Internships

INTERNSHIPS

A limited number of undergraduate summer internships are available for Harvard students at Villa I Tatti. The primary goal is to allow students to spend two months (June-July) at the Florence center to carry out a project that contributes to their academic development.

Projects

Curatorial Internship

Between the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, Bernard and Mary Berenson acquired an impressive collection of artworks by artists from Giotto to Lorenzo Lotto. In addition, the Berensons developed a significant collection of Asian and Islamic sculpture, objects, and scrolls. Since 1915, the display of the Berenson collection at I Tatti has remained largely unchanged and offers a unique window into collecting practices of the early 20th century, the Berensons’ aesthetics of display, and the ethics of trade in objects and arts across the world. The curatorial intern will support the curator in managing the art collection and creating supplementary educational materials. They will have the opportunity to develop a small exhibition, reinterpreting the significance of select objects in a 21st century context.

Mapping Bernard and Mary Berenson’s Travels

Mary and Bernard Berenson were influential connoisseurs of Italian Renaissance paintings and drawings, and they bequeathed their library of some 50,000 volumes, their art collection, and the villa that housed them to Harvard University. Their extensive travels across Italy, Europe, the United States, and the Middle East were instrumental in shaping their knowledge and connoisseurship of the Italian Renaissance. Travel also played a key role in expanding their intellectual and art market networks. Using invaluable archival materials, such as Mary Berenson’s diaries preserved in the Berenson Library, interns will focus on mapping the movements and travels of Bernard and Mary Berenson. The diaries are particularly useful for drafting a timeline for the years 1891–1909 and 1915–1937. Interns will also consult correspondence between Bernard and Mary to extract travel data from a variety of primary sources, conduct research to contextualize key journeys, and contribute to the creation of a comprehensive digital timeline.

Mediterranean Cookery and Produce

The intern working on Mediterranean cookery and produce will gain experience in the production and preparation of seasonal ingredients and dishes. Interns will assist I Tatti's experienced team of Italian chefs in food preparation and the art of pasticceria (pastry-making.) I Tatti relies on its organic garden to produce a colorful selection of herbs, fruit, and vegetables, and interns will learn about the correct preparation of these ingredients while helping to create innovative and fresh Italian and Mediterranean recipes for the scholarly community. The internship also involves the preparation of written content concerning the history of I Tatti's olive oil and wine, soon to be sold at Harvard, and assisting with the production of an upcoming booklet of recipes from I Tatti's kitchen. Applicants must be proficient in Italian. Some experience in the basics of food preparation is desirable.

Photography, Medieval Archeology, and the Making of a Harvard Luminary

Arthur Kingsley Porter was a medieval art historian who was an early advocate for the teaching of art history and archaeology in the American educational system. In 1925 he became chair of Harvard University’s Art History Department. Before his mysterious death in 1933, Porter traveled extensively in the Mediterranean, and he and his wife Lucy took photos of archeological sites in Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece and beyond. Porter regularly sent these photographs to Bernard Berenson – his close friend and mentor since having met him in Paris after World War I. Today, these correspondences are held at both the Harvard Fine Arts Library and at I Tatti. Through documenting these photographs and their handwritten captions, interns will have the opportunity to examine concepts of cultural preservation through the personal journey of an art historian.

Eligibility

Applicants must be currently enrolled as full-time undergraduate students at Harvard University. Priority will be given to rising juniors and seniors at Harvard College. Familiarity with Italian is recommended but not required. Unfortunately, graduating seniors are not eligible.

Terms

Interns receive $5000 to offset the cost of living and airfare. They are required to reside in Florence from June 1 through July 30 and are responsible for arranging their own travel. Housing is offered on the I Tatti estate. Interns are required to spend at least four full days a week at the Villa and to attend all academic events. Interns may not take on any other obligations, even part-time ones, during any part of their internship. Interns enjoy all the privileges of the Harvard Center, including use of the Biblioteca Berenson and lunch from Monday through Friday.

Application

Applicants will need to provide a cover letter, C.V. (including knowledge of languages), and a list of courses taken at Harvard (including grades and names of professors.) The online application form will ask applicants to indicate three projects in order of preference. References should come from a Harvard professor but will also be accepted from a TA with a co-signature from a Harvard professor. To give the referee adequate time to submit a letter of recommendation, click the reference tab and register them as early as possible. Referees will receive an email explaining how to access the system and submit their letters electronically. The application submission deadline is February 17, 2026 by midnight (Cambridge, MA time). Letters of recommendation are due February 24, 2026.