Elisa Bracalente
Subject: Italian Literature
I graduated cum laude in Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata‘ in 2004. My honors thesis analysed the influences of Irish traditions on Bram Stoker‘s Dracula and read the novel as a post-colonial text. As part of my undergraduate program I spent a year in Ireland as an Erasmus student at NUI Galway, a life changing experience which deepened my appreciation and understanding of other cultures. My interest in world literatures in English brought me to Australia in 2007 as a visiting scholar at the University of Western Australia and Murdoch University where I participated actively in the academic life. I moved to Perth, Western Australia, in 2008 to continue my postgraduate studies and completed a PhD in English and Comparative Literature at Murdoch University in 2012. My PhD thesis, In the Shadow of the Australian Legend: Re-reading Australian Literature, analyses the construction of an Australian identity through the marginalisation of the Indigenous community and the fundamental role literature had in this process. As a tutor in ‘Australian Literature and Film‘ at Murdoch University I had the possibility to teach in my area of expertise and to successfully combine teaching and research. My research and teaching interests include Italian Literature, Australian Literature, Post-Colonial Literature and Theory, Victorian Literature, Irish Literature and Gothic Literature.
I have recently returned to Italy and in 2013 I have joined the Joseph S. Bruno Auburn Abroad in Italy Program in Ariccia where I lecture in Italian Literature, perfectly combining my passion for international studies and literature. As a former international student, I believe that becoming familiar with the literature of the country you live in gives you a better understanding of its people and culture and is a fundamental step in your study abroad experience.
Francesca Fabi
Subject: Life & Times in Italian History
"Born and raised in Rome, with my family roots in Ariccia, I spent quite some time abroad in UK, Austria and Denmark and worked for years as a journalist and reporter for several music magazines, as music is one of my passions, together with history. I obtained my Master’s Degree in History, with the top mark, from the University La Sapienza in Rome with the dissertation “Ibrahim Ibn Yakub, a Jewish traveler into the Slavic and Nordic Lands in the 10th Century”. I also completed a post graduate course about Victorian England at the University of Oxford.
For more than a decade, my field of research and my main academic interest as a student, researcher and now university lecturer have been Social History, because I love the life of ordinary people and the little details that give depth and another perspective to historical knowledge. My lessons concentrate on giving to the students both an overview of general European History as well as an outlook on the daily life in ancient Rome, medieval and modern times and focus on the issues connected to Italian immigration to North America at the turn of last century. I have also published three books, unconventional travel guides of London, New York and Berlin from the perspective of the history of rock music. I am a certified wine sommelier with Ais and have led both wine tastings and classes about the history of food and wine."
Antonio Forcellino
Subject: The Renaissance and the Art of Michelangelo
"As a historian, writer and restorer, my studies have focused especially on Renaissance Art. I have guided the restoration of masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Moses and the facades of the cathedrals of Siena and Orvieto. I attributed the statue of Pope Julius II to Michelangelo and have published a number of essays on the art of the great masters of the Italian Renaissance like Michelangelo and Raphael.
In 25 years of activity, I have restored extremely important Italian monuments such as the Arch of Roman Emperor Trajan in Benevento, the pulpits in Ravello’s cathedral, and the tomb of Pope Julius II. During seminar on the art of Michelangelo, I present his work as a restorer and provide an overview on Michelangelo’s masterpieces and Renaissance art for students of the Joseph S. Bruno Auburn Abroad in Italy Program."
Mary Louise Gray
Subject: The Renaissance and the Art of Michelangelo
"I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, from a Scottish mother and father. I grew up there, but did part of my studies in London at the Slade School of Art for Painting. When I married Marco,we lived three years in Zurich and then in Rome. Later we moved to Ariccia into Marco’s family house Villa Sole. I am still active as a painter and songwriter.
I was an English teacher in schools of the Castelli Romani for many years. I have taught Conversational Italian to the Auburn students for several years and I have written a simple reference book for my course. Now I have started a new course on Italian cuisine and will teach several cooking classes during the semester. I love this country and hope to make you love it too!"
Livio Iacuitti
Subject: Art Restoration
I was born in Rome in 1938. I got my first art diploma in 1958 and got my second diploma in art restoration in 1962 at ICR in Rome (Istituto Centrale del Restauro – Central Restoration Institute).I have worked in several museums and churches in Italy: in the 1960s I have worked, together with other colleagues, on the restoration of the frescoes by Giotto, Simone Martini and Cimabue in Assisi. I then worked for five years at the Archaeological Museum in Naples. In 1966 I was in Florence after the flooding of the river Arno and helped, together with thousands of people, to save the masterpieces of the Uffizi Gallery. In Rome I have worked in several museums and churches like Palazzo Borghese and Chiesa del Gesù where I have worked for 8 years on the restoration of the frescoes by Baciccio (17th century). I am also the official restorer of the Chigi Palace in Ariccia and have my studio in Rome. During my two seminars in Ariccia, I will explain my job and the procedures and techniques of the restoration on a canvas and on a fresco.
