Sustainable Florence and Tuscany

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Central students roam amid the art, architecture and historical splendors of Florence, the Renaissance City. Millions of people visit Florence each year, causing its citizens and leaders to complain of overtourism and fear that, benefits aside, tourism takes a toll on the city and daily life of its citizens.

As we take in wonders of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, such as Michelangelo’s David or the Duomo di Milano, we travel as tourists but also as journalists. We interview city and tourism officials, tourists, and residents as we try to understand the overcrowding and behaviors that caused Florence and other much-visited cities to enact laws and policies to promote more sustainable practices for visitors and residents. A walk across the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge that has stood for centuries, easily prompts reflections on the protective efforts such gifts require of residents and visitors today.

In Florence, we study a forerunner of newspapers, the Renaissance-era newsletters, avvisi, that connected trade routes throughout Europe and even spread scandalous news. They are now a part of the Medici Archive Project. The power of the Medici family still echoes throughout Florence.

While in Tuscany, we hope to make day trips to Pisa with its famous tower and Siena, for which the color inspired by its hues, is named. We may visit a town where abandoned houses have been sold for a euro in a program to attract more residents and add surprise day trip to another city if conditions allow.

We finish this course abroad with a critical appreciation for tourism, inspiration from the Renaissance, and publishable articles and video segments, which is always a goal of a journalism study-abroad. The department offer funds through its annual Sigrid Schultz Scholarship contest to support majors.

Courses

• JRN 450-Journalism Studies Abroad (Prerequisite: JRN 200 or JRN 201 (C-or better in either) or permission of instructor)

Program Directors

Prof. Vivian Martin 
Journalism 
860.832.2776 
martinv@ccsu.edu 

Prof. Darren Sweeney 
Journalism 
860.832.2768 
sweeneyda@ccsu.edu