September 19, 2019

Giving back to the Florentine community

At ISI Florence we are passionate about immersion! And volunteering is not only one of the best ways to meet locals and delve into the local culture and society, but it also allows students to give back to the host city that will be their home for four months – Florence.

Volunteering also has many rewards. It provides a sense of fulfillment, confidence, and belonging, as students take part in some something worthwhile. Moreover, they can demonstrate to potential employers that they used their time abroad in a meaningful way to grow and learn a lot about themselves.

The 2019 fall semester has just started and we already have many students involved in volunteering activities. Yesterday, for example, Laura Campos (University of Maryland) had her first meeting with MADE IN SIPARIO.

“I really had a great time with all the artists, everyone was so kind! In terms of my impressions for today I would say that as someone with no experience in the world of art, I was a bit nervous about working with the artists of MADE IN SIPARIO. However, after a quick round of introductions, I immediately felt at ease and extremely welcomed. Thanks to all the smiling faces in the shop, I was able to have a great start to this new experience and look forward to the rest of this semester!”
Laura Campos
University of Maryland
ISI Florence Fall 2019

MADE IN SIPARIO is a social co-operative that employs young adults with intellectual disabilities. These talented special artists work everyday to create beautiful and useful objects that are then sold in the small boutique and are appreciated for the design and quality.

ISI Florence students who volunteer for MADE IN SIPARIO support these special workers in every aspect of their daily activities. Students help them with the design and production process, but moreover, they spend valuable time with the artists, and together they create an incredible cultural and human exchange.

 

To learn more and sign up for ISI Florence volunteer activities, contact the ISI Florence Coordinator for Community Engagement, Serena Giorgi.

 

 

March 6, 2019

Welcome Day!

On Tuesday, February 5, 2019 a few hundred U.S. study abroad students were invited to gather at Palazzo Vecchio, the city council headquarters, for the 2019 Welcome Day held in the prestigious Salone dei Cinquecento.

I learned that about 15,000 North American students take residence in Florence each year. The speech by Benjamin Wohlauer, U.S. Consul General in Florence, emphasized that we have a responsibility to act as representatives of the American culture while living in our host city. We have more exposure to the locals and their culture than any government official and this event truly emphasized the importance of our role within the Florentine community, Consul Wohlauer said.

Malu Foley
University of Connecticut

 

 

October 4, 2018

Student Life: Words & Feelings

Words

Colorful, delicious, enlightening: three words chosen by three of our Fall 2018 students to describe their first weeks in Florence.

With the new semester in full swing, let’s take a look at what moments these students have shared since their planes touched down in the Tuscan capital just over a month ago.

• Colorful was the view from the top of Torre Grossa during the Institute day trip to San Gimignano and Siena. (Clay Langer, RWU)
• Delicious were the ginger and pear ravioli from a newly discovered (and now favorite) Florentine café. (Brigitte Ardis, UMD)
• Enlightening was a class site visit to the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo to see masterpieces by Lorenzo Ghiberti and Michelangelo. (John Butler, UConn)

We are certain that, as the semester moves on, each student will come to reflect on the words that define their own unique narrative of the time spent in Florence. In the meantime, we look forward to continuing to guide students in the discovery of the many other colors, tastes, and enlightening experiences Florence has to offer.

Miranda McDaniel, ISI Florence Student Services

 

Feelings

A month ago I was a tourist. I remember walking to class and constantly stopping to take pictures of everything I saw because I was so amazed by this new city I get to call my home for the next couple of months. Only thirty days can make so much of a difference. I went from feeling like a tourist to a resident. I now have local coffee shops, restaurants, and bars that I go to frequently. I can now easily find my way through the city without feeling lost. Although I am now familiar with my new home, my touristy excitement is still alive. Walking around the city is still always exciting to me because I find myself discovering new alleys, restaurants, city squares, and people every day. Passing by the beauty of the Duomo and visiting Piazzale Michelangelo captures my heart every time. Through mouth-watering gelato, endless amounts of pizza, and breathtaking squares, Florence has grown on me and I can’t wait to see what the next few months will bring.