Leonardo Paulillo
Subject: The European Union
"I was born in Bari, Italy and am a practicing attorney in Rome. I received my college degree in law at the University of Bari and completed my studies in Rome, Amsterdam and Paris obtaining a PhD in Law. I live in Rome and have worked for several law firms. In 2006, I founded the Paulillo & Teti Law Firm, focusing on entertainment and intellectual property laws. Recent roles include: National Member of the ISFOL - FlaiLab Team, a project of the Minister of Welfare for the implementation of training in internet-oriented jobs; served as the Scientific Coordinator, developing seminars & conferences for the Rome Independent Film Festival (RIFF); and former member of the Directive Committee of the Ischia Film Festival coordinating movie-tourism and product placement events. I am currently a member of: INTA, the International Trademark Association; INTA’s Internet Sub-Committee, ELS, Elsa Lawyer Society; IPC, Intellectual Property Constituency; ICANN@Large Membership Assembly; ELSA, European Law Student Association – Honorary Member and Founder of ELSA Bari; and a Friend of the Rotary Bari Club Mediterraneo.
I was a speaker at the Conferenza delle Regioni about entertainment, movie-tourism and product placement. I have also served as a Counsel member of the SCINTLEX studies centre, and a legal advisor of Cinemarca for product placement. During 2008-2009, I was involved in legal advising and contract negotiation for the following feature films: “Il Divo” di P. Sorrentino; “Galantuomini” di E. Winspeare; “Ultimo Crodino” di U. Spinazzola; “El Artista” di Duprat e Cohen; and “La Matassa” di Ficarra e Picone. I have taught in several universities and organizations including the University of Roma “La Sapienza”, the University of Lecce, and IDLO (International Development Law Organization). In 2007, I began speaking to the Joseph S. Bruno Auburn Abroad in Italy Program abou the history of the European Union and design and copyright laws in Italy."
Francesco Petrucci
Subject: History of Italian Architecture & Director of the Chigi Palace
"I was born in Albano, Italy on July 17, 1958 and was raised in Ariccia. I graduated from Rome “La Sapienza” University in 1982, obtaining the highest grade with my doctoral thesis entitled “The Chigi Palace of Ariccia”. As an architect and art historian, I specialize in the restoration of monuments. From 1989 until 1998, I was the Director of the Department of Urban Development and Public Works of the Ariccia Town Council. Since 1998, I have been the Curator of the Chigi Palace, editor of the historical journal “Castelli Romani”, President of the music society “Accademia degli Sfaccendati”, and Honorary Inspector of the Ministry of Culture for Archaeology. I have conducted a number of architectonic restorations on 17th and 18th century monuments, many of them created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Carlo Fontana.
I am engaged in various research projects in the fields of sculpture, painting, architecture and decorative arts focusing on Roman Baroque, and publishing articles in specialist periodicals, artists’ monographs, and exhibition catalogues. Among these: Bernini’s Ariccia (1998); Giovan Battista Gaulli –“Baciccio” (1999), Baciccio a year on; The Chigi Collection: conservation and new discoveries (2000); The Scene of the Prince, Visconti and the Leopard (2001); and Castles and Lords of the Castles: A Journey through the Historical Residences of Rome Province, (2001). I have also recently published a monograph on Bernini’s work as a painter and completed a descriptive catalogue of the work of Ferdinand Voet. For the two-volume work, entitled ""The Portrait in Italy"" published by the editor Skira, I am responsible for the section ""The Portrait in Rome and the Papal State in the 17th and 18th Centuries."" I have also been the Curator of various art exhibits. I am married and have two sons."
Andrea Sorrentino
Subject: History of Italian Fashion and Costume
"I am a stylist and have extensively studied the history of fashion and costume. I studied in Rome with Piero Tosi, one of the greatest Italian costume designers who worked with Italian directors Visconti, Fellini, Pasolini and others. From Tosi, I learned how continuous research and total dedication to the profession are the basis for high quality results. After extensive study of a character, a focus on the makeup and hair design to complete the total formation of a character.
I have worked with international Oscar winning costume designers Milena Canonero and Gabriella Pescucci, the Oscar winner for Age of Innocence. My professional experience ranges from movies to theatre, from publicity to events. Since 2006, I have been conducting seminars about the history of costume at the University of Tor Vergata in Rome and, in 2009, began lecturing for the Joseph S. Bruno Auburn Abroad in Italy program."
Rossella de Venuto
Subject: Italian Mythology & Iconography
"I was born in Trento, Italy in 1967 and graduated cum laude in 1992 from the Università Statale in Milan with a PhD in Philosophy. My final thesis was entitled The Genetic Epistemology as Experimental and Evolutionary Epistemology. In 1993, I completed a European Master in Marketing and Science of Communication at the Academy of Commerce and Tourism in Trento.
One of my passions is writing and in 1995, I lived for a period in New York where I studied Film Direction and Creative Writing at the New York Film Academy. I have lectured on philosophy, mythology and iconography for the Joseph S. Bruno Auburn Abroad in Italy Program since 2002. I have lived in Rome since 1996. I am married and the mother of three children."