Italian student wins scholarship for Michelangelo study in London
An Italian PhD student, Dr Carlotta Mazzoncini, currently studying at the Humanities Department of Roma Tre University, has won a scholarship from the University’s Italian Council of Advisors, to study for several weeks in London this summer. Dr Mazzoncini’s PhD research focuses on the interaction between poetry, philosophy, and iconography in the literary works by Michelangelo Buonarroti and Vittoria Colonna.
Dr Mazzoncini was recommended for the award by Professor Luca Marcozzi, University of Rome, Roma Tre. Every year the Italian Council of Advisors considers PhD or post doctorate students to be granted a scholarship of four to six weeks free accommodation and board at Richmond’s Kensington or Richmond Hill campus.
She said, “A prominent result of my PhD research is an extensive commentary on Vittoria Colonna’s rhymes. During the fellowship, I will build on my previous research in Renaissance literature by moving into the religious debate of the time and into the poetic and artistic choices made by Vittoria Colonna and Michelangelo. More specifically, it will allow me to take advantage of the library at Richmond, The American International University in London, and to explore the manuscripts and rare books collections of the British Library and the iconographic collection of the Warburg Institute.
This research on first-hand materials held in London libraries is essential to the development of my investigation and it will allow me to address additional questions regarding Vittoria Colonna’s works and her influence on the visual arts, and will help me further develop my commentary on her poems.”
In addition to conducting the research, Dr Mazzoncini will deliver workshops and lectures at the University as well as mentoring students who wish to spend a term abroad in Rome or Florence.
The scholarship is designed to encourage links between the Richmond campus and its Italian sites in Rome and Florence, to promote the Italian academic programmes among all Richmond students and
similarly, promote the University’s London programmes among Italian universities and academic institutions.
The distinguished Italian Council of Advisors meets at regular intervals with the President of Richmond in London and with the Italian Deans to advise on the Florence and Rome programmes and to serve as liaison between the Italian centres and the Italian academic institutions. The Council includes:
- Professor Giuseppe Galigani, Former Professor, Chairman of Council of Advisors, Former Professor Faculty of Letters, University of Florence
- Professor Mario Pilade Chiti, Faculty of Political Science, University of Florence
- Professor Guglielmina Gregori, History of Medieval and Modern Art, University of Florence
- Professor Enzo Varano, Faculty of Law, University of Florence
- Professor Aldo Celli, Former Associate Professor of English, Faculty of Letters, University of Florence
- Professor Dennis Patterson, Chair in Legal Theory and Legal Philosophy, European University Institute in Florence
- Professor Luca Marcozzi, Italian Literature, University of Rome, Roma Tre
