Villarossa Number 29 | Fall 2013 Voice the VILLA ROSSA VOICE Is a Syracuse University in Florence Publication

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VillaRossa Number 29 | fall 2013 Voice The VILLA ROSSA VOICE is a Syracuse University in Florence publication. We welcome your questions and comments. Editorial staff Director Sasha Perugini Editor Michelle Tarnopolsky [email protected] Student Editor Olivia Lee O’Connell Graphics and Layout Francesco Guazzelli [email protected]

Cover photo Mike Thron Tribunale di Firenze Registro Stampa Periodico No. 5854 All material © Syracuse University in Florence

http://suflorence.syr.edu The Office for Lost Souls An Interview by the VRV with SUF Student Counselor Amy Kleine s 5 by VRV

t JUST... GET LOST an SUF Writing Professor Reflects on this Semester’s Theme by Baret Magarian 7 n Facing Your Fears The Anxieties and Adventures of Studying Abroad 8 by Max Antonucci (Syracuse University) e Lost and Found Discovering One of Florence’s ‘Secret Bakeries’ t by Anne Slota (Syracuse University) 9

Soul Searching Florence Freshmen Reflect on Identity n 10

Syracuse on the Rocks Geology Students Visit Naples, Herculaneum, and Mt. Vesuvius o by Megan Donovan (Syracuse University) 11

Disconnecting to Connect Experiencing Florence in a Real Way by Rebecca J. Shafer (Syracuse University) 12 C

Life as a Fulbright Scholar Exploring Albanian Culture by Laura Marsolek (Syracuse University) 13

Girl Rising A Look at Female Education around the World by Shannon O’Connor (Syracuse University) 14

A Widow’s World A Lecture by Dr. Isabelle Chabot by Megan Fowle (Gettysburg College) and Kyrstin Racine (George Washington) 15

And the Winner Is… Four SUF Students Serve on Film Festival Jury by Carlotta Fonzi Kliemann 16

Connecting Across the Language Barrier An SUF Student Volunteers for Special Olympics Italia by Benjamin Lee (Syracuse University) 17

Reflecting on Florence The Coluccio Salutati Award by Lily Prigioniero 18

Waxing Poetic Travel Inspires Two SUF Students to Pick up Their Pens by Emily Francisco (Gettysburg College) and Katrina Sotiropoulos (Syracuse University) 20

An SUF Journey A Former Employee Reflects on her Experience By Rosa Mannino 21

Studio Art Student Show + Architecture Program Exhibition 22

Staff & Faculty Watch 23 Letter from the Director

The cultural learning that takes place when someone studies abroad is a two-way street. Not only are students exposed to new customs and habits but teachers from the host country must also cul- turally adapt and tailor their approach to their foreign students. This presents a significant challenge for teachers unfamiliar with the US system of higher education or who have not experience in teaching in an international environment. Accommodating, understanding, interpreting and dealing with students with learning disabilities is one of the fields where the US and European systems differ in interesting and sometimes surprising ways.

This is where SUF Assistant Director for Health and Wellness Amy Kleine comes in. As the staff member who ensures such students have their needs met, Amy performs the vital role of cultural li- aison between SUF students and teachers, helping members of both sides understand each other better. In fact, it’s in tribute to Amy’s incredibly important and sometimes unrecognized role that we have dedicated this issue to the services her office provides. While developing intercultural awareness is a life-changing and lifelong adventure, the process can also be rife with anxiety-inducing confusion and misunderstanding. While behind the scenes, Amy plays a very important role in helping students become aware of what this is all about and encourages everyone to approach the experience with an open mind and heart; that way, chances are that ‘getting lost’—one of our inspiring themes—turns out to be one of the best things that’s ever happened to you. It would have been impossible to dedicate an issue on health and wellness without talking about Amy. For more advice from her, see the interview on page five.

Sasha Perugini

Letter from the Editor

Shortly before embarking on his study-abroad adventure in Florence in early September, Max Antonucci wrote a blog post for Syracuse University’s The Daily Orange that was picked up by our Assistant Director for Academics, Camille Crites, and shared widely among the SUF staff and faculty. We all just loved it. In fact, it inspired the theme for the semester, “Just!Get Lost”, which in turn inspired the theme for this issue. Find out what happened to Max after arriving in Florence on page 8. Each semester the Villa Rossa Voice highlights one of SUF’s programs or initiatives, and considering the theme in question, this time we’re focusing on the staff member specially devoted to helping ‘lost’ students: Assistant Director for Health and Wellness, Amy Kleine. SUF is one of the only study-abroad programs in Italy to offer the kind of focused counselling Amy provides—a truly invaluable service for students adjusting to life abroad. Being removed from all your creature comforts and thrown into completely unfamiliar surroundings can throw off the most even-keeled among us. SUF students are incredibly lucky to have Amy to turn to during this exciting yet potentially anxiety-ridden time. To get a better sense of what Amy does, and why she agrees that ‘getting lost’ can have its benefits, see my interview with her on page 5. This issue also spotlights creative writing, with SUF writing professor Baret Magarian taking an imaginative stab at our theme (page 7) and two students inspired by their studyabroad experience to write poetry (page 20). We’ve also got "Discovery Florence" freshmen letting their minds and pens wander as they ponder their own identity from this far-from-home context (page 10). Indeed, there’s plenty in this issue for everyone. Enjoy ‘getting lost’ in it!

Michelle Tarnopolsky 4 The Health and Wellness Office ofor LSosut ls

An Interview with SUF SAssistant Director for Health and Wellness Amy Kleine

VRV: What kinds of services do you tasks, the time I dedicate to students fessional" view point, I turn to the Ameri- offer SUF students? each day includes meetings in person can College Counseling Association or Amy: My role in health and wellness with them to discuss their personal con- NAFSA. For a more realistic, first-person service to students is as a referral and cerns or medical needs and sometimes perspective, I often stop students to ask emergency responder to medical/psy- addressing these issues via questions, such as where are you travel- chological concerns, and perhaps most phone/email. When not meeting with ing to next weekend, what do you like importantly, a sounding board and lis- students, I am checking up on our med- best so far about Italy...anything from tener for issues that come up for them ical/psychological professional referrals, who the "cool" actors/movies are now to including adjustment, anxiety, and rela- making sure they are still offering the where students are going out at night in tionships with peers and others. same services, if there are any changes Florence. I find that as long as I have a or additions to their practice, etc. If I non-judgmental approach, students are VRV: What is your typical day like? have time in the day, I research "the quite willing to share information, and American college student" and their thankfully, keep me updated! Amy: Along with other administrative needs in various respects. For the "pro- 11 Health and Wellness

