Our Faculty
Serena Baldini
Laurea, University of Florence
Courses taught at the Institute
The Florence Experience I: Beginning Italian I
The Florence Experience II: Beginning Italian II
The Florence Experience III: Intermediate Italian I
The Florence Experience IV: Intermediate Italian II
The Florence Experience V: Advanced Italian
Credentials
Three-Year Master Degree, School of Counseling, Centro di Ascolto e Orientamento Psicoanalitico di Pistoia e Firenze, 2014. Concentration field: Education. Dissertation Title: Dalla questione del paesaggio al paesaggio di Question.
Master in Didactics of Italian as a Second Language and Promotion of Italian Culture, University âCaâ Foscariâ, Venice, Italy, 2006. Dissertation Title: Issues related to the motivational aspects of Language Learning and didactic projects for monolingual American classes.
Annual Specialization post-graduate course in Language and Communication, Department of Linguistics , University of Florence, Italy, 1997
Laurea in Philosophy, University of Florence, Italy, 1996. Dissertation Title: Vilfredo Pareto- Thoughts and Concepts of Society
Relevant Projects / Publications
S. Baldini â D. Marini, âVorrei. Corso di lingua italiana di livello elementare 1â.Libro di testo e libro degli esercizi. Firenze University Press, Florence 2016.
Campi che fuggivano, (When the fields were running, English version of the prose translated by G. Dragnea Horvath and D.S. Butterworth), in âVoyages, Rethinking Nature and its Expressionâ, Winter 2015, published by Gonzaga University in Florence. (http:// www.voyagesjournal.net)
Counseling e il nuovo status del docente. Esperienze nellâinsegnamento dellâitaliano in classi monolingui anglofone, in collaboration with David Marini, in âVoyages, Rethinking Nature and its Expressionâ, Summer 2013, Gonzaga University in Florence.
Teaching Philosophy
I want to share my enthusiasm for the Italian language and the Italian culture. I believe it is essential to involve students actively in their learning experience. I seek to foster studentsâ creativity and to encourage their active participation in class and real interaction with the Italian environment.
Most Rewarding Moments
When students create situations of spontaneous interaction in Italian with the teacher and among themselves.
When students show a desire to learn and know more about Italian culture and to discover the âworld outside âof the classroom.
Favorite Quote
âI hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.â (Chinese saying).
Emanuela Agostini
Ph.D., University of Florence
Courses Taught at the Institute
ITAL 340: Readings in Italian Literature. A Journey into Italian Theater (in Italian). Innamorate e Servette. Ruoli femminili nel teatro italiano.
Italian Language: The Florence Experience.
Credentials
2009 â Ph.D., History of the Performing Arts, University of Florence.
2005 â Laurea in Lettere, University of Florence.
Relevant Projects
2006-Present
Writer and editor (until 2009) for the online magazine Drammaturgia.it (www.drammaturgia.fupress.net).
2016
Collaborated in preparing an Italian language book for beginners: D. Marini-S. Baldini, Vorrei. Corso di lingua italiana di livello elementare 1. Libro di testo e libro degli esercizi, Firenze, Firenze University Press, 2016.
2013-2014
Research Fellowship, University of Florence, Dipartimento di Storia, Archeologia, Geografia, Arte, Spettacolo (SAGAS). Project: âAttivitĂ di ricerca e stesura di biografie di attori e cantanti italiani per lâArchivio Multimediale degli Attori Italianiâ directed by Siro Ferrone.
Latest Publications
-Vita e opere di un Comico dellâArte: Francesco Gabrielli detto Scapino, in «Il Liuto. Rivista della SocietĂ del Liuto», n. 12, maggio 2016, pp. 1-13.
-Antonietta Robotti (Como, novembre 1817-Bologna, 29 agosto 1864), in «Drammaturgia», a. XII, n.s. 2-2015, pp. 241-262.
-Memorie dâattore. Vittorio Gassman â Carmelo Bene, in Renaissance then and now: danza, musica e teatro per un nuovo Rinascimento. Atti del convegno internazionale di studi (ISI Florence, Palazzo Rucellai, 7-9 maggio 2013), a cura di Stefano Baldassarri, Pisa, ETS, 2014, pp. 17-32.
