Final Newsletter: Dec. 7-18

Announcements / CET Events

Wed. Dec. 8
Holiday! No Class. Christmas Market Trip. See Sign-up sheet for details









Thurs. Dec. 9
Green Prize Dinner
8 PM. Dinner for Green Prize winners (TBA tomorrow). All others are welcome to attend.

Friday, Dec. 10
Buon compleanno, Alex!





Dec. 13-15 Final Exams: CET Evening Hours
Monday Dec. 13 (6-9 PM) Chiara
Tuesday, Dec. 14 (6-9 PM) Denny
Wednesday, Dec. 15 (6-9 PM) Eleonora

Dec. 17 Final Housing Walk-Throughs
Cinque Giornate 4 PM
Belfiore 1 (Denny) 5 PM
Belfiore 2 (Eleonora) 5:30 pm


You will receive your housing deposits at this time ONLY if all trash and recycling as been taken out (glass bottles, paper, etc) and providing no damages are found. 10 euro will be deducted for lost house keys. If you are leaving Florence before Dec. 17th, please see me.

Dec. 17 Final Dinner, 8 PM
La Casalinga (Piazza Santo Spirito)


Dec. 18 Departure Day 
Please leave your house keys and cellphones on your kitchen table.






This week in Florence
Through Dec. 19
German Christmas Market, Piazza Santa Croce
Traditional German sausages, strudel, mulled wine, Holiday gifts, crafts and more!


Through December 10
50 Days of Film – Festival at the Cinema Odeon
For schedule, see www.odeon.intoscana.it
Or http://www.festivaldeipopoli.org/en/festival/calendario/2010


Italian Phrase of the Week:

“Partire è un po’ morire”
(“Leaving is a bit like dying”)


Ci mancherete!! We will miss you!!! Have a safe trip home and happy holidays to all! 

Newsletter: November 22 - Dec. 6

Announcements / CET Events

Tuesday, Nov. 22
7 pm Meet & Greet with new Italian roommates candidates at Palazzo Giovane (Casa della Creatività) Language Tandem and Aperitivo to follow.

Nov. 25-28 Thanksgiving Break. Enjoy your holiday!
Staying in town and looking for a traditional meal? Check out:


Ristorante Accademia, Piazza San Marco 7r
Reserve: tel. 055217343, €30 euro (drinks not included)

Angels, Via del Proconsolo 29/31r,
Reserve: tel. 055/2398762 or 3287290848 €40


Café Deluxeé, Piazza Indipendenza (corner via XXVII Aprile),
Reserve: tel. 055485749, €19 per (drinks not included) info@cafedeluxee.com


Four Seasons Hotel Borgo Pinti €85 -100 See here for more info


This week in Florence

Tuesday, Nov. 23

La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi (music and costumes)
English Church of St. Mark's, www.concertoclassico.info

Wednesday, November 24, 6 pm 
British Library Lecture. Bronzino and Eleonora di Toledo: a painter and his patron. Scholarly thinking on the relationship between Agnolo Bronzino and Eleonora di Toledo has recently been radically revised. Initially thought of solely as the subject of one of the painter's best known portraits and the recipient of his most outstanding work, the Chapel of Eleonora in Palazzo Vecchio, the Duchess of Florence has emerged as one of Bronzino's most important and demanding patrons. Yet this relationship remains controversial and academic debate over it is intense.

Wednesday, December 1, 6 pm British Library
Modern Italian politics: a never-ending transition
One of the more puzzling phenomena of the Italian political scene in the last ten to fifteen years, at least from the British point of view, is its mix of discontinuity and instability. Almost two decades after the emergence of high expectations, many institutional mechanisms still remain uncertain and undefined.







Dec. 1-19. German Christmas Market, Piazza Santa Croce
Traditional German sausages, strudel, mulled wine, Holiday gifts, crafts and more!


Through December 10
50 Days of Film – Festival at the Cinema Odeon
For schedule, see www.odeon.intoscana.it
Or http://www.festivaldeipopoli.org/en/festival/calendario/2010



Anxious to explore? Suggestions in/around Florence:
Through December 7
“Firenze Insolita”: The city of Florence has created a program of guided tours and walks throughout the month of November. See the full schedule on the Activities bulletin board or online here: http://www.comune.fi.it/opencms/export/sites/retecivica/materiali/hp_citta/fileFirenzeInsolita.pdf

Italian Phrase of the Week:
“Prendere due piccioni con una fava”
(Kill two birds with one stone. Literally, “Catch two pigeons with one bean”)

Traveling Seminar in Venice: Nov. 12-14

Italian Cultural History Itinerary

Friday, November 12:

2-5 pm             Venetian Society in the Renaissance; the neighborhoods of Santa Croce and San Polo; different social classes and categories, immigration, Renaissance customs and fashion; the role of public and private in the Renaissance.

