain stitch and pull through. Next, the hooked yarn would be brought through the slipknot, once at first, then through two loops.

During the first few attempts I had with this stitch I became frustrated, however, the process gradually became easier with time”

- Lauren 41

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Un Giorno a Palazzo FASHION AND FOOD SHOOTING Vintage vibes Concept by

Prof. Maria Michela Mattei Prof. Lucas Lanci Stylist

Cristina Ferro Photographer

Fabio Casati PARTNERS:

Original Vintage Clothes sponsored by: Stefania Masini Vintage Lo Specchio Dei Tempi Original Vintage Accessories sponsored by: Giratempo Vintage A special thanks to :

Palazzo Borghese for letting us use the location Models FSU Spring 2019 students :

Zara Annett Bethany Baratelli Esther Gregori Corinne Kominski Samantha Lane Claudia Marrs Andra Mattews Catalina Padilla Juia Regenstreif

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BON-TON SIXTIES

CATALINA AND JULIA ARE INTERPRETING THE BON-TON SIXTIES, A DECADE CHARACTERIZED BY PASTEL COLORS, LACE, LADY-LIKE OUTFITS, AND ARTISANAL BAGS. SWEET PASTRIES AND MACARONES IN THE BACKGROUND REPRESENT THE PERFECT “COMBO” WHILE OUR 44 STUDENTS PERFECTLY EMBRACE THE 60S, YEARS FULL OF VIBRANT FEMININITY AND STYLISH DETAILS

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VITAMINIC SEVENTIES

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BETHANY AND ESTHER ARE INTERPRETING THE AMAZING 70S, A DECADE OF NEW VIBES IN SOCIETY, LOOKING FOR FREEDOM AND SELF-EXPRESSION. THE ENERGY IS TRANSLATED WITH THE LANGUAGE OF VISUAL FOOD-47 VITAMIC ORANGES AND LIMES!

POWERFUL EIGHTIES

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ZARA, CORINNE, AND ANDRA ARE PERFECT TO REPRESENT THE 80S. MON-FRIDAY WORKAHOLICS AND BOLD BOSSES-BUT ON THE WEEKEND, FULL OF ENERGY, READY TO DANCE AND ROCK SATURDAY NIGHT. COFFEE & FLUO TROPICAL FRUITS ARE THE VISUAL FOOD ELEMENTS 49 CHOSEN TO REPRESENT THIS TRANSITION

GRUNGE NINETIES

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CLAUDIA AND SAMANTHA ARE OUR GRUNGE QUEENS! 90S WERE MINIMAL, BOLD AND CHARACTERIZED BY A STRONG FASHION IMAGE, BASED ON JEANS, ROCK ATTITUDE, AND T-SHIRTS WITH A MESSAGE. THE CONTRAST OF THE DECADE, BITTER AND SWEET, IS EXPRESSED BY THE51 TARTNESS OF WILDBERRIES.

Language exchange

Course: Italian grammar and composition.

Prof. nadia patrone

Parlo italiano!

By Julia Regenstreif Quando ho cominciato a imparare l’italiano sei anni fa, le mie aspettative erano basse.

Quattro anni dopo, sono venuta in Italia per la prima volta con mia sorella, mio padre, e la mia nonna.

Erano entusiasti di sentirmi parlare in italiano, forse soprattutto perché non sapevano nessun italiano! Da allora, sono ritornata una volta con mia madre e sono qui adesso per studiare. È un sogno, veramente, esserci per quattro mesi. “Sto vivendo a Firenze.” È un frase che molti studenti vorrebbero poter pronunciare. Io posso dirlo.

Da quando sono qui, ho imparato che c’è una differenza tra parlare perfettamente e essere intesi. Avevo paura di usare il mio italiano all’inizio perché non volevo fare sbagli. Ma lentamente, mi sono resa conto che gli italiani sono felici quando si prova ad esprimersi nella loro lingua. Per esempio, c’è un negozio di panini molto vicino a Palazzo Pitti. Un giorno, quando ero sola, ho deciso di provare le loro specialità “

Ho ordinato in italiano e il negoziante mi ha fatto una domanda.

Immediatamente, mi sono fatta prendere dal panico. Ho pensato che devo ordinare e questo è tutto!

“Mi dispiace, ripeti per favore?”

“Qualcosa da bere, cara?”

Oh, ho pensato, questo è facile.

Dopo mi ha chiesto da dove vengo e abbiamo fatto una breve conversazione.

Alle fine, mi ha dato il panino per meno e la Coca-Cola gratis. Da allora, quando passo davanti al suo negozio, dico sempre “Ciao!”

Quando parlo con lui mi sento a mio agio perché lui mi corregge se faccio qualche sbaglio. Ogni volta che parliamo, imparo un po’ più d’italiano e lui impara un po’ d’inglese.

Inoltre, una delle mie classi si chiama “Fashion and Craftsmanship in Florence” e andiamo ai laboratori differenti per imparare dai maestri. Gli altri studenti della lezione non sanno l’italiano e i maestri non parlano l’inglese. La mia professoressa usualmente è la traduttrice ma quando le ho detto che sto imparando l’italiano, mi ha permesso di aiutarla a tradurre. Queste sono grandi opportunità per ascoltare, parlare, e fare nuove amicizie.

Alle fine, quello che voglio è parlare e scrivere italiano bene, ma la paura di sbagliare non può fermarmi, ci voglio provare. Nella vita, tutti vogliono essere capiti. Ci sono tante lingue e diversi modi di comunicare. Imparare l’italiano in classe mi ha insegnato che studiare la grammatica della lingua è fondamentale per capire una lingua straniera in modo corretto. Altrettanto importante è tener presente che la lingua è essenzialmente comunicazione e bisogna fare ogni sforzo per esprimersi senza timore di sbagliare.

Quando si comunica con pazienza, un cuore grande e un sorriso, prima o poi, si sarà capiti.

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i speak italian!

By Julia Regenstreif When I started to learn Italian six years ago I had low expectations.

Four years later I came to Italy for the first time with my sister, father, and grandmother.

They were so excited to hear me speak in Italian, but maybe it was because they didn’t know a single word! Since then I’ve returned once with my mother and now I’m here studying. It’s truly a dream to be here for four whole months. “I’m living in Florence.” It’s a phrase students would kill to say. I get to say it.

Since being here I’ve learned that there’s a difference between speaking perfectly and simply being understood. I was so scared to use my Italian at first because I didn’t want to make any mistakes. But slowly I realized that Italians are overjoyed when you just try to express yourself in their language.

For example, there’s a panini shop close to the Pitti Palace. I decided to go by myself one day and try it out. I ordered in Italian and the shopowner asked me a question. Immediately, I panicked. I thought I just had to order and that’s it!

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Something to drink, dear?”

Oh, I think, that’s easy! Afterwards, we had a brief conversation. Ultimately, I got my sandwich for half the price and my Coca-Cola for free. Ever since then, whenever I pass by his shop, I always say, “Ciao!”

When I speak with him, I feel at ease because he kindly corrects me whenever I make a mistake. Every time we talk, I learn a bit more

Moreover, in one of my classes titled “Fashion and Craftsmanship in Florence,” we got to go to different laboratories and learn from masters and craftsmen. Most of my peers in the class did not know Italian and many of the craftsmen we visited didn’t speak English. Usually my professor would act as the translator, but when I told her that I was learning Italian at a higher level she let me help her translate.

These were amazing opportunities to listen, speak, and make new friends.

At the end of the day, I want to speak and write Italian well, and I cannot let the fear of making mistakes stop me from trying. In life everyone just wants to be understood. There are so many languages and ways to go about communicating. Learning Italian has taught me that studying the grammar of a language is fundamental to correctly understanding it. But above all, it is important to keep in mind that language at its core is just communication, and every effort to express oneself must be made without having to worry about being perfect.

When you communicate with patience, a big heart, and a smile, sooner or later you will be understood.

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Our best postcard: the excursion to Venice and Burano Island, all together, as always!

Arrivederci!

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Fsu_florence

Florida state university international programs Italy: Florence