Florence: all fun and drinks?

Florence: all fun and drinks?

The image of the nearly 8,000 American students who come to Florence each year, enrolling in approximately 40 study abroad programs, has become increasingly tarnished over the last few years through incidents that involve excessive drinking and rowdy behaviour in the historic centre. In chronicling the problem, the local

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Thu 20 May 2010 12:00 AM

The image of the nearly 8,000 American students who come to Florence each year, enrolling in approximately 40 study abroad programs, has become increasingly tarnished over the last few years through incidents that involve excessive drinking and rowdy behaviour in the historic centre. In chronicling the problem, the local press has generally taken a hard line against the young American students, claiming that they come here to ‘binge drink.’ The most recent article, published in the Corriere Fiorentino, took a tough stance against American undergrads’ behaviour, remarking on their excess drinking, their raucous behaviour in the streets and alleging their ‘disrespect’ for the city and its traditions.

 

No one disputes that there is a problem. A walk from piazza Salvemini to corso dei Tintori in the wee hours will reveal that the behaviour is real and obnoxious. But the image of the group as a whole suffers from the actions of a few. Thus the American expat and academic community in Florence reacted strongly to the article, noting that it offered nothing constructive but simply complained about American students. ‘I resent this image of the American student and find it offensive that every time American students are talked about in the local press it’s about alcohol. American students in Florence are perceived as a monolithic entity-as if they all drink too much and behave badly; this vision shows a lack of understanding of the U.S. university system and of our study abroad programs; these newspaper reports also show that they have no real interest in finding out who the American students in Florence are, why they are in Florence and what it is that they really do here,’ remarked Ermelinda Campani, director of Stanford University’s study abroad program in Florence.

 

Campani was among the most outspoken representatives from a study abroad program who responded to the Corriere article. Although the article criticized local bars owners for taking advantage of foreign students’ propensity to drink and party ‘too much,’ Campani said, she believes that the local news outlets need to start placing more emphasis on the fact that American students are being ‘targeted’ by the local bars. She points to special promotions like ladies’ nights, drinking contests and pub crawls: ‘There are bars that promote discounted drinks and other such things in the English language only; one bar has named their cocktails after the American universities present in the city, as one of the pictures in the Corriere article shows. These pubs and bars are ‘traps’ for American students.’

 

Most American universities in Florence admit that there is a problem. As Campani says, ‘There is a problem, and it’s multifaceted. The problem, however, does not define or quantify the situation of American students in the least.’

 

However, it is problem that pits the city’s numerous foreign universities and academic institutions against the city and its residents, especially those who live in near pubs and bars and in buildings where students are housed, many of whom say that they simply cannot take it anymore.

 

Such sentiment is evident in Wim Roels’ view on the situation: ‘My wife and I have lived in Florence for over eight years, the last four in the centre of town, in the Sant’Ambrogio quarter. We choose this area especially because, at the time, it was a quiet area where locals still lived. Our apartment on via dei Pilastri opens onto a big courtyard with a garden and trees… This [peace] is no more: American students are taking more and more apartments that open onto the courtyard in the different streets that surrounds it, such as via dei Pilastri, via dei Pepi, via di Mezzo. As a result it has been impossible to have a normal night without shouting, partying, abusive behaviour by youngsters who have no respect for their neighbours and excel in arrogant behaviour.’

 

As a result, Roels and his wife plan to ‘move out of the city centre to an area where there are no American students. We are fortunate that we can do so; the elderly people in my neighbourhood cannot, and they will need to continue their war against the binge drinking American students without us.’

 

 TF received a similar story from a 37-year-old American woman, who lived in Florence for a year in 2008, ‘just within earshot of the River Arno rush as well as the via de Benci pedestrian traffic.’ Kari Leigh Marucchi now lives in California, but she remembers how ‘embarrassing’ it was to see American students drunk in the streets late at night. She writes, ‘I could hear the alcohol-emphasized volumes reverberating through the Florentine maze straight through my window most nights of the year. I oscillated between wanting to walk up the street slapping these American kids across the face, and wanting to invite them to my home for a few 99-cent-store beers just to get them off the street and keep them from embarrassing me further.’

 

Such experiences are common among residents in Florence’s historic city centre: rowdy behaviour and public drunkenness are a near-nightly phenomenon. ‘This is absolutely the image that the majority of locals have of American students; they have seen it with their own eyes. People believe what they see,’ said an American expatriate who has lived in Florence for several years. ‘My own position lies somewhere in the middle, thinking that the local press is both unfair and talking honestly about what the situation really is,’ she told TF. ‘But complaining and pointing the finger at such wrongdoing is not what’s needed; what’s needed are real solutions or alternatives,’ the 30-something resident said, ‘because Florence does not know how to demand respect-especially at night.’

