Penn-in-Florence, Italy

Revel in the beauty of Italian language, art, and culture in this great Tuscan city where the Renaissance got its start.

Further your Italian language skills and/or study the rich history of Florence in English. All courses in this intensive 6-week program offer University of Pennsylvania credits. The program includes group excursions to cultural sites. Students live in program-arranged housing in the historic center of Florence.

Program Calendar

Course Information

All students register for a total of 2 course units (CUs). Course offerings are subject to change.

Note for Visiting Students: One CU is generally considered to be equivalent to three semester hours when Penn coursework is transferred to another institution.

Courses

Beginning Italian
ITALIAN 110 (1CU)
Taught by Chelsea Pomponio, University of Pennsylvania.

Italian 110 is a first-semester elementary language course for students who have never studied Italian before or who have taken the placement test and received a score below 380. All students who have studied Italian previously are required to take the placement test. Class work emphasizes the development of listening comprehension and speaking, with training in reading and writing. The course is conducted in Italian.

Italian 134: Intensive Second Year Italian
ITALIAN 134 (2 CU)
Fulfills the Language Requirement in Italian. Prerequisite: Completion of Italian 112 or the equivalent (one year of college-level Italian). Taught by Helen McFie Simone, University of Pennsylvania, Co-Director of the Italian Language Program.

Italian 134 is a two-credit course covering the first and second semester of the intermediate year. The course provides for intensive study of the structure of the Italian language at the intermediate level, emphasizing the development of all communication skills.  It is conducted in Italian.

Italian 220: Streets of Florence, Words of Italy 
ITALIAN 220 (1 CU)
Fulfills General Education Requirement: Cross-cultural Analysis. Prerequisite: Completion of Italian 140 or its equivalent (two years of college-level Italian). Taught by Claudia Consolati, University of Pennsylvania.

The purpose of this course is to enable students to achieve fluency in Italian language and facilitate their transition into more advanced Italian studies. Frequent lessons on site, will draw information and inspiration from the roads, buildings, monuments, markets and ordinary life of Florence. The students will be also exposed to the living and picturesque Florentine Italian language. The course is conducted in Italian.

Survey of Italian History and Culture
Italian 297 / History 180 (1CU)
Fulfills General Education Requirement: Cross-cultural Analysis. Taught by Fabio Finotti, University of Pennsylvania, Director of the Center for Italian Studies 

Through lectures, discussions and field trips, students will explore Italian civilization and culture. The emphasis of the course is on Italian literature, art, history, political and social institutions from the Medieval Age and Renaissance to the present. The course is conducted in English. It counts for the Major and Minor in both Italian Culture and in Italian Literature, and has no prerequisite.

The Art of the Florentine Renaissance in the Italian Context
Art History 251 / Italian 300 (1CU)
Fulfills General Education Requirement: Cross-cultural Analysis. Taught by Maia Gahtan, Università degli Studi di Firenze

An introduction to the major monuments, historical movements, theories and methods of Italian art from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the present day. The course will be taught in large part on site and will be conducted in English. The trips to Siena and Venice will enhance the students’ exposure to Italian art and culture. The course counts for the Major and Minor in both Italian Culture and in Italian Literature, and has no prerequisite.

Housing

Students are housed in double or triple rooms at the Hotel Bellettini located in the historical center of Florence. Breakfast is included.  

Contact Information

Program Director
for details about the program, courses, or location including academic advising, travel dates, housing and orientation

Fabio Finotti (profile)
Mariano DiVito Professor of Italian Studies
Director of Center for Italian Studies
University of Pennsylvania
E-mail: ffinotti@sas.upenn.edu
Tel: 215-898-6041

Penn Summer Abroad Office
for assistance with application, financial questions, pre-departure, or other general information

Penn Summer Abroad
College of Liberal & Professional Studies (LPS)
University of Pennsylvania
3440 Market Street, Suite 100
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3335
Tel: 215-573-7537
Fax: 215-573-2053
E-mail: summerabroad@sas.upenn.edu