WEEK OF JULY 4

Students and faculty have settled into their academic routines.  Palazzi Florence University of the Arts has high standards and a “no excuses” policy for missed classes.  Alas, perfect attendance!  Students are registered in a wide range of courses from Italian food and culture to comparative politics to Italian as a foreign language.  Some courses are taught by faculty from Palazzi and others by USF faculty in residence for the summer at Palazzi.  Students   are working hard.  This is no vacation! 

But finally, the weekend comes, and many students are off to explore the world.  Two students spent the weekend in Ireland and one in Switzerland.  A large group went to Siena to watch the world famous palio horse race.  The main piazza is converted into a racetrack, and the horses are brought into the cathedral to be blessed.  Then the race begins, and the riders (wearing Renaissance era costumes) vie for the honored first place.  It is by far the most famous horse race in all of Europe.  I’ve requested photos from the students and will post them later. 

On July 4^th, a group of students honored U.S. soldiers who died during the World War II liberation of Italy by participating in the flag-lowering ceremony at the American Cemetery in Florence.  More than 3,400 soldiers are buried there, and the walls of the memorial are inscribed with the names of an additional 1,100 whose bodies were never recovered.   As USF Professor of Opera, Dr. Jerald Reynolds sang the national anthem, Army Cadets Kyle Hartley and Stephanie Germeroth, lowered and folded the American flag in honor of the thousands of young men and women who gave their lives in the cause of freedom in a country far from home.