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italy ciao exp florence ence er i stony brook fall 2010

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project manager kandace phyall production coordinator alyssa dwyer graphic designer alberto simoncioni graphic assistant jordan rosenberg official photographers diva photography students pilee blue mansfield and roy passalacqua acknowledgements a special thanks to the stony brook university florence campus fall 2010 class for their participation.

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in continuing to grow one of our missions at florence university of the arts is to promote and create disciplines in florence but going beyond classroom learning giving the possibility to students to go home with a new perspective they will carry in their hearts for the rest of their lifes the week before the start of the semester i imagine students preparing for traveling packing suitcases and filling their minds of expectations the day of orientation i see their expressions eager to explore the city the life and the experience in front of them on the last week i see the transformation what has happened deep inside them they are carrying home a new emotional suitcase something they will discover in the next years new perspectives in understanding and appreciating the differences in cultures are now filling their minds this fall 2010 semester i feel even more that we have fully fulfilled our mission thank you for another great semester dr daphne mazzanti dean of academic affairs fua diva fast squola forever changing the fall 2010 semester began with a bang the new group of stony brook students hit the ground running and like a tornado begun making their mark on florence being one of the largest groups we ve hosted from new york made it memorable but the fact that a large majority of the students were from other campuses within the suny system created a unique dynamic amongst the group what a testament to my colleagues in the stony brook international program office especially study abroad advisor jen green a special thank you to the sbu alumni that have spread the word about their positive florence university of the arts experiences this time around i had the pleasure of working with alyssa dwyer the first recipient of the mario mignone scholarship as the project coordinator of the latest edition of the sbu book she enthusiastically approached the challenge we checked in with a few of the alumni to see where they are now how their study abroad experience had affected their lives upon returning to the states and more importantly how living in florence prepared the recent graduates for the real world each semester the new challenge for us to provide a safe fun educationally stimulating 3 ½ months while getting to know the special needs of the incoming students with the collaboration of the student life and development department we hope we have met that goal trust me when i say fall 2010 will definitely be a semester we will not forget grazie a tutti kandace phyall student life manager/resident director

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the student life development office is where students can find the stony brook university florence campus office located on the ground floor of squola contemporary italian studies building there is a wide variety of resources available on a daily basis have questions about housing classes living in florence or permesso di soggiorno appointments local events or travel this is the place to find information about the daily student services activities offered study abroad what this experience meant to me when i find myself thinking of this question the memory that always comes to mind is living and discoverying boston in 199 i don t want to remember how long ago it was on a rainy sunday morning i found myself trying to figure out what to do maybe even a little bit bored but at the same time feeling at home i was beyond the point of needing to be entertained i was actually living and studying abroad the street where you live your favorite cafè and getting involved making the new city feel like your home away from home when i first meet the sbu students during orientation sessions i always look at their excited faces and hope they will get to explore florence and have it become a part of them i want the positive experience to live permenantly in their memory for years to come as it becomes their second home orientation and beyond cristiana gallai dean of student affairs sports night by alyssa dwyer excerpt reprinted from blending newsletter issue#29 if you happen to be walking down via guelfa around 8:45 it was impossible to miss the almost 50 eager athletes waiting to test their skills on the soccer field it was clear by their attire of sneakers and t-shirts that this was not a group of experienced soccer players it is important to remember that this was a group of mostly american students with the great support and guidance from fua s very own fabrizio polloni who in contrast to the rest of us is a very experienced and talented soccer player the students were able to successfully orchestrate a somewhat cohesive game of soccer i m really happy with the great turn out at last nights event it was a combination of not only fun but of learning the game of soccer which is a huge part of the italian culture and i am really looking forward to future events

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b these blog excerpts are reprinted from the stony brook university iap study abroad blog website by brady douglass brooke nelson and sarah roggerman.they provide you with a small glimpse into the life of young adults living traveling and experiencing life abroad for the first time this past weekend i visited the amalfi coast and spent a day each on the island of capri in positano and exploring pompeii and vesuvius let me start with capri awesome we got to our hotel in sorrento thursday night and by friday morning we were on the ferry to capri we stepped off the ferry in marina grande and right onto a smaller boat that took us all on a tour around the island somehow i snagged a seat right at the tip of the bow and it was incredibly fun seeing the island and being on the almost rollercoaster boat ride due to the waves circling the island gave us amazing views of the cliffs and beautiful villas perched on them i feel repetitive but i can t stress how blue the water is here the rest of the day was spent trying to find the bus to the town of capri finally getting there and then hiking our way to marina piccola on the opposite side of the island for some swimming my friend christina always remembers to bring her goggles so we got to check out the underwater flora and fauna as well before leaving to return to our hotel we fit in some limoncello and chocolate tasting the orange flavored chocolate was so good two weekends ago we had a group trip to sicily which was amazing we took an overnight train which was an adventure in itself some people weren t too happy about it but i was overly excited it felt like a slumber party with all of my friends in the same train car i would wander from compartment to compartment just talking and hanging out with people until finally drifting off to sleep in my little hanging cot in sicily we went to the sea and swam did a few tours ate a delicious cannoli and then swam some more we also had quite a lot of fun on the bus rides that saturday s original plan was to visit san gimignano but after finding out the buses only run there on weekdays we made a quick decision to check out pisa instead how cool is that just being able to check out pisa whenever i want to everything is so close and accessible and i love it traveling is so easy and affordable you have to take advantage of it while everywhere is so close seeing the leaning tower of pisa wasn t the only thing to do in pisa like so many people say the cathedral and baptistery were beautiful and i m still having a hard time grasping how people were able to construct buildings that size with such perfect architecture hundreds of years ago my friend chris an art history major is the perfect tour guide and can tell you about each and every painting you come across who painted it and when what s going on in the scene who the prominent figures are etc i have absolutely no knowledge of that sort of thing it s extremely interesting and a little unreal learning about it while staring at the original of course before leaving pisa i had to get at least a few classic holding up the tower shots.

