Many people know that the Leland Stanford Jr. University in California
has a study abroad program in Florence. What many do not know, however, is that
the university’s ties to the city reach back into the late nineteenth century,
and that the university itself might not have been founded were it not for a
bleak evening at Florence’s Grand Hotel in 1884.
The university was founded in 1896 by powerful railroad magnate,
California state senator and governor, Leland Stanford Sr., and his wife, Jane.
The man who drove a California gold spike into a Nevada silver track to
complete the transcontinental railway across the Sierra Nevada inspired a sense
of exploration in his young son, Leland Jr., who at 15 embarked on a trip to
Europe before beginning his studies at Harvard University. Perhaps while
steering a boat on the Bosphorous Sea or exploring the newly discovered city of
Troy, he contracted typhoid fever. The family rushed to Florence, where the
weather and quality of medicine were the most agreeable on the continent.
Despite round-the-clock care and the best attention, the young man succumbed to
the infection on March 30, in the middle of the night.
Legend has it that
Leland Sr. awoke from a dream at the hour of his son’s death declaring ‘the
children of California shall be our children.’ The Stanfords decided to
establish the university as a monument to their only son and to welcome
students of all backgrounds. A plaque dedicated to Leland Jr. is on the outside
wall of the Grand Hotel.
In 1960, the
university planted its cardinal red flag at Villa San Paolo, inaugurating the
Stanford in Florence program. From 1973 to 1988, the university’s headquarters
were at Villa Salviatino, which is now a five-star resort, known for its unique
24/7 concierge service. However, when it served as the Stanford headquarters,
service was no less luxurious: the students had housekeepers, a full-time chef,
waiters and turndown service! Today, however, the university headquarters are
near the Ponte Vecchio, and Stanford students live with Florentine
families, which immerses them into
everyday Florentine life. They attend classes in the historic centre, many of
which are on-site in museums and other venues.
Many of Stanford’s
alumni have maintained an ongoing relationship with Florence. ‘The presence [of
alumni] demonstrates how much students over the years have grown attached to
this city,’ commented administrator Fosca D’Acierno, ‘they visit regularly, and
Florence has become their second home.’ The former ambassador to Italy and
Stanford alum, Ronald Spogli, will honor his alma mater at the event.
With more than 450
guests, including 350 alumni, Stanford in Florence is celebrating its 50th
anniversary with a weeklong round of cocktail parties, receptions, lectures,
conferences and private tours (Questore Francesco Tagliente is among the
Florentine personalities on the guest list). The festivities start on June 20,
when Mayor Matteo Renzi will toast the university at the opening dinner, which
Dr. and Mrs. Peter Bing, who are among Stanford’s most generous
philanthropists, are hosting at the Grand Hotel, where it all started.
The TF community
news column introduces English-speaking groups and associations and highlights
news and events of specific interest to the English-speaking community in
Florence. Email us at community@theflorentine.net