7:15                 Group Dinner.

Saturday, November 13:       

9 - 12:              Artisans in Venice, past and present.  Canareggio; the construction of the city; visit to the workshops of a printer and a glass blower; the significance of arts and crafts in Venice historically.

Gianni Basso shows us the art of printmaking 

Sunday, November 14: 

8 - 12               Guided tour of Jewish Ghetto and synagogues.

Imagery and Public Space Itinerary

Friday, November 12:

1:30 – 5 pm                San Marco (Mascoli Chapel & museum) and Santa Maria della Salute.

7:15                             Group Dinner

Saturday, November 13:

9 AM                          S. Zaccaria, S. Giorgio degli Schiavoni, San Rocco.

Lunch break

2:00-3:15                    Frari

Sunday, November 14:

9:30 - 12                      Gallerie dell’Accademia. 

Newsletter: November 8-21

Announcements / CET Events

Tuesday, Nov. 9
7 pm Language Tandem and Aperitivo at the Casa della Creatività.
Want a language partner? Register here more info here and for any questions contact info@aegeefirenze.it

8:30 pm Opera – The Marriage of Figaro
If you are not coming to the Language Tandem, you should meet us in front of the Teatro Comunale at 8:15 pm.



Nov. 12-14     Traveling Seminar to Venice
You will receive the full itinerary on Monday, Nov. 8 before class.

Nov. 12-15     Florens 2010
8 days of cultural events, exhibits, markets and more all over Florence. See the Full calendar here




This week in Florence

Wednesday, November 10, 6 pm British Library
Lecture: Pratibha Parmar
Using clips from her films, filmmaker and feminist activist Pratibha Parmar will discuss the role of art as a creative force for change. She will focus on her current feature documentary film about the author Alice Walker, who made history as the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her novel The Color Purple.

November 11, 5-7 pm 

Free Wine Tasting, Alessi Wine shop, Via delle Oche 27/31,

Fattoria Lavacchio – CChianti Rufina 06 selezione Cedro, Chianti Rufina 06 Riserva del Cedro,Oro del Cedro Gewurztraminer Aromatico 09 

November 19-21
Florence Wine Event, Palazzo Pitti
4 pm-9 PM on Friday November 19th (starts at 11 AM on Satruday and Sunday). Annual wine tasting fair and expo. 10 euro for the taste card.

Nov 20 

“Musei in Musica” 7 pm - 1 a.m. the next day

Special extra-hours at the Museum of Musical Instruments (inside the Accademia) and concert

8:45 pm, Galleria dell’Accademia  (via Ricasoli 60 - Firenze). Free entrance

Sunday, November 21 All day
Piazza Santo Spirito, Festa dell’Olio Nuovo. All day olive oil fair and market.


Through December 10
50 Days of Film – Festival at the Cinema Odeon
For schedule see here  or here for the schedule for the Festival dei Popoli (annual documentary film festival).



Avete fame? This week’s suggestions:

Panino: Salumeria Verdi, Via Verde, 36/R


Cioccolata calda: Chiaroscuro, Via del Corso, 36
Vestri, Borgo degli Albizi, 11

Aperitivo: Kitsch 2, Via San Gallo

Coffee bar/study area: Caffe’ degli Artigiani, Via dello Sprone, 16/R


Anxious to explore? Suggestions in/around Florence:


Through December 7
“Firenze Insolita”: The city of Florence has created a program of guided tours and walks throughout the month of November. See the full schedule on the Activities bulletin board or online here:

Italian Phrase of the Week:
“O bere o affogare”
(Sink or swim. Literally, “drink or drown”)

Student Correspondent News: Horseback Riding in Tuscany!

Fall 2010 Student Jennifer Maclean takes us off the beaten path (literally) on a horseback ride through Tuscany. Like what you read? Check out Jen's blog here. 

Last Thursday (my day off from classes) 2 friends and I decided to do one of those touristy things and go horseback riding in Tuscany. We signed up to do it with a group, but we were the only three who signed up so it ended up being our own private experience, which was nice! So we set off on our journey though it was not quite what we expected ...


I was the member of our group with the most horseback riding experience, which is not saying much, as mine is incredibly limited. This would have been fine except we were not given any instruction about the horses....who did not really like to behave.