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abby duckor major art history class year junior hometown albany ny best place to travel within italy the small tuscan towns they give you the real feel of italy and are so beautiful when did it hit you that you were living in florence the first time i went for a run made me realize that i d made florence home favorite place to shop sant ambrogio market fresh fruit and veggies perfect for a inexpensive picnic major art education class senior hometown lake george ny when did it hit you that you were living in italy not until about a month in when i began to feel really comfortable with the city misconception about italy prior to coming the food is entirely different than i imagined it s good just very different andrea tabor alicia crouse major psychology class year senior hometown utica ny best places to travel in italy rome and venice something you wish you knew before arriving that the building are located throughout the city it s not a closed campus best pizza place gusta pizza in the oltrarno when did it hit you that you were living in florence it still hasn t hit me major biology class year senior hometown buffalo ny favorite meal at ganzo pumpkin cream and fried vegetables what did you miss most about america extra large coffees when did it hit you that you live in florence the first morning i woke up angie swistowski

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major political science and italian class year junior hometown syracuse ny favorite place in florence anywhere outside but i love the santa croce area favorite teacher at fua fabrizio palloni he is so much fun and passionate about soccer being in his class was a wonderful experience favorite weekend destination the amalfi coast major undecided class year sophomore hometown shrub oak ny who was your favorite teacher at fua and why monica ferrari is the best teacher because she makes class fun and enforces rules in a way that keeps the class happy and motivated even if its not something we want to do anna ceraulojalazo amanda burley major sociology class year junior hometown bayshore ny where in italy would you recommend to others the south of italy the amalfi coast favorite teacher at fua cecilia ricci she s teaching me great cooking techniques and recipes that are relevant to each region of italy favorite place to shop in florence the open markets major psychology and women s gender studies class year senior hometown greenvale ny favorite meal at ganzo octopus salad when did it actually hit you that you were living in florence when my vegetarian cooking class took me to sample fresh gelato and truffles alyssa dwyer tesschang

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arianna garcia major studio art class year senior hometown bronx ny what did you miss most about america my mom when did it hit you that you live in florence it hit me once i saw the david at galleria dell accademia favorite italian phrase va bene best weekend destination on the group trip to sicily major biochemistry class year junior hometown lake ronkonkoma ny best place to travel within italy i would definitely recommend going to the amalfi coast it is beautiful and really fun plus there s a lot of mountains to climb brooke nelson ashley helms major journalism class year junior hometown danbury ct what you missed most about america the diversity of the cuisine having a mexican restaurant next door to a chinese take-out place ect best travel within italy i haven t travel to many parts of italy but definitely viaeggio and the amalfi coast favorite italian phrase e penso a ti major restaurant administration class year senior hometown bethpage ny favorite weekend destination the amalfi coast advice to future students have fun enjoy everything sleep when you get home and take advantage of everything you are offered and more chad hynes

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major art class year junior hometown bayport ny favorite teacher at fua antonella mercati my painting teacher she is very laid back and gives lots of freedom on assignments this allows us to be creative favorite restaurant the oil shoppe for sandwiches what i wish i knew about florence that others wouldn t know the locations of the secret bakeries favorite weekend destination perugia for the eurochocolate festival and sicily for the beauty major art history class year junior hometown south glens falls ny through your travels within italy what would you recommend to others arezzo cinque terre favorite restaurant gusta pizza when did it actually hit you that you were living in florence after seeing the frescoes by domenico ghirlandaio in santa trinita and realizing i could go back and see them again any day i wanted chris daly christina aiello brady douglass major bio medical engineering class year junior hometown richland wa best place to travel outside of italy paris and the french riviera for the food and the people misconceptions about the italian culture i didn t think that there was this much prosciutto favorite italian phrase allora best place to travel within italy i loved cinque terre when did it hit you that you were living in florence when i went away for the weekend and called firenze home favorite italian phrase va bene allora final words bring your cowboy boots you ll miss them aubrey nolan