Vidhiti Kamdar, University of Connecticut

 

June 25, 2018

Italy

The plane touched down on a narrow strip between mountains that I never realized were a part of the Italian landscape. I remember my feet feeling the ground, but for several weeks I continued to float, feeling as high as the jet I had just disembarked from. I drifted along the breeze through the alleyways of Florence, as the scent of fresh leather and river water hung in the air. I was plucked out of my own American reality, and plopped down in the middle of a wobbly, cobblestone dream. Instead of my senses being muddled by a state of sub-consciousness, for the first time in my life, I was truly awake… and alive.

The vibe of Florence is hard to understand until it is experienced, and even after spending a month at my “dome sweet dome” it is still hard to encapsulate. There is a certain verve that comes with the city’s life: the way that Italians confidently navigate through the hustle and bustle of vespas and bikers, the way that dozens of people enter and leave the city daily on Trenitalia rail, the way that the pizza boy smirked at me when I politely asked “Can I buy a pizza?” and with a wink he playfully answered “no.” The sassy, hurried lifestyle is contrasted sharply by an immense sense of serenity. Despite there being a Catholic church every few blocks, the national religion seems to be relaxation. Italians enjoy taking it slowly, and savoring every last drop: whether that be wine, gelato, or life.

On one of the last nights, my friends and I sat in our ‘piazza’ (Piazza Santo Spirito), enjoying a bottle of house wine and the recommended dish at a local restaurant. It was 9:00 pm when we sat down at our table. This hour of the night, which I would consider to be “late” back home, was just the start of our evening. We ate dinner slowly, we laughed, and talked. Kids ran around us – one toddler fell and scraped her knee. A dog off leash came by and hung out by our feet, looking for the scraps we never dropped. People ate pizza on the church steps, in clumps of friends, and no one was on their phones.

We heard music come from the center by the fountain. We heard people clapping in unison. In the middle of the piazza, people were dancing. We asked for the ‘conto’ (the bill), and went over to watch, and before we knew it, we were pulled into the dance, clapping and dancing along. And, as I was holding hands with a friend to my left and a stranger to my right, and as we spun in a circle, I thought: “Is this real?”

It is impossible to visit Firenze just once and experience all of it. Spending a full afternoon at the Uffizi Gallery doesn’t give you a perspective on art. If you walk into a building and look up, you’ll miss the mosaic tiling on the floor. If you look at the mosaic, you’ll miss the fresco paintings on the ceiling. But the fear of missing out on something doesn’t exist, because no matter what you are doing, every sense is engaged and on overdrive. Thankfully, instead of being hyper-stimulated, there is a sense of peace and calm that comes along with knowing that you are living each day to its fullest. And some days are longer than others because time is fluid. Some days the church bells rang at 8:27, some days they didn’t ring until 8:40. It didn’t really matter. It wasn’t about making sure each moment happened “on time” as long as you enjoyed each moment entirely.

Italy was a place where I wasn’t tired after a few hours of sleep, where I wasn’t full after eating pizza, focaccia, chocolate, and gelato for lunch; where six scoops of gelato and then a cannoli in one day was okay; and where I cried several times for different reasons: the sea water was too blue, the pesto was too tasty, the violin music outside of the Duomo in Siena was too chilling. Florence taught me many things: from the history of the Medici family, to validate my train ticket, how to properly taste wine, the art of the Renaissance, and to look both ways for bicycles before stepping out of an alley.

But, most importantly, my Italian classroom taught me how to live.

Abby Brodbeck, Carroll University
Faculty-led Summer Program – ISI Florence
Creative Writing (Prof. James Gannon)

April 25, 2018

An Italian Perspective

We have learned a bit about the Italian lifestyle and narrowed it down to three main rules that Italians seem to follow religiously.