-Il Bergamasco in commedia. La tradizione dello Zanni nel teatro dâantico regime, Bergamo, Lubrina, 2012, pp. 1-287.
-Actorsâ biographical profiles in Archivio Multimediale degli Attori Italiani, directed by Siro Ferrone, Firenze, Firenze University Press, 2012.
Teaching Philosophy
Learning is starting a journey in an unknown land. My attempt is to make my studentsâ journey a stimulating one. My first goal is guiding them to taste the pleasure of discovery. I share with them my enthusiasm and passion for the subject I teach, and I encourage them to become the âmain actorsâ of the learning process. In the texts we read, in the shows we attend, even in grammar rules⊠lies a mysterious âtreasureâ that we can bring to light together, collecting evidence and consulting witnessesâŠ
Most Rewarding Moments
When students tell me about the âdiscoveriesâ they have autonomously done thanks to input received in class.
Favorite Quotes
âFor on that is the mind fed wherein it is gladdenedâ St. Augustine.
âInstruction does much, but encouragement everythingâ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Clive Woollard
M.B.A., Aston University, UK
Courses taught at the Institute
Family Business in Italy
The Business of Sustainable Food Supply Chains in Italy (SFESP)
Credentials
MBA (Marketing) Aston Business School, Birmingham UK
BSc in Polymer Technology, IPTME, Loughborough University, UK
Relevant Projects / Publications
Organisational Culture and the Classroom; Annuario Dirigenti Scuola 2013, LA SCUOLA SpA, Brescia, Italy.
Evaluation of Child Centered Education Through Cultural Analysis, OECD/CERI Innovative Learning Environments (2013), Paris, France.
Development of a new BSc(hons) programme â Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and the maintenance of all undergraduate programmes, in consultation with the University of Buckingham, external examiners and the QAA (The Quality Assurance Association for Higher Education in the UK).
Managing Director of Supplyco Ltd. A UK based business, supplying chemicals for European manufacturing industries.
Teaching Philosophy
As a lecturer in business I love the application of major business principles to the local context of Florence. This is where we see a rich fusion of historical and dynamic business types vying for a future. My lecture style is one of using cases to develop theoretical and practical business principles.
Most Rewarding Moments
Taking students to a leather tannery in Empoli, which is ran by one of my ex-students and following the supply chain through to Gucci, Prada and Ferragamo.
Favorite Quote
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. (William Shakespeare).
Carolina Megale
Ph.D., University of Florence
Courses Taught at the Institute
Archaeology and Art of Ancient Italy
Field Archaeology
Credentials
Ph.D. in âHistory and Civilization of the Ancient Worldâ, University of Florence â 2009
1st Class Degree (MA) in Roman Archaeology, University of Florence -2005
1st Class Degree (MA) in Methodology of Archaeological Research, University of Pisa â 2001
Relevant Projects
â 2014 Instructor of the course âMethodology of Archaeological research: from the dig to the historyâ, School of Specialization in Archaeology University of Florence.
â 2013 Project Scientific Coordinator excavation Area Piazza Garibaldi, Fiesole (Florence).
â 2012 Teaching assistant Greek and Roman Archaeology, University of Florence.
â 2011 Associate with the âStudio Archeologico Associato Hera di Giuditta Grandinetti and Carolina Megaleâ.
â 2011 President of Cultural Association Past in Progress.
Recent publications
C. MEGALE, A. CAMILLI, E. SORGE (eds.), Archeologia in cantiere. Nuove scoperte dagli scavi di Baratti, Pisa 2014.
C. MEGALE, F. GHIZZANI MARCĂA (ed.), Materiali per Populonia 8, Pisa 2009.
C. MEGALE (ed.), Fare lâarcheologo. Per passione e per mestiere, Livorno 2009.
Latest Articles
C. MEGALE, Corneli in Val di Cornia, in S. BRUNI, C. CIANFERONI (eds.), ÎÏÏÎčÏ ÎŽâoλίγη ÏΔ Ïίλη ÏΔ. Studi per Antonella Romualdi, Firenze 2014.