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christina campbell ilit gluska major film production class senior hometown new york ny favorite florence museum the uffizi is now one of my favorite museums in the world every painting that was in my history books is there and i could see every detail best place to travel outside of italy morocco for sure shopping food and a wonderful culture and definitely do the desert excursion major politcal science class year senior hometown new york ny what did you miss most about america while you were in italy duane reade favorite italian phrase `scusa when did it hit you that you were living in florence when someone stopped me on the street and asked me for the time in italian major history class year senior hometown peekskill ny who is your favorite fua professor cecilia ricci my food society and culture professor she made the cooking class interesting favorite weekend destination perugia favorite place to hang out in florence piazza della signoria jamie biglow dana reyes

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major psychobiology class year junior hometown poughkeepsie ny when did it hit you that you were living in florence when i wanted to call my friend from binghamton to meet up for lunch at the dinig hall impossibile favorite italian phrase vie via favorite weekend destination the amalfi coast best florence hangout santa croce area major mass communications and journalism class year junior hometown corning ny favorite place to shop in florence everywhere i love all the small little private shops the owners are so nice and the clothes are amazing what did you miss most about america cheeseburgers and american breakfast favorite ialian phrase non lo so allora è andiamo jess adams jessika burton deanna d onofrio erica ballester major linguistics class year senior hometown queens ny best place to travel within italy cinque terre hands down what did you miss most about america my friends and family when did it hit you that you were living in florence when i looked out of my window and saw all of the tiled roofs major fashion merchandising and studio art class year senior hometown babylon ny things you missed most about america i missed my bed and scramble eggs with well done home fries while in italy favorite place to shop in florence i love to shop in the leather markets as well as kiko for makeup.

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james morris major psychology class year senior hometown islip terrace ny best place to travel outside of italy amsterdam and germany were definitely my favorite places what did you miss most about america lay s sour cream and onion chips favorite italian phrase allora joseph affe major communications class year senior hometown commack ny what did you miss most about america the breakfast having a car and sometimes the food favorite italian phrase mi piace best placet o hang out in florence everywhere is a good time major dietetics class year junior hometown stony point ny what did you miss most about america reese s peanut butter cups favorite place to shop in florence any shoe store valentino s and h&m favorite teacher at fua monica ferrari because she takes the time to really teach you italian major human develp and family relations class year senior hometown troy ny what did you miss most about america doritos my cat and my mom favorite cultural activity in florence calcio soccer games so much fun the crowd is rowdy and really enthusiastic words of wisdom keep a journal do anything and everything don t be judgemental get to know the people in your program kelsey delcogliano kathryn derkacz

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rachel trow katie cavanagh major fashion merchandising class year senior hometown clifton park ny what did you miss most about america my family when did it hit you that you were living in italy the moment i walked off the plane who is your favorite fua professor professor francesca caltabiano fashion in film because she is very funny and passionate about what she teaches major computer art class year junior hometown buffalo ny when did it hit you that you were living in florence the first time i saw the duomo favorite place to shop the leather market at san lorenzo has great stuff favorite florence museum boboli gardens best place to hang out in florence the front steps of the duomo with the locals and tourists major public relations and advertising class year senior hometown holbrook long island ny when did it hit you that you were living in florence it still hasn t hit me favorite italian phrase non toccare who is your favorite fua professor monica ferrari by far she is such a peach i want to take her home with me kristin scaringi kristen bonsignore

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laura neuberger major dietetics favorite place to travel within italy definitely cinque terre because the scenery is amazing favorite place to travel outside italy germany for many reasons what did you miss most about america my own bed major psychology class year junior hometown floral park ny what did you miss most about america large iced coffees my friends roll n roaster in brooklyn and bacon egg and cheese when did it hit you that you were living in florence the first time i walked by the duomo and again every time after that majors mediterranean archaeology and art history anthropology class year senior hometown walton ny best place to travel within italy through my travels within italy i would recommend taking a random day trip to wherever is on the board at the train station visit venice be sure to get your tickets ahead of time at least look at a map of the city you are visiting beforehand mackenzie hughes major psychology class year junior hometown north babylon ny best place to travel outside of italy my favorite places are tied between nice france and barcelona spain they are both quite different but very beautiful in their own ways what did you miss most about america while you were in italy i miss a few things my family friends driving around and the beach mannon james lauren jones

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leonardo manno who was your favorite teacher at fua and why i wouldn t say i have a favorite because all the teachers i had were awesome but i really thought massimo coppetti was interesting and knowledgable i learned a lot from him favorite restaurant café italiano was an amazing restaurant with 3 different authentic stylestuscan pizza and southern food major italian and political science class year senior hometown niagra falls canada best place to travel within italy ravenna and positano what i missed most about america my dog when did it hit you that you were living in florence it still hasn t hit me i can see myself on the plane home wondering if it all really happened favorite florence museum the uffizi you can wander around in the museum for hours lindsey rothschild major geographic information system class year senior hometown buffalo ny favorite teacher at fua monica ferrari because she makes learning italian fun when did it hit you that you were living in florence it hasn t yet nor do i think it will until i get back to the states and realize i am no longer living the dream of residing in such a beautiful historical laid back city marty violante priscilla cox

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