The American University of Florence

This week’s Blending Magazine bonus instalment, 'Chasing Inspiration or Chasing Instagram?' explores a question that feels especially relevant in Florence: are visitors experiencing the city for themselves, or are they chasing the version they have already seen online?

Written by Reagan McGowan, Kate Cooper, Maggie Baker, and Emma Stromberg, this feature looks at how social media shapes the way people move through, photograph, and experience the city—from Piazza Santo Spirito to Ponte Vecchio and beyond.

Read the full article and discover the rest of the Spring 2026 issue of Blending Magazine at the link below 👇

https://blog.fua.it/chasing-inspiration-or-chasing-instagram/

📰 During the spring 2026 semester, students across The American University of Florence involved in writing, photography and graphic design courses came together to create 'Blending Magazine: Are The Streets Still Made For Dreaming?'

Celebrating now 16 years of Blending Magazine, students used the street as a metaphor to represent the overarching stories of perseverance, urban transformation, cultural representation and individual craftsmanship in the city of Florence. As we transition into the summer months, AUF will continue to celebrate Blending Magazine's spring 2026 issue with bonus articles published to Finding Florence, the university's student blog website.

This week, students Samantha Mircetic, Jillian Rottman & Jenna Pravecek present 'Hands of Heritage: The Artisans Keeping Oltrarno Alive.' Within this piece, discover Sdrucciolo de’ Pitti in the heart of the Oltrarno neighborhood of Florence, an unassuming street only steps away from Pitti Palace that carries a multitude of stories about keeping artisan dreams alive in the modern day landscape.

Read the full article at the link below 👇

Hands of Heritage: The Artisans Keeping Oltrarno Alive – Finding Florence Hands of Heritage: The Artisans Keeping Oltrarno Alive This blog feature is an exclusive bonus installment to the Spring 2026 issue of Blending Magazine: Are the Streets still Made for Dreaming? After you finish reading, be sure to explore the rest of the magazine online—just follow this link to d...

The American University of Florence is proud to share the publication of the official conference proceedings from "The Renaissance of Material Media: In Photography, Film & Beyond" held in Florence on December 5, 2025, co-organized with Stony Brook Univrsity.

Ultimately, many scholars, students and coordinators collaborated to host a successful conference, along with the opportunity to present pioneering research related to the resurgence of analog media. The annual academic conference continues to serve as a place to bridge connections across countries and contribute breakthrough research to emerging fields.

Discover more in the proceedings, available at the link below 👇

https://www.auf-florence.org/fall-2025-annual-academic-conference-proceedings-now-available/

The American University of Florence & Stony Brook University are pleased to announce their 15th Annual Conference, Florence and Water: The Flood, the City, and Six Decades of Urban Transformation.

Held in Florence on Friday, December 4, 2026, this international conference invites scholars, researchers, and academics to submit proposals exploring the legacy of the 1966 Florence flood and the broader relationship between water, cities, heritage, and resilience.

Topics may include urban planning, collective action, artistic production, climate change, memory and media, UNESCO heritage, tourism, and more.

📅 Abstract deadline: Friday, August 28, 2026
📧 Submit one-page abstracts and CVs in English to [email protected]

We welcome contributions from across disciplines and look forward to an engaging scholarly exchange.

To learn more visit AUF's official website linked below 👇

https://www.auf-florence.org/aufs-15th-annual-conference-call-for-papers/

Living and studying in Florence offers students a unique opportunity to experience history beyond the classroom.

In a recent interview with Public Relations student Emma Kelly, rising senior Zach Marshall reflects on his journey studying art history at The American University of Florence, sharing insights on academic life, cultural immersion, and personal growth abroad.

Read the full story at the link below 👇

https://www.auf-florence.org/more-than-a-classroom/

The American University of Florence's semesterly student-run magazine, Blending is now available!

This semester, Blending Magazine explored the theme of “Are The Streets Still Made For Dreaming?”, a wide-open invitation to see the city itself as a stage for imagination, possibility, and everyday invention. The theme encouraged students to treat “the street” not just as pavement and storefronts, but as a living social tapestry filled with street vendors, murals, nightlife, transit, protests, rituals, micro-economies, chance encounters and the small gestures that make a place feel alive. This issue asks: do our public spaces still nurture hope, creativity, and aspiration? Or have they been transformed by surveillance cameras, mass tourism, gentrification, and commerce? Students used this theme as a lens for personal stories, visual essays, critical reporting, experimental formats and playful features.

Interested in purchasing the magazine? Stop by our main campus building located at Corso dei Tintori, 21 today to secure your very own copy! Blending can only be purchased in Florence for 7 euro and is not available for shipping.

Not in Florence, or you simply cannot wait to read the Spring 2026 issue? Follow the link below to read the free online version today 👇👇👇

https://www.auf-florence.org/blending-magazine-spring-2026-is-here/