News - October 2, 2009

A close encounter with the origins of the Italian language: Option II students visit the Accademia della Crusca

Ever since their arrival at SU Florence one month ago, Option II students have been fervidly preparing for their upcoming studies at the Centro di Cultura per Stranieri in the University of Florence through intense Italian advanced class, and site visits. They recently wrapped up their preparation with a visit to the Accademia della Crusca, the institution that compiled the first dictionary of the Italian language four centuries ago.

Says Antonella Francini, Coordinator of the Option II program and professor of the advanced pre-Centro course, “A visit to the Crusca provides students with a historical perspective on the language they have studied at home, and which they have come to perfect in Florence. It’s a crucial complement to their knowledge of Italian and its legacy today.” 

The Accademia della Crusca (literally, the Academy of Bran) is a leading research institution on the Italian language.  Its origins can be traced back to the late 1500s. Currently located in the magnificent Medici Villa di Castello, for which Botticelli supposedly painted his Primavera and Birth of Venus, this place and its historic garden is the perfect haven for students of the Italian language. Notes Katie Gosewehr, Pomona College, “When I visit a place with a long history, I can feel its past and its experiences. I breathe the same air the building breathes—the same air the people who have lived there breathed. This was my experience at the Accademia della Crusca, which gave form to the Italian language we study today.”

Upon arrival, linguist Lucia De Anna introduced the Option II group to the history of the Accademia and the pale room, an enormous room whose walls are lined with wooden shovels, created to represent each member of the Crusca with a symbolic image, a nickname, and his chosen motto. Students saw an edition of the first Vocabolario, a dictionary of the Italian language, printed in Venice in 1612 to preserve the beauty of the Florentine language as it had been used by illustrious authors such as Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarca, Lorenzo il Magnifico, and Machiavelli. Said Tessa Lawler, USC, “Inside the walls of the villa are the most important testimonials to the critical influences of Dante, Petrarca and Boccaccio on the Italian language. The visit was fantastic!”

Says Amanda Levin, Rutgers University, “I had learned about the Crusca in another course, and I was looking forward to the visit. I loved everything there, especially the shovel room and the history behind each pala. The garden, the statues, the grotta—everything felt like a paradiso.”