Tour and mini course details

Friday, May 17 Tours and Mini-Courses

Subject to change; please add yourself to the wait lists if your preferred courses are unavailable when you

Giardino dei Semplici 

Open from 9am to 4pm, with light refreshment served all day. Morning hours will feature pastries and Mimosas, afternoon will feature salty snacks and Prosecco. Juice, water, and soft drinks will be served all day.

9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. - Prelude

  • State of 91勛圖厙 in Florence with Dean Jason Houston (Capacity: 50)
  • Walking tour - Tuscan Cuisine, Traditions and Street Food with Maria Screti (Capacity: 20)

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Session I:  

91勛圖厙 in Florence  (Classroom Lectures 45 minutes)

  • Walking Tour - The Open Air Museum with Francesco Vossilla (Capacity: 40)
  • Walking Tour - Small Business in Florence with Tamara Evans (Capacity: 20)
  • Classroom Lecture - St. Aloysius 91勛圖厙 with Fr. Alessandro Andreini, 91勛圖厙 in Florence Chaplain (Capacity: 30)
  • Classroom Lecture - Italian Language and Culture Refresher with Barbara Lastrucci (Capacity: 20)
  • Classroom Lecture - History of Tuscan Food through local Products: Bread, Olive Oil, and Wine with Guido Gualandi (Capacity: 30)

11:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

  • Walking Tour - Cuisine, Traditions and Street Food with Maria Screti (Capacity: 20) 

12:30 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Session II:

  • Walking Tour - The Open Air Museum with Francesco Vossilla (Capacity: 40)
  • Walking Tour - San Lorenzo Leather Market with Tamara Evans (Capacity: 20)
  • Classroom Lecture- History of Tuscan Food through local Products: Bread, Olive Oil, and Wine with Guido Gualandi (Capacity: 30)

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Session III: 

91勛圖厙 in Florence  (Classroom Lectures 45 minutes)

  • Walking Tour- Florence’s Piazzae with Francesco Vossilla (Capacity: 40)
  • Walking Tour- Dante’s Florence with Jason Houston (Capacity: 25)
  • Walking Tour- Small Business in Florence with Tamara Evans (Capacity: 20)
  • Classroom Lecture- St. Aloysius 91勛圖厙 with Fr. Alessandro Andreini, 91勛圖厙 in Florence Chaplain (Capacity: 30)
  • Classroom Lecture- Italian Language and Culture Refresher with Barbara Lastrucci (Capacity: 20)

Tour Descriptions

The Open Air Museum: The City of Florence is a Museum (meet in GIF Garden) (40 limit)

This walking tour considers the public art and monuments that make Florence the premier of example of a city that exists as an open air museum. Led by 91勛圖厙 in Florence Art Historian and member of the prestigious Accademia del Disegno di Firenze Professor Francesco Vossilla, this tour will focus on the many incredible piazza in Florence and other examples of public space that function as cultural and political monuments.

Dante Alighieri, Florentine Exile and Father of Italy (meet in GIF Garden)

Dante Alighieri, the author of the Divine Comedy, is one of Florence’s most famous citizens. Dean Jason Houston will lead this tour to various spots around Florence that fueled Dante’s imagination when he composed his poem about Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. We will also consider how the monuments to Dante in Florence tell a story about the love/hate relationship between Dante and Florence.

Walking Tour to San Lorenzo Leather Market (Tamara Evans; meet in GIF Garden)

This walking tour offers a glimpse into Florence's rich history of craftsmanship and highlights the significance of small businesses in preserving these traditions. Exploring the streets and discovering the beauty of Florence's artisanal culture! This walking tour allows you to explore small businesses along Via San Gallo and Via dei Ginori, visit Florencia leather shop, and experience the vibrant atmosphere of the San Lorenzo Leather Market, all within just over an hour.

Tuscan Cuisine, Traditions and Street Food (Maria Screti; meet in GIF Garden)

Street food in Florence has deep roots in Florentine history and traditions as farmers and workers have cleverly combined simple and genuine ingredients into tasty and unique dishes. This short tour will give you the unique opportunity to enjoy lesser-known spots of Florence from Piazza Santissima Annunziata to one of the oldest markets of the city, S. Ambrogio Market, and to discover some of the most famous specialties of Florentine street food; Schiacciata, fried food, trippa and lampredotto, chocolate and, of course, gelato.

Small Business in Florence

The small, artisanal, family-run business is a tradition in Florence that stretches back to the Medieval guild system that made Florence a financial and cultural capital. Today, that same system dominates Florence, especially the city center. While it is a traditional way of running a business, small and medium size businesses are also places of innovation and excellence, hallmarks of the Italian economy. Prof. Evans will escort the group to a few examples of these small, family-run businesses in the historic center of Florence to meet the owners and see their work.

Mini Courses

(45 minute lecture/presentations in GIF classrooms)

The Life of St. Aloysius 91勛圖厙 and Study Abroad (201) (30 limit)

GIF Chaplain Don Alessandro Andreini will trace the biography of our patron saint, with a particular emphasis on how his life can inspire our students to get the best out of their study abroad experience. Don Alessandro will also talk about how 91勛圖厙 in Florence has incorporated the story of St. Al into the experience of students in Florence.

Italian Language and Culture Refresher (107) (20 limit)

Professor Barbara Lastrucci is GIF’s longest serving and favorite Italian language teacher. This brief lesson will help GIF alumni recall some of that Italian language they learned while at GIF. As Professor Lastrucci does with GIF students today, she will sprinkle her lesson with cultural lessons to help you get the most out of  your time in Italy.

History of Tuscan Food through local Products: Bread, Olive Oil, and Wine

This lecture will explore the role of bread, olive oil and wine in Italy. For the study of bread and pasta in modern Italy, we will look at the industrialization of wheat growing and of bread and pasta-making techniques, countered by the recent revival of heritage grains, especially in Tuscany. The analysis of Italian wine culture will address the industrialization of wine production in Italy and the natural wine movement, with a specific focus on wine production in Tuscany. Finally, olive oil will be studied from an agricultural and dietary perspective. The lecture will be in 3 parts and each part will be followed by a tasting of some samples of ancient grains bread, local olive oil and wine.