ESIL Inaugural Conference:
Venue

The Conference Centre
The Conference will be held at La Pietra, within walking distance of the centre of Florence:

La Pietra
Via Bolognese, 120
50139 Firenze
Italy

La Pietra, a historic residence on a 57-acre estate, is located on one of the foothills surrounding Florence, just one Roman mile from the city. Its history is mainly connected with three well-known families: the Sassetti in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Capponi from the 16th to the 19th century, and the Actons during the last century. At Sir Harold Acton’s death in 1994, La Pietra was bequeathed to New York University, one of the largest donations ever received by an academic institution. The main villa preserves its historic furnishings as well as a famous collection of works of art from the time of the Actons. It is surrounded by one of the most beautiful gardens in Italy, also created by the Actons. The estate, which includes four other villas, now serves as the University’s centre for overseas studies in Florence, and as an international conference centre.

The City of Florence
Florence, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, famous for its renaissance masterpieces, is remarkably well preserved. All its renowned monuments and most famous museums are concentrated in a small area, within easy walking distance of each other. The low hills that surround the city have retained their vineyards, olive groves and handsome villas, providing a backdrop to the beautiful Tuscan landscape.

The Region of Tuscany
Florence is the most important city in Tuscany. The best known of Italy’s twenty regions, Tuscany is home to the towns of Siena, Lucca and Pisa, with some of the most beautiful Gothic and Romanesque buildings in Italy. There are also numerous interesting and well-preserved small towns within easy reach such as Cortona, San Gimignano and Montalcino. The region is well-known for its splendid landscape, particularly that of the Chianti district which lies between Florence and Siena, as well as the beautiful sea coast of Versilia, with the Apuan Alps providing a spectacular backdrop.

Tourist Information
The official tourist board (APT) of Florence offers up-to-date information and advice to visitors and supplies a list of hotels, a map, opening times of museums and current exhibitions, etc.
APT's website:
www.firenze.turismo.toscana.it
APT's email:
infoturismo@provincia.fi.it

On arrival in Florence you can visit their offices at 1(red) Via Cavour or 29(red) Borgo Santa Croce (tel: (+39) 055 290832 or fax: (+39) 055 2760383).
The Region of Tuscany website:
www.regione.toscana.it

There are also official local tourist offices in every small town in Tuscany.

For information relating specifically to the conference, please contact:
infoconference@esil-sedi.org

RSS (English)
© ESIL 2004.
Creative Commons License.
Movable Type 2.661