CAPA Center Via Pandolfini, 20, Florence

Since 1972, CAPA International Education has been the trusted global leader in personalized study abroad programs. With global cities programs in Beijing, Buenos Aires, Dublin, Florence, Istanbul, London, Shanghai, and Sydney, CAPA's unique approach to study abroad, called MyCAPA, puts students in charge of creating their own self-selected, self-identifying programs. CAPA delivers the best in education and experiences in and out of the classroom through a proven educational system called MyEducation, which combines theme-based learning with cultural events that connect the classroom to the local environment.

 

Pythagoras May 30, 2013
This morning, we had group presentations during our Engineering course. Karl and I presented on early philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras. The research actually turned out to be really interesting. I learned a lot about Pythagoras' view that mathematics is a part of every aspect of life – including music. "Things to do with notes are ordered in accordance with number." In fact, Pythagoras was really...
Under the Tuscan Sun May 22, 2013
In Global Studies class today we viewed Audrey Wells' film, Under the Tuscan Sun. The film is based off of Frances Mayes' book of the same name. In the movie, Frances, the main character, in recovering from a bad divorce, decides to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to Tuscany. Naturally, she falls in love with the region and instinctively buys a house. And of course there is a bunch of romance and whatnot...
Urban Layout of Florence May 20, 2013
From 1493, what is now considered the "Historical Center" of Florence was completely surrounded by walls. When Florence replaced Turin as the capital of Italy in 1865, there were about 120,000 inhabitants in the city. However, the city had to accommodate for some 20,000 additional governmental employees. Thus, something had to be done and portions of the old medieval walls were removed. Giuseppe Poggi, and...
Fall of the Roman Empire May 16, 2013
After tying up some loose ends on Copernicus and Aristotle in the Engineering course this morning, we began our discussion on the predecessors of Leonardo da Vinci. The collapse of the Roman Empire in about 500 began what is known as the Middle Ages. This collapse was initiated by a coordinated barbarian invasion: the Huns from south Russia, the Vandals from northeastern Germany and the Franks and Goths...
History of Western Medicine May 10, 2013
Today, we only had one engineering class in the morning outlining a brief history of western medicine. Hippocrates was considered the "Father of Medicine" and viewed the subject as a rational science finally distinguished from magic and superstition. A holistic approach was based on the four humors: fire, air, earth and water. Despite the focus on this rational science, dissection was forbidden and...
Engineering of the Renaissance May 08, 2013
We had our first engineering course today in which Dr. Galdi gave us a general introduction to science and engineering during the Renaissance. As expected, the lecture was really intriguing. Before the Babylonians engaged in detailed observations of the sky, mankind practiced astrology in which celestial bodies were believed to have devine character. In fact, it was this belief that the stars could predict...
The Global City May 07, 2013
Today we had our first urban studies course with professor Adriano Boncompagni. He grew up in Florence and seems like a really cool guy. After briefly reviewing the course syllabus, we talked about the symbols and stereotypes of Italy before reviewing the political history of the country – specifically the region of Tuscany and Florence. Unlike most European countries including France, England and Russia,...
Orientation & Tour May 06, 2013
After a solid breakfast, we headed down to CAPA for a brief orientation and walking tour. The staff is really great – especially Lorenzo. They are all extremely helpful and are excited that we are there. Most importantly, they seem to love what they do. The orientation just went over the basics of the program including a brief overview of what to expect when living in the city. After the orientation,...