University of Florence


The University of Florence is an Italian public research university located in Florence, Italy. It comprises 12 schools and has around 50,000 students enrolled.

History

The university dates from 1859, when Leopold II, [Grand Duke of Tuscany] lost power and a group of disparate higher-studies institutions were grouped together into the Istituto di Studi Superiori Pratici e di Perfezionamento. A year later, this was recognized as a fully-fledged university by the government of the Kingdom of Sardinia, when it annexed the United Provinces of Central Italy. In 1865, the new Kingdom of Italy chose Florence as its temporary capital, but it was replaced by Rome soon after the Capture of Rome in 1870.
In 1923, the Istituto was renamed as a University by the Italian Parliament.
An earlier university in Florence was the, which was established by the Florentine Republic in 1321. The Studium was recognized by Pope Clement VI in 1349, and authorized to grant regular degrees. The Pope also established that the first Italian faculty of theology would be in Florence. The Studium became an imperial university in 1364, but in 1473 it was moved to Pisa, when Lorenzo the Magnificent gained control of Florence. Charles VIII moved it back to Florence in 1497, but in 1515 it was moved to Pisa again when the Medici family returned to power.

Organization

The university is subdivided into 12 schools, which are: Agriculture; Architecture; Arts; Economics; Education; Engineering; Law; Mathematics, Physics and Natural Sciences; Medicine and Surgery; Pharmacology; Political Science; and Psychology.
Faculties are located in traditionally strategic areas based on their subject matter. The Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Political Sciences are in the Polo delle Scienze Sociali, in the Novoli district, near the new courthouse. The Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, the Faculty of Pharmacology, and certain scientific and engineering departments are in the Careggi district, close to the hospital. The Faculty of Engineering is located at the S. Marta Institute, whereas the Faculty of Agriculture is in front of the Parco delle Cascine. The Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences is located in Sesto Fiorentino. The Faculty of Architecture is in the center of the city, as the Accademia di Belle Arti, home of Michelangelo's David. The Faculties of Literature, History, Philosophy, and Pedagogy are in the centre of Florence.

School of Law

The University hosts one of the leading Italian law schools, repeatedly recognised as a national "Department of Excellence" by the Italian Ministry [of Education, University and Research|Ministry of Education, University, and Research]. Alumni and faculty members of the University of Florence School of Law have held leading positions in government. They include Presidents of the Italian Constitutional Court Silvana Sciarra, Paolo Grossi, Ugo de Siervo, and Enzo Cheli, President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Jugoslavia and Special Tribunal for Lebanon Antonio Cassese, Judge of the International Court of Justice Giorgio Gaja, Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Union Roberto Mastroianni, former Prime Ministers of the Italian Republic Matteo Renzi and Giuseppe Conte, and members of the Constituent Assembly Piero Calamandrei and Giorgio La Pira.

Notable people

Alumni

Notable alumni of the University of Florence include:

Faculty

Points of interest