Italians have a phrase for it: formare una famiglia, or forming a family. This fall, as Beacon College’s popular Beacon in Tuscany study abroad program emerged from COVID-19 hibernation, nearly two dozen students jetted to Italy to study business essentials and learn to appreciate and navigate cultural differences and did just that — forged a […]
A recent study published in the journal Biological Conservation suggested that a thrifty method to conserve sharks and rays in Indonesian waters would be paying fishers not to haul them in. The journal Conservation Biology published a study highlighting a dozen potential ways aquaculture could benefit the ecology. And NatureServe, a conservation research group, warned […]
Beacon educators Michael Fallon (blue shirt and sunglasses) and Dr. Michele Szydlowski (striped shirt and cap) travel abroad with the Classrooms Without Borders program. By Richard Burnett Shock and awe awaited a triad of Beacon College faculty members this summer as they encountered some of the most infamous places in history on an educational trip […]
As hundreds of travelers before them, a flock of Beacon College students set out on a journey this summer in search of knowledge and fun in another part of the world. Their destination: Australia. Nearly 30 students, one alum, two parents, and one sibling joined the June trip, part of the college’s Travel Abroad Program led by Provost Shelly Chandler
This year, the Tuscany adventure, believed to be the only semester-long study abroad program for neurodivergent students, is back on the manifest. Nearly two dozen students have been selected for the September to December semester at the University of Florence’s campus in Prato, a town about 40 miles from Florence.
Beacon College bid farewell this morning to the second class in its global education program, Beacon in Tuscany. The program is believed to be the only semester-long study abroad program for students who learn differently. Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida, a nonprofit liberal arts school, is America’s first college/university accredited to award bachelor’s degrees primarily […]
I take time out from packing to compose one of the last newsletters of the Fall 2017 semester from Prato, Italy. Since the last posting we have kept up the pace of our exploration and visited several places worth noting.
We traveled back to Florence to visit the famous Basilica di Santa Croce. Aside from its being a magnificent structure, it is also the burial place for some of Italy’s most famous citizens: Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, Rossini, Ghiberti and many more.
On November 4 we packed up and left Prato for a 4-day adventure in Rome. This is good practice for the trip back to the U.S. early next month! We caught the train to Florence and transferred to a fast Italo train to Roma. We occupied the better part of one entire car and enjoyed the ride through the Tuscan countryside into the Lazio region. The first order of business was getting checked into the hotel Ghiberti, well-located near the train station and surrounded by restaurants and shops. We did not linger, however, there was much to see and miles to walk.
We have covered many miles since my last update.
On October 13, we were back in Florence for a visit to the Cathedrale Santa Maria del Fiore, with its famous Duomo, Bapistry and Bell Tower. After touring the museum — including the ancient ruins in the crypt over which the cathedral was built — we climbed to the top of the Duomo for another spectacular view of Florence, this time from within the city.
No matter how many times we view these iconic symbols of Florence, they still take our breath away by their sheer grandeur, majesty and beauty.
It was just four weeks ago that we embarked on our adventure and fled Irma which was bearing down on Florida. We continue to explore all that our surroundings have to offer. It is hard to believe that October is here already. In many parts of the United States, now is when the foliage begins to change to a rich palette of autumn colors. Not so here—at least not yet. The hills around Prato are still very green and the temperatures remain summer-like.
On September 29, we boarded the train for the short ride to Pistoia, located just a few miles north and west of Prato. This is another medieval walled city but much smaller, by about half, than Prato. It has its own full complement of historical facts and locations, however.