Coffee
Coffee is an important part of Italian culture. It is usually consumed at the end of every meal. There are specific types that are drunk at particular times of the day. For example, cappuccinos are only for breakfast and not after a meal because the milk content is too heavy whereas espressos are the Italians’ coffee of choice and can be consumed during any time of the day. Italians visit a bar to get coffee to consume at the counter rather than drinking it at a table and they never ask for take-away!

Waste Separation
Although back in America some attempt to separate trash from recyclables, the Italians have a very orderly system to make sure that their trash is disposed of in an environmentally-friendly manner. Located on the streets are large trash receptacles. There are four bins each labeled so to categorize waste, they are “Residual waste,” “Multi-Material,” “Organic,” and, “Paper, cardboards, etc.” Our apartment came with multiple trash barrels for this purpose of waste separation so that as American students we could become more conscious, as the Europeans are, of proper waste disposal and recycling.

Energy Conservation
Unlike Americans, who are not conscious of the amount of power and energy utilized on a daily basis, the Italians are more conservative in their consumption. You will find that in their homes it is very uncommon to have a drying machine or a large washer. For this reason, smaller loads of laundry are done and clothes are dried on a hanging rack. Upon moving into our apartment, we were instructed to be more considerate about the amount of power utilized. We learnt to be energy-conscious and, for instance, take short showers and turn off the lights when leaving a room.

Victoria Dixon (UConn), Keyana Pietraszek (RWU), Helen “Rosie” Pontius (RWU)

 

Global Citizens of Tomorrow

 

Students who decide to invest their time and energy in community engagement activities during their semester abroad are likely to develop and shape a new identity. The people they meet will nurture their personality and they will learn to understand and accept cultural diversity by questioning their own personal certainties and beliefs.

We have spoken to many of the students involved in volunteering activities this Spring 2018 semester at ISI Florence. What strikes us is their awareness of how this experience greatly impacts their overall time abroad.
There are so many opportunities to choose from that any student who intends to learn more about Italian culture and spend time with locals will most certainly find something suitable to personal aptitudes. Find out more here!

 

Megan McGrath from Penn State University shares here an insight on her volunteering experience with Made in Sipario LINK, the Florentine-based NGO that provides an arts program for individuals with intellectual disabilities, allowing them to express themselves while creating products to be sold as profitable means.
Volunteering in Florence
I have been involved in the Down syndrome community at home (U.S.) for a few years now. However, volunteering in Florence is like nothing I have ever experienced before.

During the first week’s orientation at ISI Florence I heard about the opportunities offered by their Community Engagement Office. After much thought and consideration, I decided it was something I was truly interested in; I wanted to give back to the community that so willingly and openly was embracing me. So I met with the coordinator for volunteering activities, Serena Giorgi, and after discussing my background, specifically my involvement in the performing arts programs for mentally disabled people, she matched me with Made in Sipario (click for more information).

Initially, I was nervous; having worked with special populations I understand the challenges and demands that this kind of experience entails. However, I had never encountered a language barrier. I didn’t know much Italian and the people I was aiming to support didn’t speak English. It was going to be big a challenge, I thought.
Being a part of this program has reminded me of the incredible strengths of these people: their artistic intelligences, their patience, and their amicable nature. This group took me in quite quickly, trying to foster friendship and create a relationship – despite our language barrier. And they did not let it dissuade them either. And so, with patience and through trial and error, we each learned how to communicate best with one another.

I have learned through experience numerous things about nonverbal communication, more than I would ever have through a textbook or even working hands on with an English speaker. We had nothing else to fall back on, so we had to pay attention to each other’s gestures, expressions, and emotions. After a while I was able to communicate messages to whomever I was partnered with: where to add a color, when to fill in a missed spot, or suggest moving a hand more softly, and not pushing so hard on the paper. Likewise, they learned to communicate to me things like when they were finished with a section and wanted to know which to do next, when they needed help choosing the next color, or when a marker was out of ink. While some of these seem so simple, when you take away a common language, messages like these can actually prove a bit tricky. And yet, we were able to come up with ways to understand each other.

