Fellini and the common places in Italy

Alexandra Lawrence’s article is about Italy from the economic boom of the 1960s’ to today.
Everyone knows Italy for its architecturel, culturel, landscape painting and culinary beauties, but not only for that. For years Italy has been considered a special destination, but owing to its inefficient political and bureaucratic management, it risks to compromise its image in the world. Fortunately, thanks to its beautiful characteristics, it has temporarily resolved its problematic situation.
A lot of people were interviewed, and everyone claimed problems could be solved by improving intercultural relationships. One of these, Florence Pettit, a British student who studied in Florence, suggested improving high-tech, so that Italy would simply no longer be the same.
Another person, Micheal P., a local art historian said: “ I hate that it is now more difficult to access the things I love” declaring that the price of entrance fees to museums, monuments and churches is too high.
Italy’s national identity was called into question with Ian Fisher recent New York Times article, in which he says that Italian people are depressed, unhappy and with not much hope for the future.
Is this the real image that the world has about us?
Some foreign students said that even if the internships are difficult for the combination of language barrier and lack of interaction with residents, the Italian government has devised a system of volunteers and an organisation to improve the foreign undergraduates’ social life.
You don’t need a new Michelangelo, Dante or another Brunelleschi to understand that Italy is not only “pizza, guitar mandolin and the Mafia”, but it has to fling off the heavy cloak of the mythical dolce vita and It will be ready to go out of its lethargy.

Robert Dudley: an Englishman in Tuscany

The “great benefit” of an Englishman in Tuscany

Robert Dudley, an Englishman, had penetrated the inner circles of Medici family.

He was born in 1574 at Richmond Palace in Surrey and was the powerful favourite of Queen Elizabeth I of England. The young man inherited important estates and titles like Earl Leicester and Earl of Warwick and his early career was in privateering directed at Spanish galleons in the Atlantic. In 1605 after the conversion to Catholicism he ran off to France to marry his third wife, Elizabeth Southwell.

By 1607 Dudley went to live at Villa Rinieri, near Florence, where he disclosed to Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici the secrets of maritime technology, navigation and Atlantic geography, discovered at court of King of England, James I, who declared him an outlaw and confiscated his estates and transferring titles.

Here he involved designing warships for the Tuscan arsenal, helping in the development of Livorno’s breakwater and harbour fortifications and then he designed a gallerata, a galleon for use as a merchant ship.

From letter of Alessandro Senesi, who was a secretary at the Medici court, to Caterina de’ Medici, we can know Dudley was dabbling in a rather new form of medicine based on chemical compounds. He was helped by Marco Cornacchini, a professor at the University of medicine in Pisa, who described in his book the powers of Dudley’s medicinal powder. He wasn’t worried about the collateral effects and shakered “great benefit” in Florence and Mantua.

Valentina Bacherini & Sara Tassi

Something new...a class of journalists!

Ecco un'attività nuova che è stata ben accolta ;-)!!

La classe 3B, assieme alla 4C, ha aderito al un progetto "The Florentine in the classroom" indirizzato alle scuole superiori della provincia.
Una volta al mese gli studenti ricevono la rivista d'informazione e cultura inglese "The Florentine", ne leggono gli articoli e di alcuni ritenuti più interessanti fanno il commento postato poi sul blog.

La rivista esce anche on line. Dateci un'occhiata!

ilaria salvadori

A city divided

The debate on the construction of the Tramvia in Florence has become fierce and these are the things you need to know before you vote in the referendum on February 17:

1- What is the Tramvia?
The Tramvia is a light rail, quiet and it does not emit exhaust.
Three lines connect more areas of Florence and the total cost of the work is estimated at 700 million euro.
2- The Referendum
Citizens will be asked their opinion of the Tramvia project.
Vote "NO" those who accept the construction of Tramvia, but this is an advisory referendum, and then the administrators of the city are not obliged to consider the results.
3- Cost and tickets price
Opponents of Tramvia project argue that too many public funds were employed for this project and that a Busvia would be much cheaper.
Supporters of the project promise that Tramvia tickets will cost like bus tickets (1,20 euro).
4- Traffic and pollution
The results of a study conducted by Ataf and Federconsumatori says that Tramvia will reduce the traffic by only 4 percent, but it will reduce carbon dioxide by 43 percent, nitrogen oxide by 37 percent and particulate matter by 21 percent.
5- Tracks, curbs and aesthetics
The protective curbs have been fiercely criticized, because opponents argue that these curbs would be an obstacle both for pedestrians and traffic, because Tramvia occupies 50 percent of any city street.
They also argue that the Tramvia can damage the beauty of Florentine artistic heritage.