C. MEGALE, S. GENOVESI, Economy and production in Late Republican Settlement of Poggio del Molino, Populonia, in L. BOMBARDIERI, A. DâAGOSTINO, G. GUARDUCCI, V. ORSI, S. VALENTINI (a cura di), Identity and Connectivity: Proceedings of the 16th Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology, Florence, Italy, 1â3 March 2012, BAR International Series 2581 (II), 2013, pp. 901-908.
G. DE TOMMASO, S. GENOVESI, C. MEGALE, Piombino (Li). Necropoli di San Cerbone-Casone: relazione preliminare della campagna 2012, «Notiziario della Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana», 8/2012, pp. 475-477.
C. MEGALE, S. GENOVESI, M. BUENO, Nuovi mosaici dalle terme della Villa di Poggio del Molino (PopuloniaâLI), Actes of XVIII Colloquio AISCOM Associazione Italiana per lo Studio e la Conservazione del Mosaico (Cremona 2012), pp. 517-526.
Teaching Philosophy
I believe in hands-on experience, I love books but I prefer soil.
My approach to teaching is based fundamentally on interest and enjoyment. I find archaeology a fascinating subject both to learn and to teach and I think that bringing this enthusiasm into the classroom and passing it on to students is the best way to teach effectively. However, enthusiasm alone is not enough. Successful teaching combines this with appropriate knowledge about the subject and the use of a variety of educational techniques from old fashioned lecturing to the use of multimedia, films, web resources, but first of all visits to the museums, field trips and practical experience on archaeological site.
Not every student I teach will major in archaeology or anthropology, but all students can benefit from an archaeological perspective. The archaeological approach is a way of thinking and my aim is to teach to my students to get the right questions and have the method to find the right answers.
Most Rewarding Moments
When students after an hard day of digging are proud and happy of what they have done, because they understood the meaning of this work.
Peter Fischer
Ph.D., European University Institute
Courses taught at the Institute
History and Politics of Modern Italy
The History & Culture of Food: A Comparative Analysis
The History of Agriculture, Food and Sustainability in Italy
Credentials
M.A., Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule (RWTH), Aachen
Ph.D., European University Institute, Florence (Italy)
Teaching Philosophy
Learning is a life-long endeavor. My goal is to prepare students for this by providing them with a base of knowledge and sophistication upon which they can build, and to encourage in them attitudes and techniques for continued learning. As A. Toffler put it so well, âThe illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.â
Most Rewarding Moments
I enjoy teaching ISI students that bring a spirit of curiosity, motivation, and enthusiasm.
Favorite Quote
âEverything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.â
â Albert Einstein
Erika Bianchi
Ph.D., University of Florence
Courses taught at the Institute
Ancient Rome: Civilization and Legacy
Sport History and Culture
Credentials
Ph.D. in Ancient History, University of Florence, 2004
Relevant Projects / Publications
Ancora su Eschine III, 252, âDikeâ 5, 2002, 83-94;
Nota sulla morte degli oratori nel 322 a. C., âPrometheusâ 30 (2), 2004, 129-38;
The Law of Eukrates: a âdemocratic trick?â, âHistoria Antiguaâ 23, 2005, 313-330;
Plutarch and the Age of Demosthenes, âPloutarchosâ, forthcoming.
Teaching Philosophy
A historian (and her students!) cannot escape from dates and names, but I like to give my class something more than this. When I lecture, I try to focus on what students will remember of my class in ten yearsâ time⊠they will retain the basic concepts that have shaped also their society, life and culture. The true point of history is that of acting as a mirror for both our past and our future; I try both to help the students discovering that mirror they so often are unaware of, and to be helped by them to look at it from new perspectives.
Most Rewarding Moments
1) Having my ideas challenged by intelligent questions and/or objections
2) Leaning out of the Capitoinel terrace and watching my students enthusiastically recognizing the monuments and buildings of ancient Romeâs landscape
Favorite Quote
If you think you can or think you canât, you are probably right (Henry Ford).
