Internships
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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.
Visionary Women of 20th Century Western Art History: Mary Berenson and Isabella Stewart Gardner
Mary Berenson and Isabella Stewart Gardner were members of an elite network of novelists, artists and collectors spanning between America and Europe that included remarkable women such as Edith Wharton, Gertrude Stein and Virginia Woolf. They were directly connected through Bernard Berenson, who was Mary’s husband and Isabella’s chief art advisor. To recenter the intellectual and social contributions of these two influential women, interns will work with the diaries of Mary Berenson and Isabella Stewart Gardner’s guestbooks and letters. In these personal archives, students will find both accounts of the women’s everyday lives as well as indicators of the futures they envisioned; from Mary's involvement in the women’s rights movement to Isabella's emphasis on the role of art for the public good through the creation of her museum in Boston.
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.
An American Cultural Ambassador During the Cold War: The American Academy of Rome Through the Lens of Isabel Roberts
From 1946 until 1960, Laurance Roberts was appointed director of the American Academy in Rome, a research institution focused on the Classics and Fine Arts that attracted an elite circle of international intellectuals. Roberts was the son of a coal magnate who graduated from Princeton and became an art historian specializing in Asian art. His wife Isabel Roberts, who was a graduate of Vassar College, was an active member of the Academy and documented social and private events in her photos. The photographs reflect the atmosphere of the American Academy as a cultural ambassador to Europe and beyond; and provide a lens on Isabel’s active role in creating an international network of intellectuals and artists. The interns will work with Isabel’s photo albums to map the intricate interactions of people and places at the American Academy of Rome against the backdrop of the Cold War.
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 18, 2025 by midnight (Cambridge, MA time). Letters of recommendation are due February 25, 2025.
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Chiara Albanese and Sara Coady spent summer 2018 in Florence as a Tatti interns working on the diaries of Mary Berenson.
Gavin Moulton spent his time at the Harvard Center in Florence exploring I Tatti's photographs of Islamic architecture.