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Florence University of the Arts is proud to announce the official opening of Palazzo dell’Ospitalità, the new hospitality building of Apicius School of Hospitality. The campus facility is located on Via Ricasoli and is a few steps away from the Duomo in the heart of the city center.
“This is a very exciting time for us as we open our brand new Palazzo dell Ospitalità,” says Luca Pedocchi, Florence University of the Arts Provost. “We want our students to walk through the doors and into a modern facility that can offer a creative space and the very best state-of-the-art classrooms.”
The transition to via Ricasoli from Apicius' founding location in Via Guelfa marks an important transition for the new academic and strategic direction of FUA's hospitality division. A key focus of the facility is the concept of wellness as an increasingly important core aspect of the hospitality industry. Expanded curriculum implemented at the new Palazzo reflects the integration of wellness principles to areas of study from hospitality management to nutrition and dietetics. Other key areas of academic development include increased course offerings in existing disciplines such as event management, new offerings in spa management and real estate management, and enhanced Apicius Associate Degree/Certificate Career programs that provide a dynamic and international alignment to the demands of the increasingly global hospitality industry.
Palazzo dell'Ospitalità features expanded facilities such as increased classroom spaces and a new layout for the Fedora pastry shop learning lab. In support of the new disciplines of study cited above, the Palazzo debuts two new CEMI (Community Engagement Member Institutions) that enhance the academic experience of hospitality students and faculty. Dimora, the FUA Guest Apartments learning lab, and Sorgiva, the spa learning lab, are dedicated to helping students of hospitality, real estate, and spa management studies to engage with the local Florentine community through Experiential Learning. Both are learning spaces open to the FUA community of students, staff, faculty, and institutional guests in which students are given the opportunity to learn about the management and operations of hospitality facilities. “Florence is a city full of possibility and we hope our students feel inspired by the local Florentine community as a positive stimulus for their academic and future professional careers,” says Pedocchi.