VRV: What is the most common not take the opportunity to get to excited and get informed! Read the source of anxiety that students know that person well while in an materials your study abroad office need your help with? unfamiliar setting, to take risks, to gives you pre-departure. Almost Amy: Anxiety issues for students explore new interests, and to en- everything you need to know is can present themselves in many gage in some real personal there, and taking the time to read forms, from worry about doing well growth? That also, to me, is making through the materials will save you on exams, to fear of not having the most of this experience. so much time trying to figure things anyone to travel with over break, out once you are in the host coun- not meeting Italians, to family is- VRV: Any advice for students try, i.e. less anxiety on arrival! sues back home, host family here mentally preparing to study and not being able to communicate abroad? VRV: Do you think there is any with them, roommates and peers, Amy: I am full of advice for stu- benefit to ‘getting lost’ physically break-ups, and I could go on. Over dents! However, I will limit myself to and/or metaphorically? the years, however, there is an un- my top three. One: Choose a coun- derlying theme that recurs consis- Amy: I am all for getting lost in both try you really want to senses, as long as a person does it learn about, or some with safety in mind. Getting lost by aspect of that cul- taking a bus to the end of the line ture! Don’t choose just to see where it goes in Flo- based on someone rence and then turning back, get- else’s experience or ting lost by going to the train station pressure. If your on a Saturday morning and ran- dream is to someday domly taking a train to some un- work in an Asian known city in Italy, getting lost by country and you are wandering the streets of the centro minoring in Chinese, of Florence, exploring tiny little side Italy may be beauti- streets and finding hidden works of ful and your friends art embedded in the buildings! yes, that kind of getting lost is won- told you they had the derful and can lead to so many new best time of their discoveries. Getting lost at 3:00 in lives, but it probably the morning, while walking home will not be the right alone from Space Electronic is ab- tently: expectations. Expectations choice for you!and solutely not the kind of explorations of having to make the most of the vice versa. Two: Keep an open of tiny side streets I am recom- experience abroad, expectations of mind, be realistic about your expec- mending, however! And!getting having lots of best friends on the tations and goals, and recognize lost in a great book by an Italian au- program, expectations of being able that you are about to embark on thor, getting completely lost in an to travel every weekend, get all A's, one of the most enriching but chal- Italian film where you barely under- talk for hours to BF and BFF (or lenging experiences you may have stand what is going on, and there however these important people in had in life thus far. Also, know that are no subtitles, getting lost in the our lives are called now - I may leaving your country for another is beauty and wonder of a great work need to go wander the corridor and not a “Band-Aid” for any emo- of art at a museum, (or even getting check this terminology again!) and lost in the museum itself), yes: all tional/personal issues that could be great ways to lose oneself parents back home on Skype and happening in your life; they will still be fluent in Italian in three months. metaphorically. Getting lost by los- be there if unresolved. What going ing consciousness from too much I'm kidding, but not. I think the most away can do is offer a different per- successful, least anxiety-ridden stu- alcohol so that you don’t remember dents create a balance, prioritizing spective, especially if you immerse getting lost, for example, again, is their academics and cultural immer- yourself in the culture and your not my recommendation! sion; going on field trips that we studies of that country. Three: Get offer—instead of "If it is Friday, it must be Amsterdam and Saturday, must be Prague"-type tours; finding the company of a few students with whom they enjoy being; putting a limit on daily contact with the States; learning to laugh when they make mistakes with the language, but trying nevertheless to communicate; and simply, as with our previ- ous semester's slogan, learning to "be here now." That, in my mind, is making the most of this experience. And, still further...let's say a student doesn't find the group of people, or person well-suited to them, or maybe their budget is such that they cannot take a lot of trips or go out at night in an effort to make friends...to them I say, yes, being with just yourself is hard but, in the end, it is the one person you will be with every day of your life, so why Amy with former students on a visit to the home campus. r e w e r B

a e s l e h C

: y b

i m a g i Just… r O Get Lost An SUF Writing Professor Reflects on this Semester's by Baret Magarian Theme

hat does getting lost age of life has its own corre- uled, google earthed, zoomed- mean? I suppose it is sponding past, its nostalgia- in-on, scrubbed and spun dry to do with memory, or soaked golden epoch when the thing. I never understood them, rather the absence of champagne flowed more freely, these Protractor People, I never memory. Or rather when the grapes tasted sweeter understood how they could re- that blank slate that exists in and were fatter and were like gard life with such literal-minded one’s mind before a place has great pearls and diamonds. reductiveness and sample its had the chance to leave any Some people never get lost, mysteries and wonders only via marks, leave any signifiers, any some people have it all mapped the agency of blunt and antisep- pointers of orientation. We get out. They surround themselves tic utensils. Give me noise and lost in a city when we can’t re- with maps, compasses, satellite chaos and life and dirt! Give me member anything about its lay- navigators, guidebooks. They the trajectory of spontaneity! out. When we can’t remember treat life as though it is a finely Allow my little Ven diagram circle that small church, that corner planned, meticulously sched- to overlap with someone else’s shop, that dangerous intersec- Ven diagram circle so that the tion. And when we start to re- hermetically sealed boxes of my member little features of the city life are unsealed and opened landscape, then we can start to I am always trying to steer my and I can finally live! I am al- find our way around, and we no vessel towards uncharted ways trying to steer my vessel longer get lost. So getting lost is lands, undiscovered territo- towards uncharted lands, undis-

like amnesia. Actually, not ex- “ ries. I would stumble into covered territories. I would

actly. Because amnesia implies them, blinded by an unfamiliar stumble into them, blinded by an the forgetting of what was once sun, filled with the awareness unfamiliar sun, filled with the there. I am going round in cir- “ awareness of the exotic and un- cles, I realise. Getting lost is like of the exotic and unknown, known, and wake to find that all childhood, like the time before and wake to find that all those those I had mistakenly taken for memories existed. I miss that in- I had mistakenly taken for strangers were my friends. That nocence, that blank slate; I miss strangers were my friends. all my yesterdays were my to- the innocence of not having a morrows. And that the earth, no past to miss. Or maybe each less, was my home.

7 9 Fyouar cing

The AnxFietiees anad Adrvenstures of Studying Abroad

by Max Antonucci

[Editor’s Note: In August, Max Antonucci wrote a column for Syracuse University’s The Daily Orange newspaper, “Student anxiously awaits studying abroad in Florence,” which inspired the staff at SUF to dedicate the fall semester to the theme “Just!Get Lost”. We asked Max to write a follow-up to that piece.]

n my first column, I wrote about That's because, while here, I've still the streets. And many times I was alone. feeling anxiety before studying managed to experience so many great But regardless of whether someone was abroad. Even though it focused on things regardless of whether I was alone with me or not, I don't have a single re- career anxiety, that wasn't my or not. I saw the beautiful Boboli Gar- gret, even when I think about all the biggest worry. It was something dens, a simply breathtaking mix of na- things I could've done, but didn't. else that had affected me for ture and art that I could spend days years, but I worried would get even exploring. I visited Chianti, a region Florence and all of Europe have so worse while in Italy. It was the simple known for its exquisite wine, and partook much to offer that it's almost impossible fear of being alone. That was definitely in one of the most memorable banquets to not enjoy this experience regardless my biggest concern my freshman year: of my life. The week before that, I had of the company you keep. So all my not making any friends and feeling like I traveled to Perugia for its chocolate fes- fears naturally got shattered along the was missing essential experiences. In tival. I visited Cinque Terre, Rome, a way. Ironically enough, this has made it my head, I thought living a relatively solo host of other Italian cities, and spent a easier for me to connect with others, life meant living an unhappy one, that if I week traveling Eastern Europe doing even casually, so I feel less lonely and wasn't talking to someone, I was doing everything from caving to riding my first am less alone. Instead of my life being something wrong and didn't deserve to cruise ship. lots of separate moments of happiness, be happy. now I've got a steady stream going. I al- I visited parks and got lost on buses; I most feel like new, and I'm certain this Going abroad for a semester made stopped to watch Italian children playing wouldn't have happened if I had stayed these anxieties worse. I felt even more by a fountain and students protesting in in America. pressure not to miss out on anything during this once-in-a-lifetime chance in So that's the lesson I found, and I hope Europe. Letting these amazing experi- everyone else who goes on a semester