Hayley's fell a lot, Kelsey's liked to kick. In general, mine didn't like any other living being (horse or animal) however it did like all trees, which it frequently ran me into. Thus our guide would start yelling in Italian when our horses veered off and we didn't know what to do

Did I mention our horse back riding guide spoke no English. Our overall tour guide (Sam) did, but he didn't come horseback riding with us so that was a bit of an experience (good thing we know destra e sinistra)








The views were absolutely beautiful and it feels so nice to be just riding across the country side! That itself made the whole cost worth it! So while not quite what we were expecting an adventure all the same! Overall, I would highly recommend it (just maybe in a bigger group, with people who've been horseback riding before!) It was so great to see the Tuscan countryside (Under the Tuscan Sun anyone?)



Ciao y'all!
Jen

Student Correspondent News: The Medici Chapels

Fall 2010 student Christine Williams, an Art Publications Intern at Flo 'n the Go, has recently published the following article. To see the full article and learn more about Flo 'n the Go,  click here

The Medici Chapels currently host an exhibition of the funeral panels of King Henry IV.  A combination of efforts by the Soprintendeza of Florence, the Medici Chapel museum and the Musée National du Chateau de Pau brought us the new exhibit entitled Parigi Val Bene una Messa! (Paris is Worth a Mass). In 1610, after King Henry IV died, Cosimo II de Medici mourned the death of his relative with a lavish funeral that took place in the Basilica of San Lorenzo. For the occasion, the Basilica was lit by hundreds of candles and decorated with monochrome canvases depicting the most important victories and events in the life of King Henry IV. Now, the 19 remaining chiaroscuro panels have returned to San Lorenzo along with books and drawings relating to the life and times of Henry IV.

Despite the slight aesthetic discord between the exhibit and the setting, Parigi Val Bene una Messa! is legibly displayed with both Italian and English descriptions. Make sure to see the coat of armor worn by the King that could not have been more than 5 feet tall. The exhibition of these historically and artistically significant panels is a lovely and fitting tribute to the 400^th anniversary of Henry IV’s death.  Although, if you believe the two darling Texan women beside me, the main oversight of this exhibit was forgetting to explain that Henry IV (“hmm… darlin’ that name certainly sounds familiar… important-like”) was, in fact, an “important-like” French monarch. The exhibition ends November 2, 2010.


Christine Williams
Vanderbilt University

Newsletter: Oct. 22 - Nov. 7

Announcements / CET Events

Monday, Oct. 25
Guided tour of the Ancient Roman Amphitheater located UNDERNEATH Palazzo Vecchio. Meet in front of Palazzo Vecchio at 4 pm.

Tuesday, Oct. 26
Midterm Housing Walk-Throughs. 12:30-2 pm

Tuesday, Oct. 26
Professional Fiorentina Soccer Game. Sign –up today! (Game starts at 8:30. Meeting time TBA).


Oct. 29-Nov. 7
Fall break. Buone vacanze a tutti!






This week in Florence

Saturday, Oct. 23

Firenze along the walls: Guided walk of Florence’s medieval perimeters (6 – 10 PM). Leaves from Piazza del Carmine.

Sunday, October 24

Val Di Rose e Stagni di Focognano, Pianai Park (9 AM – 5 PM)

Wed. Oct. 27, 6 pm 
British Library Lecture: Cristina Acidini Caravaggio and the Caravaggeschi.
It is not certain that Caravaggio ever visited Florence, though in Rome he certainly frequented Palazzo Firenze, and his two splendid paintings of Bacchus and Medusa are known to have reached the Uffizi before the end of the 16th century. Moreover, he had many followers in Florence. The distinguished art historian Cristina Acidini is Superintendent for the Historic, Artistic and Ethnoanthropological Patrimony of Florence, and head of the Polo Museale.

Oct. 31
Chestnut Festival Marradi, http://www.sagradellecastagne.it/

Through December 10
50 Days of Film – Festival at the Cinema Odeon
For more information, see www.odeon.intoscana.it





Anxious to explore? Suggestions in/around Florence:

Oct. 23 – December 7
“Firenze Insolita”: The city of Florence has created a program of guided tours and walks throughout the month of November. See the full schedule on the Activities bulletin board or online here: 

Newsletter: October 9 - 22

Announcements / CET Events:

Oct. 9
Buon compleanno, Sarah!

Oct. 18-22
Midterm Exams. In bocca al lupo!
The CET Center will be open until 20:30 pm Monday-Wednesday during exam week.


TBA
Fiorenza International Soccer Award Reception.

This week in Florence:

Tuesday, Oct 12
La Traviata by Verdi
English Church of St. Mark’s www.concertoclassico.info


Wednesday, October 13, 6 pm
Commemorative concert for Arthur Benjamin and Cecil Armstrong Gibbs; includes songs by both composers as well as Francis Toye and Frank Bridge.

