NYU La Pietra Dialogues

23/04/2019

Get ready for our upcoming dialogue on Climate Change, Sustainability and Innovation April 30 at 6:00pm at Villa Sassetti. Expert on urban forestry from the University of Florence and one of the co-founders of Florentine start-up Treedom will be with us - Don't miss it!!!!
rsvp [email protected]

Majorities in many countries say global climate change is a major threat to their nation. Global concerns about climate change have risen since 2013.

19/04/2019

16/04/2019

The Mafia is not just about drug trafficking, money laundering and running black market activities. Much Mafia activity in Southern Italy involves racketeering: the exchange of money for protection that mafia groups use to control a certain territory. Luigi Ferrucci, the Vice President of the Italian Anti-Racket Federation, will join us to talk about how is it possible to protect the economy from mafia and racketeering. His talk “An Offer You MUST Refuse: The Mobilization Against Racket and Mafia in Italy” will also shed light on the simple and responsible choices ordinary people can make to hinder the proliferation of Mafia.

Join us on April 17 at 6pm at Villa Sassetti rsvp [email protected]

Here LPD intern Sofia Vorontsova sat with NYU Florence Lecturer Salvatore Sberna to understand how racket works and its impact on people’s lives.

12/04/2019

Join us on Monday April 15 at 6:30pm for this special event! Click to watch the video below.

11/04/2019

Next Monday 6:30pm at Villa Sassetti, we will be screening Academy nominated film A Special Day / Una giornata particolare starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, followed by a discussion led by Italian film scholar Mauro Giori. On the day Adolf Hi**er visits Rome during World War 2, housewife Antonietta and homosexual radio broadcaster Gabriele are brought together to shed light on what it meant to be a homosexual in fascist Italy. Interested? RSVP through this link >> https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050c4eabae2fa4fb6-unagiornata

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KloWrqcHAF0

Italian cinema's most iconic screen couple, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni - here cast against glamorous type - deliver the finest and most nuanced pe...

26/03/2019

Some more highlights from the EU in Focus Working Group trip to Brussels!

26/03/2019

EU in Focus Working Group Students in Brussels this week for the EU in Focus on the Ground trip! Check out some highlights from our friends at NYU Washington D.C.!

21/03/2019

Name: Kiera Eriksen-McAuliffe
Age: 19
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
Year: Sophomore
Major/School: History/Politics, CAS

Local Recommendation:
The best panini place I’ve eaten at in Florence so far is Panini Toscani, which is right behind the Duomo. They let you sample each item before it goes in your sandwich, which is pretty unique, and you get to create your own sandwich. It's kind of like a fancy, Italian version of Subway.

Cultural Moment:
On my first day in Florence, I went to the grocery store and got very confused by the names of the foods. I was particularly overwhelmed in the tomato sauce aisle, where there appeared to be 50 different varieties of tomato sauce, each labelled with an Italian word that I didn’t understand. I grabbed one that I thought looked good, and subsequently discovered that the word “tonno” means tuna, not tomato. I am still trying to figure out who likes to eat tomato sauce with tuna in it.

LPD Reflection:
On the first day of classes, I attended the LPD talk on Italian Politics because I wanted to gain a background on the local political landscape. From this talk, I learned not only about the strange political state in Italy, but also about the current political trends in Europe as a whole. With all the chaos of American politics, I realized that I had been ignoring the rest of the world, which, quite honesty, is currently just as chaotic. Ultimately, I'm glad I got to learn about a different political perspective and thus become more aware of what is happening in the country I’m living in for the semester!

14/03/2019

Name: Helen Bermudes
Age: 19
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Year: Sophomore
School/Major: English Education, Steinhardt

Local Recommendation: The restaurant Kitsch is my favorite place for aperitivo. You pay €12 for a beverage and there’s an all-you-can-eat buffet included. It’s different than the buffets that are in the U.S.- aperitivo happens in restaurants all over Italy! The meatballs at Kitsch there are the best food I’ve had in Florence so far!

Cultural Moment: One time the ATAF (local transport) worker came on the bus to make sure everyone had a ticket and I gave him mine, but it wasn’t validated (stamped with the date), so he ended up charging me €50 for the ticket in my hand, which I had already paid €35 for. Most expensive bus ticket I’ve ever paid for. Never forget to validate your bus pass when you get on the bus!!

LPD Reflection: The projects I’ve completed and the talks I’ve attended at LPD have allowed me to learn about what a collaborative process writing, and communications in general, is. Every piece we post on the blog has been worked on by multiple people. Someone has to research the topic, find visuals, take pictures, conduct interviews, and format the website. I love being able to see this process from the very first drafts of research, to the final post or talk. Right now I’m researching the history of Northern Africa in World War II in preparation for an upcoming talk. I also attended the EU In Focus series in the beginning of the semester which allowed me to learn about a different government, and illustrated how the topics discussed in U.S. politics are reflective of global trends and larger issues. Overall it’s exciting to learn about artists, poets, and historical topics I never would have known about if I wasn’t involved with LPD in Florence!

11/03/2019

How big of an issue is human trafficking in Italy? Why does it happen? What impact does it have on society and the lives of victims?

In this video by student intern Sofia Vorontsova, find the answers to these questions and hear the story of a woman who was trafficked from Nigeria to Italy as a minor.

And this Wednesday, March 13th, join us for a dialogue with NYU Florence Lecturer Debora Spini, Silvia Scarpa, an expert on contemporary slavery and human trafficking, and Pietro Vené, a social worker who oversees a shelter for minor victims of trafficking, to discuss the issue in the Italian context.

For more information on the issue and the event, visit our new blog page with a piece by Kiera Eriksen-McAuliffe: https://lapietradialogues.wixsite.com/lpdblog/human-trafficking

07/03/2019

NAME: Paggie Tan
AGE: 21
HOMETOWN: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
YEAR: Junior
MAJOR/SCHOOL: Economics, CAS

LOCAL RECOMMENDATION: Florence National Central Library is a great place to get work done. It’s also the largest in Italy, one of two central libraries in the country. I always make it a point to visit the public library because I believe it is a good indicator of the city’s culture, architecture and people.

CULTURAL MOMENT: I wore flip flops during a quick run to Carrefour (the grocery store around the corner) and a bunch of Italian men pointed at my feet and laughed at me. Are flip flops not a thing here?

LPD REFLECTION: When I was researching study abroad options, I saw that NYU Florence is the only location with a program like LPD. What struck to me the most about LPD was the Vital Voices: The Power of Women Leading Change Around The World panel. I definitely resonated with it because I’m a huge advocate of strong women, but I also thought that it highlighted the depth and breadth of the topics that LPD sheds lights on. As much as learning in the classroom is enlightening, learning outside is just as profound. LPD is a great avenue for genuinely curious students to learn about Italian or EU focused culture, politics, and an array of global and social issues.