ences slip away because I feared having Halfway through my time abroad finds something similar. Because

to do them alone would haunt me for- in Florence, away from along with all the memories, the lessons ever. I'd be throwing away a priceless we learn are the real priceless benefits. I opportunity and just have myself to “ so many distractions “ learned this one in Italy, so I'll always blame. back home, I realized I feel like part of me is still here, long after Halfway through my time in Florence, had subconsciously al- the journey ends. Part of me will always away from so many distractions back ready done so much to be traveling. home, I realized I had subconsciously al- cure my anxiety. ready done so much to cure my anxiety. So thank you, Florence. 8 11 he best experience I can say I have had here that concerns getting lost is the story that led me to the secret doughnut shop. It was my first night out on the town in Florence. We had a huge group to start with – almost everyone I knew. We had some trouble deciding on a place to go and even more trouble finding it. Eventually, a few of us split off from the main group and sat by the fake David statue just talking and having a good time. Then I got a text message that the main group had found Lost their destination and the street where it was located. We set off on a mission. We checked every street name we could find even though we knew we probably could not find the right one. Somehow, we found d our way to Santa Croce, though I did not know it at the n time. To be honest, I thought it was the Duomo at first. a We decided to ask for directions because of how ob- Found viously futile our current course of action was. A group of four young Italians passed by and we asked them if they knew the city well. We made hasty introductions, and the only one I Discovering One of Florence’s “Secret Bakeries” remember is a boy named Marcus. There might have been a Matteo too. In total, there were three gay Italian boys and one straight Italian girl. Each one of them by Anne Slota tried all at the same time to give us directions to the same place by taking different routes. After a few minutes of this confused squabbling, one of the Italian boys held his phone up in the air and yelled triumphantly over the clamor, “Google Maps!” to which we all responded in a joyful chorus of “Google Maps! Yay!” In an instant, it seemed, we were all huddled around this boy’s phone trying to decide where we were on the map and which way the red arrow was pointing. Then I pulled out my phone and took a picture of the Italian’s phone and we set off. I cut straight across the piazza and zig-zaged through any number of unfamiliar city blocks. How- ever, my group kept noticing something strange: people with pastries that looked really good. We saw more and more of these strange 2am pastries the closer we thought we got to where the rest of our group was. And the closer we got, the less eaten the pastries were that we came upon. We all decided we wanted one because it was late, we were hungry, and they looked so good. Then we turned a corner and it hit us. The smell. It was like a warm, sunny afternoon in the heart of Tus- cany made just for you in the wee hours, and coated in sugar. It called to us and we could not say no. Our stomachs were grumbling, our mouths were watering, and visions of deliciousness danced before our eyes in the hands of every teenager we passed on the street. After a while, we just let our noses lead the way. By the time we got to within a block of the shop, we were running. I saw a group of boys sitting on bikes eating fresh doughnuts. I ran up and pointed at the doughnut. “Dove?!” They pointed using their whole tor- sos and with wide eyes shouted that it was very close. It was reassuring to see people as excited about the After a few minutes of this doughnuts as we were.

confused squabbling, one We walked up to the door

of the Italian boys held his and knocked loudly. A man “phone up in the air and slid back a window and yelled triumphantly over “ shushed us. We apologized the clamor, “Google humbly and ordered all plain maps!” to which we all re- doughnuts. They came after sponded in a joyful chorus a short but agonizing wait of “Yay!” and, I am pleased to tell you, they were heavenly.

8 9 to see things on a global aspect. Florence has walk to the center. Instead of eating $2 pizza on Throughout this revolutionary and revealed to me that since I am not used to being a 15-minute break, I sit down with my host family fast-paced evolutionary moment, I away from home for more than three weeks, I and eat dinner for two hours. Instead of walking have come to realize now more begin to feel attached to the online world to stay by myself, I am surrounded by friends. I traded than ever that most university stu- in touch with friends back home. I am trying to in my New Yorker slang for Italian. I traded in my dents want to find a meaning for break away from this trait by fully immersing my- four-inch heels for a pair of moccasins. their education – and meaning in self more in the culture, people, and opportuni- (Alison Rivera) their lives. As Nietzsche says, “He ties. who has a meaning can survive (Randy Delgadillo) America is obsessed with being diverse by cal- any hell”, and for freshmen study- culation and individuality. We fill in bubbles on ing abroad, that fundamental root I have now traveled overseas three times in tests with our ethnic group!It’s ironic how we all of security that keeps them three consecutive years. I have seen myself strive to be different, but at the same time we are American. When I go to Trinidad although I claim grounded in a whirlwind of experi- grow from a sheltered girl from a small town to a worldwide traveler. My taste buds have lost the to be Trinidadian I am not. I may look like one but ence is to define their interests and I do not share the same sing-songy voice or to unveil an essential desire to dis- standard taste of steak every night and they have become accustomed to exotic varieties such as ways of dressing. All I am to them is an American cover one’s self. What follows is a maggots, fried duck, churros, and endless moun- or a Yankee! it’s the same in Italy I suppose. selection of passages from my Dis- tains of gelato. I guess that these new acquired I’ve never felt more American in my life!why covery Florence writing class on tastes have altered my identity to the crazy girl can’t I just be myself in a different country? Is “Discovering Identity.” who eats bugs, but it also has shaped me into a identity something you give yourself or is it given girl more willing to partake in new experiences. to you. (Prof. Lily Prigioniero) I most definitely have a more global identity. I’m (Khadijah Farrell)

SOUL SEARCHING Florence Freshmen Reflect on Identity Discovery Florence students, fall 2013 i l l

a willing participate in travel and study abroad e ack home I have many identities. I am z whilst learning a new language! I have become I have Seattle memorized like a map in my z African American, and I am a Washing- a a more open person, where I am more comfort- mind. For me, getting lost isn’t an option!com- u G tonian with roots in many other places. ing to Florence was a shock at first!I couldn’t able meeting new people and sharing my past o Here, abroad in Italy, I am just an c tell which way was up or down. I was lost al- s

experiences. e

American. There have been many in- ready, something I can’t stand. !. when my c n

stances in which I told someone that (Danielle Hunt) a brother and I went to the Rose Garden on the r F

I’m African American or simply that I’m from other side of the Arno, we kept walking and walk- : o Washington, D.C and they respond “So, you are I am a New Yorker. I am the rush. I am the t

ing, further and further away from the city. I was o American”. Don’t get me wrong, I am proud to be noise. I live for the yellow cabs, the skyscrapers, h starting to wonder if we’d ever get there. Then, P an American! It’s the land of the free and the the stores in SoHo, the train rides, and the lights. all of sudden we passed through the old gates home of the brave! Nevertheless, I also have a The city emits independence, spontaneity, mate- on what was once the border of Florence. It got lot of pride in my city and my ethnicity. The more rialism, disconnection, commotion, impatience, quiet, like we had left all of the tourists behind people push me away from those identities of Ebonics, and confidence to its residents. I am and escaped the bustle of the city. We came up mine, the more I want to hold on to them. In other New York: the good and the bad. I am where I on this hill in a matter of minutes and found our- words, I feel like this experience in Florence has come from. I am that girl: the go-getter, a mate- selves definitely outside and elevated above the helped me to solidify my identity! rialistic, feisty, and impatient New Yorker. This is city center. I essentially saw the entire city, ex- my identity. actly what I wanted all along. I was supposed to (Kemah Brock) The deep roots of my identity are the roots of a be there for the roses, which indeed were beau- Central Park tree. When I leave New York, I am tiful, but I kept looking all over the city. I had to I am always finding my identity because it is al- no longer that girl. The surroundings change, put things into perspective, but it was just too ex- ways growing. To say you have found your iden- and pieces of my identity begin to fall like leaves travagant for me to grab ahold of. This really put tity as a freshman is preposterous because you during autumn. It is fall again, and I am in Flo- a new idea in my head about exploring and un- have yet to experience so much. My identity is rence. The New Yorker in me vanishes, and I am derstanding where I am in the world. an acquired one through many different experi- left utterly empty in a new place. It is the immer- I would say get lost because it puts you out in the ences. I believe it is a very global identity. I com- sion; as I pick up Italian values, I lose pieces of open. You can be scared at first, but you’ll gain monly think of things that represent it as a whole. my New York identity. The materialism fades as an experience that is excellent in your develop- Through my experiences in South Africa, Thai- I use less make-up and put on my grey dirty toms ment as a person. Get lost, to find yourself. land and the Czech Republic, I have been able in the morning. Instead of jumping in a cab, I (Harrison Lee) 10 Fieldtrips

or many, the mention of Naples brings to mind a bevy of colorful, sensuous, often gritty street scenes. Yet for geology professor Sandro Conticelli, Naples, is all about the rocks. Syracuse This fall, as a part of SUF’s newly offered geology course, Prof. Conticelli led his students on the on a three-day trek through Naples to explore some of the region’s most astounding geological treasures, including Mt. Vesuvius, Hercu- laneum, and the currently active Phelgraean volcanic fields. Although our itinerary changed a bit due to severely inclement weather (let’s s just say we all became very proud owners of k oh-so-chic plastic rain ponchos), the trip was Geology Students Visit Naples, Herculaneum, and Mt. Vesuvius c by and large a success for students, professor, o and trip assistant (that’s me!) alike. by Megan DonoRvan We kicked things off bright and early Friday Art History Teaching Assistant morning with a train ride about 40 minutes south of Naples to the archeological site of Herculaneum. Just four miles west of the Vesuvian crater, ancient Herculaneum was a once-thriving and heavily populated Roman What's it like to be inside port town that was tragically buried under 65

a volcano? It stinks! Lit- feet of pyroclastic deposits following Mt. Vesu-

erally. Everywhere we vius’ infamous and devastating eruption in 79 AD. The day’s less-than-ideal weather turned “ “ turned vents in the out to be a blessing, as we had the entire ground were spewing archeological site to ourselves! steaming hot water va- Following a delicious picnic of prosciutto and pors and sulfuric gases.” buffalo mozzarella panini, the group headed back north to visit the volcano of Solfatara, located in the central sector of the Campi Fle- grei caldara also known as the Plegraean Fields, an area lying mostly underwater that comprises 24 craters and volcanic edifices. Known as the mythological home of the Roman god of fire, Vulcan, the crater of Solfa- tara has been the site of frequent and intense hydrothermal activity since antiquity. Naturally, Prof. Conticelli, field scientist extraordinaire, led the group inside the crater for a better look. First impression on what it’s like to be inside a volcano? It stinks! Literally. Everywhere we turned large and small vents in the ground were spewing steaming hot (about 320º C) water vapors and sulfuric gases. It’s no wonder the crater’s name, Solfatara, means “sulfur place.” The following day we wasted no time in reach- ing our next destination: Mount Vesuvius. Lo- cated about 6 miles east of Naples, Mt. Vesuvius is best known for its catastrophic eruption of 79 AD that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Hercula- neum. And although the 79 AD eruption is surely its most notorious, Prof. Conticelli also led the group through large areas around the volcano that were covered with deposits during its last major eruption in 1944. Our Naples excursion also went far beyond that of a strict geological survey of the region. Having done years of graduate research at the city’s university and therefore exceedingly familiar with the area, Prof. Conticelli guided us through the dizzying, maze-like streets to find the best Christmas market (San Gregorio Ar- meno), sfogliatelle (Fratelli Attanasio), and, of course, pizza (Sorbillo) that Naples has to offer. Overall, I’d say the trip rocked.

The author in Herculaneum. Prof. Conticelli with The author (far left) with students at Villa students in Herculaneum. Oplontis, near Naples. 11 Disconnect to connect

by Rebecca J. Shafer

“Is there WiFi here?” Admittedly, the act of “getting lost” has diminished as I’ve become more acclimated to the city of Flo- his is one of the first questions my friends rence, but the principle is still there. After we and I ask once we’ve sat down at our des- Google that song name we’ve been trying to fig- tination—be it a bar, restaurant, or hostel. ure out for hours, it might be nice to just sit It seems to be the first thing on our minds. around and enjoy each other’s company. Or just But lately I’ve been wondering: when get out there and challenge ourselves to find the should we put the gadgets away? next destination without using GPS. So what if we get a little lost? Relationships can be built through Technology is a wonderful thing. It’s allowed me adventures like this. to stay in contact with people that I otherwise might not have gotten to talk to during my time Of course I still love my friends back home, but abroad. Skype, FaceTime and SnapChat are all this is my time to experience a new city in a new great technological advancements. But being in country on a whole new continent. I think they’ll Italy has made me realize the importance of dis- understand why the daily text messages stopped. connecting from the Internet and having real, There are so many wonderful distractions in Flo- face-to-face experiences every once in a while. rence – great food, new people, an interesting culture. I should be caught up in those things. The way I see it, we are in Florence for such a short amount of time that it would just be wrong Being in Florence has given me the opportunity to not “carpe diem” every once in a while, even if to have so many new experiences that I’m sure it means not knowing where we are because we I’ll remember for the rest of my life. And I’d prefer don’t have WiFi to look something up on Google to have those be tangible Maps. Life is about getting out there and doing memories rather than mo- things. As long as I’m not alone, I shouldn’t be ments spent in front of a Life is about getting afraid of getting a little lost and wandering around

screen. out there and doing a beautiful city until I find a landmark that I rec- things. As long as I’m

ognize. “not alone, I shouldn’t be afraid of getting a lit- “ tle lost and wandering around a beautiful city until I find a landmark that I recognize. r e f a h S

