Wine Windows and Wine Business Walks

The course features a multifaceted approach that involves and engages students in the investigation of the Florentine tradition of wine windows. Introducing these peculiar wine businesses under a cross-disciplinary lens structured around historical, socio-cultural, and financial filters, students gain a thorough and extensive knowledge of the aspects and features that lie beyond wine tourism and the social media trend of wine windows. The exploration of city center neighborhoods - where wine windows witness the centuries-old wine heritage of Florence - catalyzes the topics pursued in the course and allows students to gain an understanding of the socio-economic value of wine windows as a tangible expression of the Italian wine culture. The course entails an overview of fundamental concepts, related to the wine industry and deeply intertwined with the wine window phenomenon, such as financial resilience during global crises, brand image strategies, the impact and consequences of fast tourism on economic sustainability, and generational wine consumption habits. The classroom approach of this course is based on experiencing Florence as the academic space for learning and engagement. Classes are not held in a traditional, frontal-style setting; each lesson is carefully mapped for curricular content and featured locations: lectures, observations, exercises, analysis, and reflections on presented topics are held in relevant sites that are accounted for in the academic planning, syllabus, and related course material. Coursework and submissions will be regularly assessed on the Course website platform through daily assignments in addition to exams, papers, and projects. Learning through the on-site classroom approach fosters a deeper understanding of the cultural environment of Florence and how it is related to the subject of study represented by the course, and allows the overall experience to contribute to the students' academic and personal enrichment.

Course Notes
Intensive course held Mon through Fri from May 21 to June 5. Please note that the first lesson will be held on Wednesday May 21. Meeting Point: Piazza della Repubblica by the column.