Paola Barubiani holds a laurea in modern languages and a second degree in medieval history. She has been lecturing and leading groups in Florence for several years. She is extremely knowledgeable about the city and its important role in the world--from an artistic and cultural center in the Renaissance. She has a special interest in Fra Angelico, about whom she wrote her thesis.

Originally from Austria, Barbara Karl has studied art history and languages in Vienna, Innsbruck, Paris, Lisbon and Florence. From the beginning of her academic career she has focused on cross-cultural exchange in the arts. She is currently doing a Pos-doc project working the items of the Islamic world in the collections of the Medici Grand Dukes of Tuscany (1537 – 1737).

Sally Quin received her PhD in Art History from the University of Western Australia in 2004 and specialises in 16th century Italian art history and theory. She wrote her dissertation on the critical reception of Italian women artists in early modern Italy with particular focus on the writing of Giorgio Vasari. In 2001 she was awarded the Harold Wright Scholarship for study in the Department of Prints and Drawings at The British Museum and has also undertaken extensive research in Bolognese archives under an Italian Government Scholarship. Sally has worked as a curator and academic in major Australian institutions and published in areas ranging from early modern sculpture to contemporary Australian painting. She is currently undertaking research on 16th century Bolognese sculptor Properzia de’ Rossi.

Mark Rosen received his Ph.D. in the History of Art from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004 and is currently doing research in Florence. A specialist in the history of Florentine art and its urban development, he is especially passionate about Renaissance maps. He has lived in Florence on and off for the past six years.

Will Schutt moved back to the States in 2007 to get his MFA in Poetry at Hollins University, in Virginia. He is currently working on an article about contemporary Italian fiction and the detective novel for the magazine A Public Space. In August he will return to Italy to host a writing program in Siena through the Siena School for Liberal Arts ( www.sienaschool.com).

Emily Wise Miller is the author of The Food Lover's Guide to Florence (Ten Speed Press, 2003), and the updated 2nd edition, which was published in spring, 2007. She has written on food, travel, and culture for Saveur, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Times London Travel Magazine, and other publications, and has edited cookbooks for Williams-Sonoma. While living in Italy for many years, Miller has developed a passion for and knowledge of Italian food and wine that she is eager to share with others.