J a c c e b e R

: o t o h p 12 9 Alumni Success Story LIFE as a Fulbright Scholar Exploring Albanian Culture

by Laura Marsolek

attended SU in Kosovo is be- tural heritage of the region. Filigree is a Florence for cause it is a place connection to both Byzantine and Ottoman the 2011-2012 in which many of traditions from Constantinople in the 15th academic year my interests century that now holds central importance before gradu- come together. At in Albanian weddings, dowries, and reli- ating from Syracuse Syracuse, I was gious ceremonies. It is praised for its diffi- University 2013, and an Art History culty and the beauty of its Eastern after graduation, I major with a Jew- European designs influenced by Istanbul, was named a Ful- elry and Metal- Turkey. bright Scholar. The smithing minor, Fulbright Program, and my thesis fo- which sends U.S. cit- The author in the filigree jewelry studio. cused on Italian izens to other parts of Renaissance jew- the world to promote cultural understand- elry, which I studied in Florence after ex- ing, sent me to Prizren, Kosovo where I cur- ploring many jewelry making and artisan rently teach and pursue other interests.

I applied for the grant because I wanted to I am fortunate enough to be spend my first year after college traveling, able to work at Filigrani studios teaching, and being immersed in another

culture. Teaching English as a second lan- “ in Prizren, one of the oldest

guage has been truly rewarding so far. My workshops in Kosovo. It has students are in 7th and 8th grade and I taught me the precision and pa- enjoy motivating them to learn another lan- “ guage. Outside of my teaching commit- tience needed to make complex I am thoroughly enjoying every moment of ment, I spend time at a local jewelry studio filigree patterns and has also my time as a member of the Fulbright Pro- where the master craftsmen teach me tra- given me insights on the cul- gram. It has allowed me to integrate myself ditional Albanian filigree techniques. I also tural heritage of the region. into the Albanian culture through my re- take Albanian language classes and get in- warding teaching work, my time spent in volved in the local arts community when- the jewelry studios, and my pursuits to learn ever I can. about Kosovo’s rich and intriguing history. studios. During my time abroad, I be- I am not sure what the future holds for me, My reason for choosing to apply to teach in friended two Kosovar Albanians. After I be- but I hope to eventually get a Ph.D. in Art came aware of a large population of History and to Albanians living and working in Italy, become a pro- I became curious about a part of the fessor. This ex- world about which I had limited perience has knowledge. I became even more helped me to interested in the country when I discover that I learned that Prizren is a hub for jew- really enjoy elry traditions in filigree. teaching, not only because I I am fortunate enough to be able to feel I am help- work at Filigrani studios in Prizren, ing students one of the oldest workshops in reach goals but Kosovo. It has taught me the preci- because it’s sion and patience needed to make such an enrich- complex filigree patterns and has ing opportunity also given me insights on the cul- for me as well. The author in Prizren. 13 Special Events

A Look at Female Education Around the World

Assisi thor in The au

by Shannon O’Connor

etting on the bus for school never felt better than after watching Girl Rising, a captivating documentary with a spotlight on nine uplifting stories of girls attempting against all odds to receive an education. They are wives, ser- vants, street kids, sisters, radio hosts, superheroes, and survivors. These nine girls from around the world were paired with professional writers from their own countries to write their inspiring stories that were nar- rated in the film by famous actors like Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Freida Pinto, Salma Hayek, Meryl Streep, Alicia Keys, and Kerry Washing- ton. The documentary features girls from Sierra Leone, Haiti, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Peru, Egypt, Nepal, India, and Cambodia. The film was informative as well as en- tertaining and uplifting. The story of each girl is framed with facts and figures, like the ratio of girls to boys at- tending school around the world. The movie also ex- To mark the International Day plained how educating women is a great economic of the Girl, Syracuse Univer- investment that is not recognized in many countries. sity in Florence hosted a The film was watched all around the world at the same screening of Girl Rising along time to promote international awareness about this with hundreds of other sup- problem. Sometimes it is easy to take for granted the porters around the world. The great opportunities afforded to young women in the Girl Rising movement affirms Western world. This movie reminded me how lucky I that educating girls can trans- am to have the luxury of an education, because these form societies and aims to girls would do anything for the same opportunity. change the way the world values the female gender. Edu- cating girls can end poverty through encouraging them to know and stand up for their rights, to have children and marry later in life, and to con- tribute to their communities. Violence against women, sex trafficking, early marriage, and domestic slavery are

major obstacles that impede i l l e

these goals. Global aware- z z a

ness and action can help this u G

movement – and subse- o c s

quently girls everywhere – to e c n

achieve amazing things. a r F

To find out what you can do, : s o go to www.girlrising.com. t o h P

14 Lecture Series AWidow s Worl’ d A lecture by Dr. Isabelle Chabot

by Megan Fowle and Kyrstin Racine

s part of SUF’s all-school lecture series, Dr. Is- abelle Chabot gave a talk about widows and dowry issues entitled “Money Matters and Fa- milial Maneuvers in Early Renaissance Flo- rence: Broken Hearts, Happy Endings and the Wisdom of Compromise.” Dr. Chabot is a native of France but has lived and worked in Florence for many years, focusing her studies mainly on the history of women in the medieval period. In order to highlight the inequalities in gender roles during this time, Dr. Chabot used a woman named Lena Davizzi as a case study to examine the fate of many widows in the early modern era. After the death of her husband, Davizzi entered a convent in order to pass on the remainder of her dowry to her children instead of her siblings or in-laws. This meant that by taking control of her own finances, she was both challenging the norms of the time and risking the sub- sequent wrath of her family who felt that the money be- longed to them. legal, and economic power to the extent that they could Unfortunately, most women in similar situations did not suc- shape families without the consent of those who were most cessfully thwart affected: women and children. society’s wishes What can we learn from this? While women today have and demands. legal rights, we must understand that this is a relatively new Widows rarely concept in western history and those rights do not always

had the opportu- translate into agency.

nity to forge their History shaped and own destiny as continues to develop The forced separa- they had little our conceptions of tion of mother and “ autonomy in the human rights. Learn- child was sadly all eyes of the law. “ ing our history gives too common in Ren- They were de- us a chance to reflect pendent on the on what people might aissance Florence. goodwill of their think of us in the fu- Dr. Isabelle Chabot families, both ture, when they in turn look to the past for answers. Will that of their deceased husband and their family of origin. they see a society that has moved beyond this, or will they Often, their families would want to marry them off again as look at a society that cannot eradicate the vestiges of the soon as possible, so as to keep control of the dowry. The past? practice of the tornata – a tradition in which a widow returned to her father’s household upon the death of her husband – represented a reassertion of the patriarchal social apparatus and a denial of the woman’s rights. For mothers, this was often a devastating practice because children were a husband’s “property” and would be sent to live with the l

in-laws. This was, in effect, the forced separation of mother e z t

and child, an experience that was sadly all too common in e H

a Renaissance Florence. i v l Dr. Chabot claimed that men manipulated both maternity y S