Now, these are the major issues advanced by both supporters and adversaries, but, even if there are these great debates, you have to decide.

Andrea Vagnoli - Mauro Paradisi

The Tramvia in Florence

What is the Tramvia?

The Tramvia is a rail lighter than a regular train, which emits very little low frequency noise and no exhaust. Three Tramvia lines were proposed in Florence: the first one is already in construction, and will connect Scandicci and the Florence S.M.N. train station; the other two are only projects. Some days ago there was a referendum about the lines Two and Three, to see what people think about these rails. In particular, line two will pass right in front of the Battistero di San Giovanni, and it’s object of discussion.

A computer image about line Two

Subjects for and against Tramvia

The city is divided into two different ways of thinking: some citizens think that Tramvia would decrease traffic and connect the city centre with the suburban area; others think that this project is going to make the city worse, because it will cover lots of historical places.
So, taking stock of the actual situation, there are subject for and against this project.
The first one is about the costs: in fact the construction of all the lines would reach about 700 million Euro, too much for some citizens. Although the tickets are promised to cost the same as a bus ticket, opponents estimate that transporting every single passenger will cost about 13 Euro.
Other subjects for discussion are the traffic, pollution and vibrations caused by the Tramvia.
Some people think that the Tramvia could be a way to decrease pollution because it’s electrically operated and it would replace most of the busses which pass near the Duomo.
But the opponents reply that the Tramvia would only move the traffic in other areas. Moreover, the rails would occupy about 50 percent of the streets, getting traffic to increase. It would be difficult for some heavy vans or emergency vehicles to pass along these streets.
Other problems are, for example, about 7000 parking spots lost, to make room for the rails, the large number of trees cut down to build them, or the Tramvia unattractiveness.

The outcome of the referendum

On February, 17 there was the referendum. The quorum wasn’t reached (only 39 percent of citizens voted), but opponents won (about 52 percent against 47 percent). Anyway, the project seems to go on. We’ll wait for news.

Filippo Contardi - Martina Goretti

Chaucer: life and works

Geoffrey Chaucer  was an English author, poet, philosopher, bureaucrat
and diplomat. He wrote many works, he is best remembered for his
unfinished frame narrative The Canterbury Tales. Sometimes he is
called the father of English literature and is credited by some
scholars as being the first author to demonstrate the artistic
legitimacy of the vernacular English language.

Chaucer was born in 1343 in London.
His father and grandfather were both London vintners
and before that the family were merchants in Ipswich. There are no
details of Chaucer's early life and education. He worked as a
courtier, a diplomat, and a civil servant, as well as working for the
king. In 1359, in the early stages of the Hundred Years' War, he took
part in the war. In 1360, he was captured during the siege of Rheims,
and he becoming a prisoner of war. Edward contributed to his ransom,
and Chaucer was released. After this, Chaucer's life is uncertain, but
he travelled in France, Spain, and Flanders.
Around 1366, Chaucer married Philippa Roet.
It is recorded that he became a member of the royal court of Edward III.

Chaucer visited Genoa and Florence in 1373.
It is on this Italian trip that it is speculated he came into contact
with medieval Italian poetry, and he became interested in Dante,
Petrarch and Boccaccio. Chaucer obtained the very substantial job of
Comptroller of the Customs for the port of London, which Chaucer began
in 1374. His life goes undocumented for much of the next years but he
wrote most of his famous works during this time period. While still
working as comptroller, Chaucer appears to have moved to Kent, being
appointed as one of the commissioners of peace for Kent, at a time
when French invasion was a possibility.

He is thought to have started to work on The Canterbury Tales
in the early 1380.He became a Member of Parliament for Kent in 1386.
He is believed to have died ofunknown causes on 1400. There is some
speculation that he was murderedby enemies of Richard II or even on the
orders of his successor Henry IV.

Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales is the most important collection of stories of
Geoffrey Chaucer, write in prose and in verse. The tales are contained
inside a frame tale and told by a collection of pilgrims on a
pilgrimage from Southwark to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint
Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The Canterbury Tales are
written in Middle English. And the tales are considered to be his
magnum opus, some believe the structure of the tales are indebted to
the works of The Decameron (of Boccaccio), which Chaucer is said to
have read on his earlier visit to Italy.

Fabio Bartolozzi

The Wife of Bath

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales (ca. 1387).
One of the most amusing tales is the one of The Wife of Bath, through which we can give a closer look at the role of women in the Middle Ages.

(this is an illustration taken from Ellesmere manuscript)