Sunday, Oct 17
Little Fall Fair, Piazza S.Spirito (all day)

Oct 10, 17, 24, 31, 47th Chestnut Festival 
Marradi, http://www.sagradellecastagne.it/

Wednesday, October 20, 6 pm
Lecture: Bronzino: A behind-the-scenes look at the organization of the first monographic exhibition of the Italian Mannerist painter Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino (1503-1572). It will also explore the ways in which the exhibition serves as a platform for reaching out to new audiences in new ways, linking the city's cultural institutions to make Florence ‘the city of Bronzino' from September 2010 to January 2011.

October 21-24
Creativity Festival. For events, locations and details, see www.festivaldellacreativita.it.




October 21 (through December 10)
50 Days of Film – Festival at the Cinema Odeon
For more information, see www.odeon.intoscana.it








Anxious to explore? Suggestions in/around Florence:

tomba etrusca, La Montagnola

Sunday, Oct. 17
“Un viaggio nel tempo” Guided (in Italian) bus tour of Etruscan tombs, gardens, villas, and ceramics museum. 9:30 am – 6 pm. Meeting point at the train station. To reserve your spot on the bus, you just have to call 055/5001495

















Italian phrase of the week:

“A chi nulla tenta, nulla riesce”
(Those who attempt nothing accomplish nothing).


Siate coraggiosi! Be brave! Take advantage of your time in Italy!

Original Sound Movie Schedule Oct 21 - Dec. 2010
ORIGINAL SOUND – ASTRA 2
Piazza Beccaria Reduced ticket €6.00 (Italian and foreign Students from Monday to Friday)


OCTOBER 2010
Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th
EAT PRAY LOVE shows: 3.00 - 5.30 - 8.00 - 10 30 pm

Monday 18th
THE CITY OF YOUR FINAL DESTINATION
(GB 2009, 118') by James Ivory shows 3.45 - 6.00 - 8.15 - 10.30 pm

Monday 25th Tuesday 26th
SOMEWHERE with Italian Subtitles
(USA , 98’) by Sofia Coppola shows 4.30 – 6.30 – 8.30 – 10.30 p.m.


NOVEMBER 2010
Tuesday 2nd
SALT with Italian Subtitles
(USA 2010 – 100’) by Phillip Noyce shows 4.30 - 6.30 - 8.30 - 10.30 pm

Monday 8th
GROWN UPS
(USA 2010 - 102’) by Dennis Dugan shows 4.30 - 6.30 - 8.30 - 10.30 pm

Tuesday 9th
KNIGHT & DAY
(USA 2010 – 110’) by James Mangold shows 4.00 – 6.10 - 8.20 - 10.30 pm

Monday 15th
Tuesday 16th THE SOCIAL NETWORK
(USA 2010 - 120') by David Fincher shows 3.30 - 5.50 - 8.10 - 10.30 pm

Friday 19th – Saturday 20th – Sunday 21st - Wednesday 24th - Saturday 27th – Sunday 28th
HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1
with Italian Subtitles (USA, UK 2010 - XXX' ) by David Yates shows 3.30 – 6.30 – 9.30 p.m.

Monday 22nd – Tuesday 23th – Thursday 25th – Fruday 26th - Monday 29th – Tuesday 30th
HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1
with Italian Subtitles (USA, UK 2010 - XXX' ) by David Yates shows 5.00 – 9.00 p.m.

DECEMBER 2010
Wednesday 1st Thursday 2nd
WALL STREET – MONEY NEVER SLEEPS
(USA 2010 – 125’) by Oliver Stone shows 8.10 – 10.30 pm

Monday 6th LAST NIGHT (Usa, Fr 2010 - 90') by Massy Tadjedin. shows 4.30 – 6.30 – 8.30 – 10.30 pm

Monday 13th Tuesday 14th
YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER (USA, Spain– 108’) by Woody Allen shows 4.30 – 6.30 – 8.30 – 10.30 pm

Traveling Seminar in Rome: Sept 30 - Oct. 3

DAY 1: 
Thursday, Sept. 30


Colosseum, Roman Forum, Capitoline Hill and Pantheon.


Group Dinner

DAY 2: 
Friday, Oct. 1



Vatican Museums, Rooms of Raphael, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica

Tour of the Italian Senate, Palazzo Madama.

San Luigi de’ Francesi and Pantheon.

DAY 3: 
Saturday, Oct. 2

S. Giovanni in Laterano and Museo Storico del Vaticano [link]

Baroque rivals walking tour: Santa Maria della Vittoria (Ecstasy of St. Teresa), S. Andrea al Quirinale; Borromini’s S. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane.

Borghese Gallery

DAY 4: Sunday, Oct. 3
The Quirinale