and the transmission of wealth. Fathers and husbands of s o t

Florentine women overwhelmingly monopolized social, o h P

15 Special Events And the Winner Is…

Four SUF Students Serve on Film Festival Jury

Photo: Lorenzo Ferroni

by Carlotta Fonzi Kliemann Film Studies Professor

ast August I was contacted by the The mild anxiety among the Festival dei Popoli—the oldest jury members about their re- documentary film festival in Eu- sponsibility for nominating the rope and among the best in the winner was compensated by world—asking if Syracuse Uni- the pleasure of being exposed versity in Florence would be interested in to a variety of short films from participating in the 54th edition with a Europe, China, Mexico, and jury of students and an award of 1000 South America; by the novelty euro in the university’s name. Obviously of relying on their emotional I was thrilled, but only after our director and intellectual reading of the Sasha Perugini gave her enthusiastic films; and, finally, by the approval did the collaboration become a awareness that their judgment concrete fact. The fact that both the Fes- was highly valued by festival Photo: Lorenzo Ferroni tival and Syracuse University in Florence organizers themselves. “I did were founded in exactly the same year Hannah. seemed a most promising sign. The theater was packed for the awards The mild anxiety among the ceremony, during which our “Fab Four

The four jury members—Anna Behrens, jury members about their re- Judges” were the first ones called on Drayton Benedict, Shannon O’ Connor, stage by the festival’s director, Alberto

and Hannah Stanley, all students in my “ sponsibility for nominating Lastrucci. The students announced the contemporary cinema class—began the winner was compensated winners and their reasons for choosing watching, discussing, and evaluating by the pleasure of being ex- “ them, first in Italian and then in English, eight short documentary films with pas- posed to a variety of short thus bravely overcoming their nervous- sion and commitment. We were able to ness about speaking in front of such a watch about half of them at the beautiful films from Europe, China, large international audience. And they Odeon Theater, where the festival takes Mexico, and South America. were great—at once serious and charm- place, and the rest at the Villa Rossa. ing.

The SUF Award for Best Short Film was not expect such a variety of conferred to Left Side of the Face by films,” said Drayton, “and the Marcin Bortkiewicz “for its excellent cam- task to select a winner forced us erawork and montage and in support of to weigh the importance of differ- a highly original photographic project ent film components.” “Serving which illuminates issues of time, ageing, on the jury was an extremely re- and loneliness through a variety of indi- warding experience,” enthused vidual accounts.” The director of the fes- Anna, “and the fact that the com- tival then read the message sent by the munity values our opinion is an filmmaker, who had already returned to honor.” “It was very interesting to Poland: “I am very honored ... To be in take part in the process of nar- competition at the Festival dei Popoli rowing the number of possible was for us really prestigious! I’d like to

Photo: Ilaria Costanzo winners, forcing us to explore thank the festival’s staff, so young, pow- Prof. Kliemann (far left) with student jurors Drayton Benedict, the documentary film genre from erful and enthusiastic about non-fiction Shannon O'Connor, Anna Behrens, and Hannah Stanley. a new perspective,” commented films!” 16 Volunteer Program

LCaonnecgtinug Acarosgs tehe Barrier An SUF Student Volunteers for

Special Olympics Italia The author (left) with fellow volunteer Beaux Wongwaisayawan in front of La Società Canottieri rowing club.

by Benjamin Lee

pread the word to end the word” are imprinted Taking pictures, watching the athletes, and supporting the on the red wristband that ornaments my right arm. team were our objectives while the sun shone through the A strong belief in this mantra has led me to be- windows of the complex. Back in my element, I was able come a part of the lives of many families and to enjoy the spectacle despite the language barrier be- friends who are associated with cause it was just about pure emotion for the Special Olympics. My experiences the athletes competing. Once the quali- have always come with a further under- Being able to share fying was over our group headed for the

standing of what it means to accept peo- something that I am train after the long day in the now setting

ple for who they are and have fostered passionate about – sun, some murmuring about the preced- friendships that last. Even in different sports – with those who ing events while Beaux and I tagged “ “ parts of the world, I have still been able along behind them. are happy simply be- to find those who are making efforts to ‘The word’ that I opened with, that I am give the disabled an equal chance in cause they can play is a trying to end, is ‘retard.’ I only mention it having fun in the world of sports. After feeling that you cannot to spread awareness of its meaning and arriving in Florence, I was drawn to the imitate anywhere else. what significance it holds for those to volunteer program because I was inter- whom it is relevant. The kids that I have ested in the prospect of being immersed met throughout my time as a partner into the Italian culture and improving the proficiency of my with Special Olympics USA in Washington and Special Italian language skills. When I saw that there was an op- Olympics Italia in Florence are some of the most friendly tion of joining the Special Olympics Italia branch, I jumped and passionate people ever to share the world of sports at the chance. Being able to share something that I am with me. Despite their physical and mental disabilities, passionate about – sports – with those who are happy they are still people who have feelings and friendships and simply because they can play is a feeling that you cannot desires. Being active in this community has given me a replicate anywhere else. better appreciation for my life and what I have; this is why Since I joined the Special Olympics Rowing in I feel that it is important to share the story. Florence, I began volunteering with local Italians from La Società Canottieri on the Arno River. Alongside my friend Beaux and under the guidance of our supervisor Pietro, I immediately became familiar with the members of the club. On one occasion we were invited to take part in the qualification process for the rowing event of the Special Olympics – a new event for me. This took place in San Miniato, about a half-hour train ride outside of Florence. We were dressed in our red Unified Sports shirts and ath- letic gear, prepared for any activity. The job of the day was however simpler than we thought, though no less exciting. Benjamin and Beaux inside La Società Canottieri rowing club. 17 9 The Reflecting on Florence Coluccio Salutati Award

(From left) Coluccio Salutati Award Coordinator Prof. Matteo Duni with Fall 2013 winners Robert Moldafsky, Benjamin Lee, and Nathaniel Carlson.

he Coluccio Salutati Award was instituted by Lily Prigioniero in 1999 by Prof. Alick McLean who was the Professor of Writing for the director of SUF at the time. The award is Discovery Florence Program named after a great 14th-century humanist and chancellor of the Florentine Republic whose pen the Duke of Milan called “deadlier than a band of mounted Florentine soldiers.” Because of Salutati’s written eloquence and rhetorical in- tellect, he mustered support in the wars that pit Florence against Milan, thus demonstrating that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” He was also a great proponent of the "vita activa"—the active life—as opposed to sedentary contemplation, hence a fit figure to bestow a reward to those who have been actively seeking to connect and understand the world around them during their current semester at Syracuse University Florence. To participate in the award, a student must be nominated by one or more professors at SUF i

