Above and Beyond
From Art Courier to Academic Registrar: A Journey Shaped by Florence
Writing aboard the Amtrak Acela on her final courier assignment for the Peabody Essex Museum, Carla Hill Galfano reflects on a pivotal career transition and the formative experience that set it all in motion: studying abroad in Florence. As she prepares to begin a new role as Museum Registrar at American University, she recognizes how her time at ISI Florence continues to influence her professional ambitions, intellectual curiosity, and personal life.
A Career Framed by Art and Travel
Her last courier trip—overseeing the safe transport and installation of a sixteenth-century Japanese lacquer shrine at the Yale University Art Gallery—symbolizes the close of one chapter and the beginning of another. The move to a university museum environment represents both advancement and a return to the dynamic academic community she first fell in love with as a student. That drive to seek new challenges, she notes, was sparked in Florence.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Language, Friendship, and Cultural Immersion
When Carla arrived in Florence in 2004 as an art history major, she initially believed language preparation was essential. A chance friendship with a fearless classmate who embraced Italian from day one reshaped that view, teaching her confidence, patience, and openness—lessons as lasting as any academic credit.
The City as a Living Textbook
Her daily walk to Palazzo Rucellai became an immersive survey of Renaissance art and architecture, from Brunelleschi’s dome to the Palazzo Strozzi. Florence itself functioned as a classroom, shaping her visual knowledge, research interests, and emotional connection to the discipline.
Research, Restoration, and the Roots of a Profession
Florence provided access to archives, conservators, and historic sites that informed Carla’s undergraduate thesis on wartime art theft and later her graduate research on restoration and national identity. Encounters with conservation professionals at Palazzo Spinelli ultimately led her to return to Florence for formal training in art restoration—an experience that, even though she later changed paths, gave her lasting skills in problem-solving and independence.
History, Memory, and Visual Storytelling
Her projects often blended personal exploration with scholarly inquiry: retracing historic photographs, studying the fate of artworks during World War II, and investigating the reconstruction of Florence’s bridges. These experiences demonstrated how place, memory, and material culture intersect in museum work and art historical research.
A Life Intertwined with Florence
Florence’s influence extended beyond her career. It was there that Carla met her husband, and its history subtly shaped her family life and identity. The city’s artistic and cultural legacy became part of her subconscious, guiding both her professional direction and her sense of self.
Lasting Impact of Study Abroad
As the train arrives in New Haven, she concludes that her study abroad experience was not simply a semester away but a defining force that continues to inform her choices, relationships, and aspirations. Her story stands as a testament to the transformative, lifelong value of international education.