I believe this experience has held great importance for me as I continue forward towards an occupation in Speech and Language Pathology. It taught me the great difficulties of language barriers and ways to cope. I have had the opportunity to be in a position where I struggle communicating with others, a feeling and experience many of my future patients will be all too familiar with. Therefore, I believe I will better understand their feelings and emotions associated to this challenge. I have also deeply understood the great importance of nonverbal communication in relationships.

I am grateful for the time I have spent with this group and what it has taught me about this special population, myself, the cultures we both come from, and mostly, the fact that the world is not as big as we think. If you try, if you put yourself out there and have an open heart and mind, you will find people are not so different – regardless of culture or abilities – but rather, quite the same. Although differences provide challenges, they are not impossible to overcome. And once overcome, incredible things can be accomplished.

February 21, 2018

TOP #10 FIRENZE

Staying in Florence during the Spring Break? Follow our suggestions for things to do!

#01  TERME di SAN GIOVANNI RAPOLANO with Sunday Brunch

#02  EXPLORE THE FLORENTINE AREA OF SANT’AMBROGIO & BEYOND

#03  THE SECRETS OF ‘INFERNO’

#04  YOU ARE WHAT YOU DRINK

#05  ROLLER SKATING AT THE CASCINE

#06  JAPANESE DINING

#07  QUINTESSENTIAL ‘SCHIACCIATA ALL’OLIO & PIZZA AL TAGLIO’

#08  RENT A MOBIKE AND HEAD TO THE RIVER

#09  ANTICA MACELLERIA CECCHINI

#10  BOLOGNA, UNIVERSITY TOWN AND FOODIE’S SPOT

 

Download Our Complete Guide Here!

 

 

February 19, 2018

4 Rules to live like the Florentines

 

Cappuccino & Cornetto
Start your morning with an espresso beside a warm croissant. The Italians believe in a light breakfast and strong caffeine! Order and eat right at the bar to be out in only five minutes. Don’t be caught eating on the street: only tourists take their food onto the sidewalks in Florence. For an extra sweet morning, try a croissant filled with nutella!

Take it Slow
When walking through the crowded streets make sure to take your time and do not rush. The Florentines walk with a sense of calmness and, “when they get there, they get there.” Rushing through the streets and weaving among the throngs of people will only cause red flags to go flying that you are a tourist. So take your time, and enjoy all of the beautiful sites that Florence has to offer.

Sant’Ambrogio Market
Instead of going to Conad or another grocery store, make your way over to the Sant’Ambrogio Market where you will find indoor and outdoor vendors selling all sorts of veggies, fruits, breads, meats, and cheeses. Many Florentines go here to buy their food so it gives you the opportunity to interact with the locals and vendors who speak primarily Italian. Make sure to buy just a few days’ worth of food since all of the food is so fresh and won’t last more than a couple of days.

Cash is Key
Stores and restaurants here aren’t like the ones at home that will accept a credit card for a one dollar bottle of water. Here it is always smart to have at least 20 Euros on you at all times. You never know when you might want to duck in for a ‘gelato’ or need to stop and buy soap on your way home. Find the bank partnered with yours at home and know where it is so you can always withdraw cash without pesky ATM fees.

 

Authors
Kerri Anderson (Rutgers University), Rebecca DeMaio (UConn),Elizabeth Gurski (UConn), Emily Salvant UVA 

 

February 13, 2018

Riccardiana Library guidebook

In the 2017 Spring semester, ISI Florence students Oliver Jersild (Penn State) and David Kirby (Roger Williams) volunteered for the prestigious Riccardiana Library. Located on the first floor of Palazzo Medici Riccardi (one of the most famous Renaissance buildings in the world) and decorated with Baroque frescos by none other than Luca Giordano, the Riccardiana preserves thousands of centuries-old manuscripts, drawings, and documents of various kinds. David and Oliver volunteered for this late seventeenth-century library by translating the some 50 pages of Dr. Giovanna Lazzi’s Italian guidebook to the Riccardiana into English. They completed this task (and in a most successful way, we are proud to add) under the supervision of ISI Florence director Stefano Baldassarri, as Dr. Fulvio Stacchetti (Director, Bilbioteca Riccardiana) acknowledges in his preface to this brand new publication.