based on his or her performance in class. The l l e z

awards committee evaluates the anonymous en- z a

tries and chooses three to four winners per se- u G

mester. Winning the Coluccio Salutati Award has c s e

come to be recognized as one of the highest ac- c n a

ademic achievements within the university’s Flo- r F

rence program. Below are excerpts from this s o t

semester's winning entries. o h P 18 Nathaniel Carlson taking in every step. ! in two month’s time I was walking down a busy high- This eagerness to experience a building and take it all way in Catania, Sicily, by myself with nothing but a bag in can be attributed to my architecture education. We of fruit, a bottle of water, and no idea where I was! learn the importance of not only the experience, but I was on my way to the beach that a couple locals had what defines that experience. When we enter a space told me of earlier that day. It must have been 30c and we sense a feeling and immediately ask ourselves, there was no beach in sight, although we were beside why? And then how? What is it about this structure that a large shipping yard. I walked past a gas station and make’s me feel ___. It is this level of comprehension tried to ask the guy working there if those boats were that allows me to get lost in the interior of Florence, all along the beach - but instead I ended up saying “do and the architecture of Italy. I want to clarify that I am cars of the sea live at the beach?” He had no idea what not lost in the details, but rather in the composition. I was talking about so I pressed on. Eventually I saw a When we come across a new building in the city it has giant sign that read “Moon Beach”. I made my way a sense of belonging from the exterior, even though through the gate and began searching for the water. sometimes the architect completely disregarded the All I saw were large trucks and I began to hear strange urban grid, there is a contextual identity there! This is noises coming from the distance. As I approached I when the building becomes an object all its own, hid- saw a herd of full-grown buffalo in this pathetic little den by the collective urban condition. These moments pen. They could have stepped out if they so chose to. are completely unrelated to time and context, it simply I was in shock: exists and you are experiencing it. I am lost in the pres- I want to pet them, but I’m afraid they’ll bite me. In- ent. I approach the door through which I entered, and stead I feed them straw. As I look around I notice an suddenly I am back in reality, no longer lost, but per- ostrich, at least five camels, and a single fully grown haps not necessarily found. hippo; all of which are contained in the weak fences. As I walk towards the hippo, the male camel dismounts from his female friend and lumbers right over to me. He and I are inches apart as I try to maneuver through the Benjamin Lee narrow walkway. Thankfully the hippo wasn’t as interested in me. Instead he seems depressed. I briefly en- Living in Italy as a student, learning Italian and practic- tertain the thought of feeding the hippo my fruit, and ing with native speakers can be the most efficient way then of taking him to the beach with me. to grasp the language because it makes demands of a Before I could act on my poor judgment a man came person. After just a few weeks into the semester, I up to me, curious of what I was doing there. After found myself, quite unexpectedly, following the Italian telling him I was looking for the beach he pointed me in instructions of the staff. Later, while volunteering for La the right direction and informed me that Moon Beach Misericordia, the historical hospital in la Piazza del would be a circus for the next few weeks. The posters Duomo, I was not so fortunate. On my first day as a that came to coat the city for the remainder of my stay volunteer I was shipped out in the Ambulanza. I spoke informed me of the less friendly animals I could have little to no Italian as this was towards the beginning of stumbled upon during my visit. I managed to escape the semester, and the accompanying supervisor did without being eaten by a tiger in the petting zoo setting. not speak the slightest bit of English. Along with my After this program is over and we all return home to our keys, orange jumpsuit, and friend Beaux, I set off for families many of my friends will be able to show off the the countryside outside Florence. In fact, I have not the Italian they’ve learned. While they gloat in regards to slightest knowledge as to where I was that day. I could their lingual skills, I take solace in the fact that should I only partially translate the job requirements from the ever again cross paths with such beasts I’ll know ex- description our supervisor gave us, which was to help actly what to do. with the care of patients in the rehabilitation center who had physical and mental disabilities. After discovering that we were sorely and inadequately qualified for the job, we also discovered that we had been left at the Robert Moldasfky center by our “compagno”, without a way back home. We tried to speak to the director of the facility in the “The beauty of Florence cannot be appreciated unless miniscule amount of Italian we knew, in an attempt to seen from the inside...for behind the walls of buildings find a solution, to no avail. We were somewhere in of Florence there are no fewer ornaments and no less Tuscany, unable to communicate and, indeed, lost. magnificence than there is outside; nor is any street Lost from civilization it seemed, the only hope of re- better decorated or more handsome than another, but every quarter shares in the beauty if the city. “ - turning home would have been to back-track our jour- Leonardo Bruni Panegyric to the City of Florence. ney, on foot. One of the first weeks here I visited Santo Spirito; a Since experiencing that heart-pounding event, I have discrete church with no facade in a beautiful corner of learned a lot. I understand there are more important the city across the Arno. I had carefully located myself things to worry about in life, and that being lost in Italy within the city before walking in. I walked in the doors, is not one of them. One is measured by their strength and I am disoriented (or rather no longer concerned of character and their responses in high pressure situa- with orientation). I am lost in the beauty of the interior, tions. Being lost fosters self-knowledge. If you do not surrounded in Corinthian columns, Brunelleschi’s keep your feet, there is no knowing where the road niches that surround the space, and the rays of light might take you. It is imperative to have the mentality; that highlight these details. I walk around the perimeter, that everything will be fine in the end, in order to gain the full experience of being lost. 19 Travel Inspires Two SUF Students Waxing to Pick up Their Pens poetic hese two poems were developed in the ETS 410 Artemisia in Ecstasy by Emily Francisco course on travel writing, taught by Prof. Antonella After Saint Mary Magdalene by Artemisia Gentileschi (b. Rome 1593-d. Naples 1652). The Francini. Emily Francisco, a student from Gettysburg painting is currently exhibited in the Galleria Palatina of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. College, stands in front of a famous painting by the 17th-century Italian female painter Artemisia Gentileschi, and creates her own image with words. Katrina Sotiropou- Is this she the woman of golden skirts los, from Syracuse University, works out her feelings as she one who clutches at her breast approaches the port of Ancona on a crowded ferry on her as if tormented by some way back from a vacation in Greece during Fall Break. innermost burst vein of longing black room lit from beyond the frame (because agony is best felt in the dark)— she who cut her long golden tresses in penitence The Port of Ancona frayed ends threads of hair by Katrina Sotiropoulos hanging like shredded sinews by the ears— The heat and the bodies, Still time, I can see her, gilded dress overwhelming, to close one’s eyes falling from her shoulder in an act of spiritual freeness with a strong odor and be of smoke in that moment. her bare collarbone blessed by the sacred unseen flickering flame hanging To look over the edge, and it is to me she glances emptily in the air. to imagine jumping over woman-hero of my Old Testament tortured paintress The doorway; the edge. and humble barefoot Maddalena— a finish line, It isn’t far, a gate to freedom, not really, The lips part and in that singular silver cool air sprinkled with salt to dive breath of piety slips in. into the water Feet moving, and feel it embrace (or perhaps it is regret) she becomes the afflicted up and over the step, every part of you. no longer a face of fortitude onto the deck. New air, It is tempting, yielding instead to the aging of feminist progeny moving under the threads to leave it all behind. her story exhaled of a sweatshirt, creeping into socks, Swim; before me and into my lungs with the sigh of longevity tickling a scalp. swim home, and it shimmers— Dry hands wherever that may be. grip the railing, One could swim saturated with the thick iridescent narrative shoes wedged between that distance, of one who has endured the cracks surely. along the edge. The salt, And silence. again the salty moisture smell, Orbs of light sticking in one’s lungs, glitter on the edge embedded of the horizon. inside the nostrils, Close, lingering but far enough on the tongue. still. It feels natural to want to jump, There is still time, to want to swim to watch away. and smell That is home, and taste the sea, the moisture, forever it will be in the air, the sea, from the sea. for me.

