The Villa is supported primarily by its own endowment, which has grown from the original $900,000 that Berenson bequeathed with his estate. To bridge the gap between endowment income and operating expenses, the operation of Villa i Tatti relies solely upon donations.

“While Harvard manages the endowment of I Tatti, it does not directly contribute to it,” says former Director of I Tatti Joseph Connors, who is also a professor of history of art and architecture.

“It’s not like what we spend at Villa I Tatti is taken away from Harvard Yard,” Pertile says.

During the financial crisis, Harvard University’s endowment plummeted by nearly 30 percent, leading to the slashing of budgets across the University and also dozens of employee layoffs. I Tatti’s endowment has also suffered, proving that the Italian sanctuary was not immune from the turbulence of global financial markets.

At an I Tatti Council meeting in April 2008, Connors expressed concern about the impact of the weakening dollar on I Tatti’s budget. According to a fall 2008 newsletter, Connors says that he worried that Renaissance study may be jeopardized by financial strain and reaffirmed I Tatti’s obligation to safeguard and preserve scholarship during difficult economic times.

“In general, this was a time of considerable constraint in all areas of operation,” Connors writes in an email to The Crimson.

As examples of budget cuts, he cited reduced hiring, program cutting, and the freezing of fellowship levels despite the unfavorably high Italian inflation rate.

Despite these concerns, I Tatti weathered the crisis and managed to preserve its way of life, proceeding with ambitious building projects and plans for expansion of its programming. In 2007, the Center announced plans to renovate its library and managed to raise $1 million by 2009 to complete extensive renovations. In 2008 and 2009, the Center expanded its grounds, which included the addition of a new vineyard, a new greenhouse and olive grove, according to its fall 2009 newsletter. I Tatti has also continued to focus on restoring its historic gardens, Assistant Director Allen J. Grieco, writes in an email to the Crimson.

In addition, I Tatti recently inaugurated a new building, housing study rooms for their fellows and a lecture hall, built during the height of the crisis. Although the building project was delayed when the construction company went bankrupt, it was eventually completed in 2011 after the Harvard Corporation granted permission for continued development given that funding had been previously obtained.

“I Tatti got through,” writes Connors, “though the watchword in budgetary matters is still caution.”

THE HEART OF THE VILLA

Villa i Tatti has focused on bringing its research and study into the 21st century, while keeping one foot firmly rooted in Renaissance.

A world class research center, it adds 3,500 volumes annually to its library of 175,000, a collection renowned throughout Italy. I Tatti has also continued to augment its research opportunities, adding programs that benefit Harvard students such as a Visiting Graduate Fellowship program, and a Summer Undergraduate Internship program that was created last year.

In recent years, I Tatti has expanded its academic focus beyond art history to include architecture, literature, music, religion, and science. The subjects of its scholars now include the transmission of Renaissance ideas beyond the Italian Peninsula.

Visiting graduate fellow Evan MacCarthy says that the program combats the problem of graduate students specializing too quickly.