To purchase the book, click here.

Extracurricular activities

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Our students have embarked on this incredible journey that will, in many different ways, change their perspective and understanding of cultures, people, life, and probably their very own future. In our intention to guide them as they experience this semester abroad, we plan cultural activities in and around Florence to help students get involved in Italian and Florentine customs. Each activity is in a large way tied to culture and is intended to integrate students as much as possible into the Florentine and Italian way of life.

January kicked off with the ISI Florence sponsored day trip to Chianti – the Tuscan territory famous for wine and extra virgin olive oil production and beautiful landscapes. Students left Florence to breathe the Chianti countryside fresh air and visit a local winery. After touring the wine cellars and learning about wine and olive oil production methods, they enjoyed a traditional lunch together.

During weekdays, students were offered the chance to join a number of extracurricular activities.
We held a travel workshop, to give an insight into the ins and outs of traveling in Florence, Italy, and around Europe  (from information on buses, trains, low cost airlines, and city recommendations).
We invited the well-known blogger of ‘Girl in Florence’ who walked students through her tips on experiencing Florence as a local, not as a temporary tourist. They discussed various barriers to integration, sharing thoughts on how to break them, and came up with solutions as a group.
Students also joined the fresco workshop to discover this ancient painting technique while surrounded by the breathtaking art inside Palazzo Vecchio.
The following week, students experienced an ‘aperitivo’, the quintessential Italian activity focused on socializing, enjoying snacks and a drink before dinner.

ISI Florence app launched!

The Institute is proud to announce that the official ISI Florence mobile app is now available to all students, faculty, and staff. Practical functions and information such as Institute notices, housing maintenance forms, and personalized local maps are included to allow on-the-go access directly from mobile devices. In addition, essential program handbooks, course documents, and Institute emergency contacts are featured to ensure that important information or assistance is never more than a click away. The app will continue to be developed and updated to guarantee communication of the most up-to-date information and services.

Available on both iOS and Android systems.
Quick guide available here!

November 13, 2017

What I’ll miss about studying in Florence

Fall 2017
Intercultural Communication Course
Critical Thinking 

 

Emily Schaerf, UConn

It is surreal how fast this semester has flown by. In less than a month, we will head back home to our families, friends, and home universities. We think it goes without saying that we will forever cherish this experience and would like to take this opportunity to share some of the things we will miss most about this incredible city!

I have always wanted to spend a semester abroad and it has been quite frankly all I had hoped for. Studying in Florence has been a life changing experience. The following are a few of the things (both jovial and serious) I know that I will miss the most about the city…

Ability to walk almost everywhere.
At first this seemed like a hassle but I have grown to love this aspect.

How much the food plays into culture and life of its people.
There is something so enjoyable about going with friends for an amazing Italian meal where the restaurant owner treats you as family. Sharing a meal with no rush to leave and relaxing over a glass of wine is something I love to do.

Shopping at local markets.
At home there are a couple of farmers markets but there is nothing similar to the experience you get shopping at markets such as Mercato Centrale in the morning.

Artwork.
I have been studying here for some time and every time I pass by the Duomo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, etc. I am amazed. There is also something so special about living what you are learning!

Exploring.
At home I find myself very limited to my university for activity throughout the semester. It is always so much fun to wander around and “get lost” in your own city even now trying to find new gems. And yes, they are still out there!

Traveling. This is something incredibly unique to this semester. The fact that throughout Italy and Europe I have seen so much makes me feel incredibly fortunate. I love having the capability to see new things, try new things and really delve into my surroundings.

A slower pace of life.
Sitting down for dinner and finishing four hours later. Getting lost in a conversation with a new friend. Taking your time walking through the city as to see all the beauty and architecture. Florence has so much to offer, I’ve discovered a new appreciation for a ‘slow’ life. A life where meaning can be found in any moment, and to rush is to pass up on many opportunities.