Monash University, Prato Centre
Encyclopedia
The Monash University Prato Centre is a teaching and research centre in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
. It is located in an 18th century palace, the Palazzo Vaj, in the historical centre of Prato
Prato
Prato is a city and comune in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city is situated at the foot of Monte Retaia , the last peak in the Calvana chain. The lowest altitude in the comune is 32 m, near the Cascine di Tavola, and the highest is the peak of Monte Cantagrillo...
. It was opened on 17 September 2001, as part of Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
's internationalisation policy. It was established with the assistance of the local government of Prato, the region of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
and prominent Italian-Australians Rino and Diana Grollo.
The Centre aims to develop Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's links with Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, through research collaboration, seminars and conferences, and as a centre of study for Australian students.
It is now the largest Australian institution of its kind in Europe. Dr. Loretta Baldassar, former Chair of the Australasian Centre for Italian Studies, is the current Director. The Centre's patron is Sir James Gobbo
James Gobbo
Sir James Augustine Gobbo, AC, CVO, KStJ, QC was an Australian jurist and was the 25th Governor of Victoria.-Family:...
, AC
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, an Australian jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
who was the first Governor of Victoria of Italian descent.
Location
Prato is a city and comuneComune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in Tuscany. It is 24 km from Florence, accessible by road or a 20 minute train ride. It is a centre of Italy's textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
industry and of the slow food
Slow Food
Slow Food is an international movement founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. It was the first established part of...
movement. It is home to around 180,000 people, making it the second largest city in Tuscany and the third largest in Central Italy
Central Italy
Central Italy is one of the five official statistical regions of Italy used by the National Institute of Statistics , a first level NUTS region and a European Parliament constituency...
, after Florence and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. In addition to Monash, other educational institutions in Prato include Il Polo Universitario "Città di Prato" (a branch of the University of Florence
University of Florence
The University of Florence is a higher study institute in Florence, central Italy. One of the largest and oldest universities in the country, it consists of 12 faculties...
).
Situated at Via Pugliesi 26, the Monash Prato Centre occupies the Palazzo Vaj, an 18th Century palace in the town's historical centre. Certain parts of the building are believed to be even older, as 15th century frescoes have been discovered on one of the Palazzo's outer walls. The name Vaj comes from the family which originally owned the building in the 18th century. From 1875 to 1999, the palazzo was a prestigious club for local businessmen, largely used for gaming. The modern interior was largely created in the 1950s by the famous Italian architect Italo Gamberini and is heritage-listed by the Italian Government.
Activities
The Prato Centre hosts students from Monash who complete part of their degree at the Centre. The main academic areas offered by the Centre are law, art and design, music, history, international relations and Italian. This entails hundreds of Monash students being hosted by the Centre throughout the year. Classes are conducted by academics from Monash University, as well scholars from the University of FlorenceUniversity of Florence
The University of Florence is a higher study institute in Florence, central Italy. One of the largest and oldest universities in the country, it consists of 12 faculties...
, Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School is a Canadian law school, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and affiliated with York University. Named after the first Chief Justice of Ontario, William Osgoode, the law school was established by The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1889 and was the only accredited law...
, King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
and various experts working within the law, social sciences and the arts. The Centre is popular among Monash students, because it enables them to study overseas without having to transfer to a foreign university.
The Centre also holds major international conferences, organised by both Monash and other academic institutions. Additionally, it regularly hosts a range of guest speakers for students, staff and the local community.
Since the establishment of the Prato Centre, more than 12,000 students and researchers have studied and worked there.
Centre Directors
- Professor Bill Kent (2000–2004)
- Dr Annamaria Pagliaro (2005–2008)
- Professor Loretta Baldassar (2009-)
Notable faculty
Each year, staff from across the world visit the Centre to teach the various courses on offer. Regular teachers at the Centre include:- Nancy GertnerNancy GertnerNancy Gertner is a former United States federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts...
- Judge of the United States District Court for the District of MassachusettsUnited States District Court for the District of MassachusettsThe United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA. The first court session was held in Boston in 1789. The second term was held in Salem in 1790 and until 1813 court session locations... - George Hampel - former Justice of the Supreme Court of VictoriaSupreme Court of VictoriaThe Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
, Professor of Trial Practice and Advocacy - Stephen Charles - former Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria