"O Lord, Do Not Forsake Me."                 

The Italian Classroom

The teacher must derive not only the capacity, but the desire, to observe natural phenomena. The teacher must understand and feel her position of observer: the activity must lie in the phenomenon. 

Maria Montessori
(1870-1952) born on Aug 31
Italian educator, reformer. She originated the Montessori method of education stressing development of initiative and freedom of the child.
 

    The serenity of a 15th-century Tuscan monastery, with its traditional devotion to religion, art, music, and education, permeates the Italian Classroom.

    The rear choir stall bench and shuttered windows introduce the monastic theme. The blackboard doors recall an armadio, a cabinet behind an altar used to hold priestly vestments. The turquoise cazetta ceiling, embellished with carved, gold-leafed rosettes, was inspired by one originally in the San Dominico Convent at Pesaro. In the architrave, names of famous Italians are inlaid in olive wood. The lettering resembles that used in the inscription on the Arch of Titus in Rome. Bay benches, cushioned in rich red velvet, add an opulent touch. The red tile floor is set in a herring-bone pattern similar to that of Florence's Palazzo Vecchio.

    An original Florentine fireplace, made of sandstone from the quarries of Fiesole, bears the carved Latin inscription, "O Lord, do Not Forsake Me." On either side stand Savonarola chairs.

    Monastery bench designs, adapted for student use, are carved with names and founding dates of Italian universities. The oldest is the University of Bologna, established in 1088. From the front of the room, a bronze bust of Dante Alighieri faces Giovanni Romagnoli's mural of Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, the first woman in the world to be awarded a university degree. The University of Padua granted her both and master's and Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1678.