 

Although the students’ behaviour is recognized as a problem, it’s a difficult one with many causes and a wide range of effects. The American students’ problematic behaviour touches not only other American study-abroad students who do not engage in excessive drinking, but also other foreign and Italian students in the city. Finding a solution is difficult, but Marucchi offers some ideas, which include ‘more 24-hour public toilets. It would be wise to increase late-night security and train the officers in providing a non-intimidating presence… The more Florence relies on the student economy, the more the city will need to provide real, quality, and effective all-night establishments. These establishments should be large, but scalable for the season population fluxes. They should serve food-all night. Some should be pricey to support nicer environments, but most should be affordable to the student budget (read: cheap).’

 

Unknown to most, there already exists a ‘safe’ place to ‘lose a buzz’ or simply hang out with friends after bars close: the Urban After Night Cafè (UAN Bar), in the Santa Croce area. In business since February 2010, the cafe is operated by the city’s Centro Java (tel. 055/2340884). A municipal information point on substance use and abuse, UAN bar is a new service promoted by the city administration, for those who have too much to drink while bar- and disco-hopping on the weekend. Open overnight every Saturday and Sunday morning from 2am to 6am, UAN Bar is alcohol-free, serves hot drinks and breakfast, and plays soft music. It is located inside the Java Centre on via Pietrapiana, at the corner of via Fiesolana, in piazza Salvemini.

 

Another alternative for all students, Italian and foreign, is a late-night study space in the Casa della Creatività, on via Santa Maria Maggiore in the Palazzo dei Giovani. With the goal of facilitating positive interaction between American and Italian students and providing an opportunity for American students to experience the city and its culture in a positive way, Florence’s superintendent of university and youth policy, Cristina Giachi, proposed the late-night study space. American Consul Mary Ellen Countryman and representatives from the American universities in the city embraced the idea enthusiastically. All parties see the late-night study centre as the first of many more such partnership to serve students and residents alike.

 

There will always be a group of study-abroad students who come to Florence and drink and behave badly, said Sandro Rosseti, a psychiatrist who works with American students in Florence, but they are ‘the vast minority.’ These students usually behave the same way at home. They tend to view their study-abroad experience as a ‘holiday’ and not something that can, indeed, be a unique, life-changing and positive experience.

 

For other students, the behaviour reflects a level of immaturity and lack of experience. For many American students, the study-abroad experience is their first such experience outside of the United States on their own, and the first time that they can drink legally (drinking age is 21 years in the United States) and in public: it’s no wonder some leave the city without ever seeing the David or going to the Uffizi Gallery.

 

However, these students ‘don’t understand that they are not on vacation, and they aren’t able to understand this because they think university is about frat parties and sororities,’ explained Rosseti. ‘Some American universities make it clear that the study-abroad experience is not a vacation,’ he added; ‘they do so through the new-students orientation program,’ when a police officer and a doctor talk to students and explain the dangers of alcohol abuse. ‘The majority of students understand this.’

 

However, many American universities do much more than offer a two-day student orientation program. They offer a wide range of community outreach and extracurricular activities to ensure that students integrate positively into local life and culture. ‘There is a huge advantage of education through travel,’ observed Campani, and ‘most foreign universities in Florence offer high-quality education, meaningful cultural exchange and integration.’

 

Because the problematic behaviour of these few American students is so obvious and the issue is so long-standing, it is easy to forget the positive aspects of the international student presence in Florence. ‘Although it may not seem so when reading certain news reports, American students give a lot back to the city,’ commented one former student, who volunteered for a term at the Artemisia anti-violence centre at via del Mezzetta 1, and who helped prepare a booklet on sexual violence, cultural differences and gender relations for American students in the city.           The American universities bring many positive things to the city. At the most basic level, Florence benefits economically from the study-abroad students who come here year after year. American students and universities contribute to the international status of the city. Moreover, most students have a genuine interest in becoming involved in the local community and Italian culture. For example, TF has written about some of the meaningful community outreach programs organized by Creative Campus (see TF 97 and 113, for example) and Syracuse University Florence (SUF; see TF 120, 119, 117 and the SUF letter to the editor on this page). SUF recently sent groups of students to help rebuild L’Aquila and every year sends a group to Sicily to help cultivate land confiscated from the mafia.

 

‘At Stanford, students have the option of doing internships or volunteering that put them in direct contact with the city and its residents. All of our students have one year of Italian study under their belts; live with Florentine families; have the opportunity to attend courses at the University of Florence; are paired with Italian students for weekly language exchanges; and have internships throughout the city, ranging from Meyer hospital and the local Lega Contro i Tumori to Ferragamo and Cavalli,’ Campani explained.

 

Forty to 50 percent of the 35 students from Stanford who come to Florence each quarter engage in volunteer programs and extracurricular activities, like, for example, taking cooking classes, teaching English to elementary school kids and at daycare centres, and teaching Italian to new immigrants.

 

As with all issues, there is more than one side to the story. We at TF also believe that there is a problem, and so we would like our readers to help us get to the heart of the issue. Share your positive experiences of foreign students in Florence. Share what you know about how other European cities view and deal with such issues as binge drinking among foreign-and national-students. Let us know how Florence can demand more respect at night and suggest constructive solutions and alternatives.

 

Dear The Florentine,

 

We, here at Syracuse University in Florence (SUF), were dispirited and disappointed by the recent articles in the Corriere della Sera and   their depiction of American students studying here in Florence. However, we were also very encouraged by the recent article in the Corriere with Association of Scholars in American Universities and the support of such institutions.

 

 We feel the need to inform the public about and shed a different light on SUF’s students.  We cannot speak for other programs, but surely, like SUF, many of the U.S. programs provide worthwhile, culturally positive initiatives.

 

The majority of the 250-300 students who study at SUF each semester live with Italian families. Italian language is a requirement for all students attending SUF. The rationale is that after taking Italian lessons here at school, they can return to their host homes and practice the language with their families in a real context. That is only one positive aspect of this relationship, as it usually goes well beyond the language; it actually allows our students to observe and participate in many aspects of the Italian culture.

 

 Along with this relationship comes the added advantage that Italian families all over Florence benefit not only financially from hosting our students but also culturally through what our American students bring into the Italian home.

 

 In addition, we have other very active programs that involve our students directly with the Florentine community. One is the internship program directed by Prof.ssa Debora Spini, through which students work directly in businesses and various public and private entities in Florence. Sixty of our students were involved in these internships, each working a minimum of 45 hours this past spring semester.

 

 Another program of which we are very proud is our volunteer program headed by Prof.ssa Vittoria Tettamanti, where students volunteer in a number of ways to give back to the community. One popular initiative is the storytelling activity: our students go out to the Italian elementary schools and read books in English (Dr. Seuss, for example). Another group records English books for the blind through Nastroteca ‘Stefano Bruni’. Once a week, SUF students also volunteer that at the soup kitchen (mensa) in Piazza Santissima Annunziata and yet another group of volunteers makes dolls with the Associazione ‘Pantaguel.’

 

 This past semester, several of our students traveled to the Abruzzo region on three separate occasions to help in the reconstruction of the devastated city of L’Aquila. On their first trip, 14 students worked at Campo Caritas together with Italian volunteers. During the other two trips, seven students held 19 storytelling sessions in five primary schools. This semester, more than 40 SUF students were involved in our volunteer activities.

 

 As an institution, however, we try in many ways to immerse and involve our students in all things local, with multiple extra-curricular and academic activities. For example, the SUF Italian Department, coordinated by Prof.ssa Loredana Tarini, has a reciprocal relationship with the city of Florence, thus helping our classrooms literally extend into the fabric of the city. Learning is active and takes place through real-life situations, such as visiting artisan workshops; participating in a conversation exchange program with Italian high school classes from 15 high schools of Florence and the province through our Tandem Program; lecturing in Italian high schools through our Lettore per un giorno program for English as a Second language classes; and experiencing the lively flavour and atmosphere of outdoor markets. The city and its people become an integral part of our language classes, therefore making Florence both a classroom and a language laboratory where students learn the language and  love, respect and appreciate the the local culture. In addition, every week we hold a spazio conversazione, in which for an hour and a half Italian university students come to the Villa Rossa for bilingual exchanges with our students.

 

SUF has also been involved in civic and public engagement as well, supporting  Meyer Children’s Hospital in addition to the anti-Mafia initiative Seeds of Legality, a unique program, in favor of a cultura della legalità, that gives students the opportunity to volunteer their time and labor working on Sicilian farmland that has been confiscated from the Mafia in recent years.

 

The list can go on, but suffice it to say that SUF does its best to engage our students in the local culture and to emphasize to our students that they are not to be passive observers in this experience, but active participants in the local community.

 

Sincerely, the SUF staff and Faculty

 

(sent to inbox@theflorentine.net)

 

E-mail us at inbox@theflorentine.net with your comments and we may use them in follow-up articles on the issue. 

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