Francesca Marini
Ph.D., University of Florence
Courses Taught at the Institute
The Art of Florence: Exploring Visual Culture
The Business of Art: the Economics and Management of Culture
Credentials
Ph.D. Modern Art History â UniversitĂ degli Studi di Firenze
Laurea cum laude in Modern Art History â UniversitĂ degli Studi di Firenze
Latest Projects / Publications
â âLarghi dâoro in oro per parte di miniaturaâ: i Corali Edili 148-151 e lâOpera di Santa Maria del Fiore a Firenze, in âMedieval Charm: Illuminated Manuscripts for Royal, Aristocratic, and Ecclesiastical Patronageâ by F. BrazĂšs-Moly and F. Marini, International conference proceedings, Florence, ISI Florence, 20 October 2015, Perpignan, forthcoming.
â âFlorence â Rome round trip: the Florentine art collecting context and the Salviatiâ methodus, forthcoming.
â âCatalogo delle opere, biografia, apparatiâ, in âModiglianiâ by R. Chiappini, exhibition catalogue, Genova, Palazzo Ducale, 16 March- 17 July 2017, Milano.
â âJohn Currin: Paintingsâ, Gagosian Quarterly Magazine, September 2016.
â âA new Drawing by Mantegnaâ, in âThe Burlington Magazineâ, 157.2015,1344, pp.155-157
Teaching Philosophy
Applying knowledge while learning and developing critical thinking in the past and current world analysis are fundamental in my teaching method. For this reason, the understanding of Middle Ages and Renaissance Art in Florence and the economic and social mechanisms of the markets for visual arts are achieved in my classes through a mutual exchange with the students, a constant questioning on the causes and the effects of the making, the display and the consumption of art in different cultural, social and geographical contexts.
Most Rewarding Moments
Catching the glimpse of joy in studentsâ eyes observing closely a major artwork for the first time.
Favorite Quote
âIntention is the forward-leaning look of things. It is not a reconstituted historical state of mind, then, but a relation between the object and its circumstances.â â Micheal Baxandall
Rita Comanducci
Ph.D., UniversitĂ di Verona
Courses taught at the Institute
Architecture: Roman to Early Christian
The Art of Florence: Exploring Visual Culture
Credentials
Ph.D. in Economic History (The Art Market in Renaissance Florence) â University of Verona
Specialization Course (Master) in Historical Studies â Istituto Italiano di Studi Storici, Naples
Laurea cum Laude in Renaissance History (Bernardo di Giovanni Rucellai) â University of Florence
Currently student of Renaissance Lute at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole
Latest Projects / Publications
Currently member of the editorial board of Il Liuto, Rivista della SocietĂ del Liuto
2000-2002 Post-doctoral Research Fellowship in Economic History, University of Siena
1999 CNR-NATO Research Fellowship, Research Department, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
â âBernardo Rucellaiâ, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Roma, Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, (forthcoming)
â âIl fascino della ârisonanzaâ. Viaggio di unâidea tra scienza, platonismo e quabbalahâ, in Umanesimo e cultura ebraica nel rinascimento italiano, Proceedings of the International Congress ISI Florence, Palazzo Rucellai, Firenze, 10 March 2016, ed. S. U. Baldassarri â F. Lelli, Firenze, Angelo Pontecorboli, 2016
â âIl liuto di Re Salomoneâ, in «Il Liuto. Rivista della SocietĂ del Liuto», XIII, November 2016
â âIl liuto dalla corda spezzata: pensiero, arte e politica alle origini di un simboloâ, in «Il Liuto. Rivista della SocietĂ del Liuto», 10, May 2015
â âLo studio di Rubens di Cornelis de Baeilleurâ, in «Il Liuto. Rivista della SocietĂ del Liuto», 8, May 2014
â âOrti Oricellariâ, in Enciclopedia Machiavelli, Roma, Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, 2014
Teaching Philosophy
I believe that love and enthusiasm are the two most important ingredients for any class you teach: seeing students responding with joy, parteciaption and interest tells me that what we have learned together will remain for long in our memory and in our spirit.