17 20 by Rosa Mannino

followed my heart to Florence twice An and twice Syracuse University scooped me up. The first time was as an eager student wanting to learn to SUF speak Italian like a native. The second time was as a professional trying to begin a Journey career in Study Abroad. My life just wouldn’t be the same without A Former Employee Reflects on her Experience SUF.

I met my wonderful hus-

band here 8 years ago I'm so fortunate to when I was a student at have met so many SUF and we are happily “ married. His wonderful “amazing students family has taken me in and I was so proud as their own daughter and given me so much to be their Student love and support. I met Life Advisor. friends from all over the world through the Direct Placement program that I'm still in very close touch with. I met my best friend here, the Italian version of me (but so much better). I've gotten to know Florence and its history better than I had ever dreamed of. There were several people at SUF who im- pacted me both as a student and a professional whom I want to thank. Roberta for taking the time to not only help me, but also introduce me to a couple who has since become like family. Natalia for always cheering me on. The amazing Elia and Sergio for giv- ing me a place where I could take a break to savor one of their sweet frothy cappucci- nos. Lucia for making me laugh. Monica for always listening and making me feel right at home. Amy, my mentor, for always encouraging me to succeed. My supervisor Jim, for his constant support and positive out- look. I'm so fortunate to have met so many amazing students and I was so proud to be their Student Life Advisor. Whether helping a student at the hospital, encouraging them to perform at the talent show, answering all of their questions, finding a way to get a student on the Cinque Terre trip, taking them to Chianti, or just listening to them share their experience with me. I was happy to help or support them in any way I could, just as was done for me as a student, to help them seek those precious study abroad moments where one can sit back, forget their trials, and absorb the beautiful life around them. The sunset strolls along the Arno river, shopping at the markets, eating for hours, staring at the David in awe, learning how to truly savor the present moment with the ones I love. I am fortunately forever con- nected to a country that the Italian director Paolo Sorrentino described as a "crazy country, but beautiful". Although I no longer work or study at SUF, it will forever be a part of me. I'm back in the United States to embark on a new journey. As I look outside at the snow falling through my fogged up windows, I ponder the most recent chapter of my life and smile. To my friends, family, and all the amazing students I met at SUF who made this journey a life- changing one for me, thank you from the bottom of my heart! To my former col- leagues who continue to touch so many students like me, thank you so much for the opportunities you have given me and for getting me started on this amazing journey. 21

The author Volunteering with students in the Cinque Terre. With Assistant Director for Student Life Jim Kauffman. Studio Arts

SUF studio arts faculty with student award winners

n Wednesday Dec 9th 2013, The Art and This year’s winners are: Architecture Departments at SUF celebrated the end of the semester with the the latest installment of their bi-annual stu- Introduction to Sculpture: dent exhibition and juried competition of Maya Mason student art work. The Donatello 25 architecture Batik 1 & 2 studios opened their doors showing an extensive Denisse Reyes ‘open studio’ view of the architecture studio proj- Metalsmithing 1&2: ects and as well as a stunning video of architec- Bailey Pfohl ture students’ on site sketches and visual research in Florence. In the Donatello 21 Art Stu- Silkscreen 1&2: dios the show included over one hundred works Jane McCurn by students in Printmaking, Photography, Sculp- Introduction to Intaglio: ture, Painting, Drawing, Restoration, Woven De- Valerie Herrera sign, Silkscreening, Batik, and Metalsmithing, highlighting the breadth and depth of creative work Introductiory Drawing: Maya Mason by SUF students. At the end of every semester at SUF, The Studio Intermediate and Advanced Drawing: Art and Architecture departments holds a joint stu- Rachel Haberstroh dent exhibition. It is a unique opportunity for SUF New Approaches to Renaissance Painting students to not only learn the important process of Techniques and Conservation through installing and exhibiting their works, but also a Modern Technology: chance for them to share, celebrate, and commu- Lauren Perrino nicate their thoughts and creative reflections with Introductory Painting: the greater Italian community. Katherine McElhiney The Studio Art Department also holds a juried Special Topics in Painting - Intermediate competition of student art work and awards for and Advanced Painting Intermediate: Denisse Reyes works in each medium are given by a distin- Advanced: Elizabeth Cox guished group of artists, curators, and critics active in the Florentine and international art communities. Beginning Digital Photography: This year’s jury consisted of Marco Lanza, photog- Justin Rheingold rapher and cofounder of experimental music group Advanced Photography/Intermediate Pastis as well as Sergio Tossi, former director of Vasu Leeaphon the EX3 center for contemporary art and an inter- nationally known curator, gallerist, and writer. Woven Design: Mirabel Kermond 22 Staff & Faculty Watch

Paul Blokker

In August Paul Blokker published his second monograph, in the Routledge Advances in European Politics series, entitled New Democracies in Crisis? A Comparative Constitutional Study of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The book received a dual review with author's response on I-CONnect, a prestigious blog of the site Interna- tional Journal of Constitutional Law and Constitution Making. Prof. Blokker was recently invited to comment on Princeton scholar Kim Lane Scheppele's idea of an EU systemic infringement action on the prestigious Verfassungsblog. He was also invited to present at conferences in Budapest, Cardiff, Trento, Pilsen, Florence, and Turin. Finally, Prof. Blokker gave a lecture at the Fermo Summer School/Annual Meeting at the University of Macerata, Italy in August.

Molly Bourne

On November 30 Molly Bourne was inducted into the Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana. Named after the classical poet Virgil who was born in Mantua where the Accademia Virgiliana is located, this learned society was founded in the eighteenth century and is dedicated to the promotion of knowledge in science, literature, and the arts by organizing scholarly conferences and publishing books and the annual journal, Atti e memorie Accademia Nazionale Virgiliana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti.

Swietlan (Nick) Kraczyna

On November 23 Swietlan (Nick) Kraczyna was celebrated at the 8th International Print- making Bienniale in Monsummano Terme (PT) as “Maestro Incisore” for his extensive printmaking career with an exhibition of his multi-plate color etchings spanning forty years of activity.

Alick McLean

On December 21 the Museo delle Terre Nuove in San Giovanni Valdarno opened to the public. Alick McLean has been working since early 2010 on this museum of historic new towns, together with David Friedman of MIT, Paolo Prillo of the University of Bologna, and Giulia Vertecchi of the Università IUAV di Venezia. The museum links the history of San Giovanni Valdarno to other new towns planned by the Florentines in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and draws parallels to other new towns in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance across Italy and Europe.

Sasha Perugini

In October Sasha Perugini was interviewed on Stili di Vita, a TV talk show on RTV38. In No- vember she started writing a regular blog for the Italian edition of The Huffington Post. In De- cember Dr. Perugini published the book La Leopolda che non hanno raccontato with co-author Alessio Pecoraro. She has also had five more poems translated by Linda Kalaj and published in The Doctor T.J. Eckleburg Review, an online and print literary and arts journal housed at the Johns Hopkins University, M. A. in Writing Program.