Priceless!
On October 17, 2012 I visited the Biblioteca Riccardiana in Florence. I was able to read antique manuscripts, one even worth 15,000 euros. Invited there to pose for photos for the new ISI brochures, I ended up learning tons! How lucky I was to be guided by the Director of the Riccardiana, Dr. Giovanna Lazzi, and ISI Florence Academic Director, Prof. Stefano U. Baldassarri, who talked me through the story line and the history and process of how books were made in days gone by. And that’s not all! I also got a quick tour of the adjoining Palazzo Medici Riccardi, one of the most important monuments in Florence, a prototype of Renaissance and Baroque architecture. What an amazing experience!
Elizabeth Brack, Arizona State University
From the olive to oil under the Tuscan sun
This past week I got the chance to join my fellow agricultural students from ISI Florence at Poggio Antico, a biodynamic farm, for four days. During this cultural enriching experience we learned how extra virgin olive oil is produced from the planting of the olive trees to the bottling of the oil. While staying on the farm for a week, our schedule consisted of waking up bright and early to a breakfast full of local products grown on the farm such as: cheese, milk, yogurt, apples and more. After filling our stomachs with delicious food, we were put to work olive picking. We spent at least four hours every day harvesting olives from trees scattered across the farm. Students reached new heights climbing trees on swaying branches as if they were monkeys. Staring out at the majestic Tuscan landscape from the top of an olive tree is probably one of the highlights I have encountered throughout this entire study abroad experience.
After a visit to the refinery, where they take the freshly picked olives and press the oil, we got to taste the extra virgin olive oil right off the processor. Not only did we learn about how olive oil is made, we were taught the process and beliefs behind biodynamic agriculture and shown first hand the passion the farmers had for their land and crops. Biodynamic agriculture focuses on perceiving the farm as an organism that needs to be appreciated and cared for. Poggio Antico is a self-sustaining farm which grows wheat to feed its cows, using the cow manure for compost, and applying these nutrients directly back to the soil through biodynamic methods. Poggio Antico farming is not a daily hardship, but a way of life. Roberto, the head farmer, explained that he moved out to the farm because it was what he lived for.
Going to bed with a blanket of stars above and waking up to the sunrise over the countryside left us with memories we are sure to never forget. Florence has become my home; however, it was a nice change of pace to leave behind the loud ambulances, packed streets, and the hustle and bustle of the city to spend a couple days on a farm in the Tuscan countryside. Many people have seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun where the protagonist leaves her home life to find herself in the Tuscan countryside. After speaking to all of my classmates I am positive we all discovered something new about Italy’s countryside and ourselves from those couple days under the Tuscan sun at Poggio Antico.
Linda Grand, UConn – Sustainable Agriculture Program
Team play
As a college student, the idea of playing for a sports team is often overwhelming. But when I heard that our program offered the opportunity to be part of ISI Florence soccer team, I knew it was the perfect chance to relive some of my most missed high school memories. The experience proved to be everything I hoped it would be, and more. The games were intense, competitive and fun. I was able to form relationships with students who I never would have met otherwise. Playing for the ISI soccer team is a memory that I will forever cherish. I am proud of what our team accomplished and I am grateful for the friends and memories I made during the soccer season of the study abroad fall semester of my junior year of college.
Jamie Girolamo, UConn, Studio Arts Program