Most Rewarding Moments
Seeing students leaving the class with a smile in their eyes, and reading the joyful emails they send me once the semester is over and they are back home.
Daniela Sinicropi
Ph.D., University of Florence
Courses taught at the Institute
Advanced Topical Design Studio: Urban â Assistant Professor
Architectural Structures II
Credentials
Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, from the University of Florence in collaboration with the University of Braunschweig, Germany
Licensed Architect. University of Florence, 2008 qualifying examination. N° 7446 of the Professional Association of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservers of the Province of Florence, Italy, Section A â 2009
Degree in Architecture from the University of Florence with first class honours (110/110, magna cum laude) â 2008
Latest Projects / Publications
Freelance architect since 2009, I have been involved in several flat renovations, interior design projects and safety plans for public and private sectors. Together with a research team at the University of Florence, I have published the following articles:
Paradiso, M., Perria, E., Galassi, S., Sinicropi, D., Structural Integrity and Consolidation of the Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba, Congreso Internacional sobre DocumentaciĂłn, ConservaciĂłn y ReutilizaciĂłn del Patrimonio Arquitectonico, Madrid, Spain 20 -22 June 2013, pp 619-626, ISBN 978-84-15321-73-6
Paradiso, M., Galassi, S., Borri, A., Sinicropi, D., âReticolatusâ: An Innovative Reinforcement for Irregular Masonry â a Numeric Model, Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Structures and Architecture, Guimaraes, Portugal, 24-26 July, 2013, pp. 841- 848, ISBN 978-0-415-66195-9
Most Rewarding Moments
One of the most rewarding moments is when, in the course of the semester, we see how much of what we teach comes out in their design philosophy. The site visits and the field trips are also moments of exposure that they themselves describe as unforgettable!
Favorite Quote
âEverybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.â
Albert Einstein
Franco Pisani
Laurea, University of Florence
Courses Taught at the Institute
Architecture Design Studio VI
History of Italian Design
Credentials
Laurea in Architettura â Professional Degree in Architecture, 1997
UniversitĂ degli studi di Firenze
Licensed Architect, Italy
Ordine degli Architetti della provincia di Firenze n° 5283 â 1997
Latest Projects/Publications
www.qart.it
â 2008 sassi turchini: center for accessible holidays ,Porto Azzurro,Isola dâElba (under construction)
â 2008 modenacambiafaccia urban design competition, Modena, III prize
â 2008 scuola media don milani, design competition for a didactic complex, vicchio, FI, IV prize
â 2007 lipomo design competition for a didactic complex, lipomo, CO, IV prize
â 2006 palestra comunale, Golfo Aranci, OT (built)
Teaching Philosophy
We learn⊠10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we both see and hear, 70% of what we discussed with others, 80% of what we experience personally, 95% of what we TEACH someone else
â William Glasser
Some assert that you can learn architecture but you canât teach architecture. It may sound as a justification for not-responsible teachers, but there is something true on that. Architecture is a discipline made of acts of faith, rituals, illuminations more than reassuring univocal formulas. Every moment is a good one, leave doors opened: ideas come also when you are not looking for them. Design for an architect is a vital necessity, extremely involving. If you donât feel this kind of commitment, youâd better ask yourself if this is the right direction for you: the world is full of bad architects, itâs better not to enlarge that family.
Favorite Teaching Moments
âYou are still one of just a couple teachers who really had a strong influence on my thinking.â E.C. (fall â04);
âI truly can say I was pushed architecturally in ways I have not experienced before from a class- and I loved it. It was an incredible class and it was really great to get to see Italy through your eyesâ. A.K. (spring â06);
âI wanted to thank you for being such a passionate teacher. I really realized when I got home how much i enjoyed your words. You were a good âkick in the assâ to get me through the thesis, so thank youâ. D.F. (spring â06);
âIt was definitely a great semester and you opened my eyes to a lot of new possibilities in archâ. G.Z. (spring â07);
âI feel i have learned so much from you about the life of an architect and especially about presenting and communicating ideasâ R.H. (spring â07).
Favorite Quote
âTalking about music is like dancing about architecture.â â Frank Zappa