Faculty

Massimo Agus, photographer and professor, received his B.F.A. in Architecture from the University of Florence in 1975. Dr. Agus teaches courses in Photography History at the University of Siena, and courses in Photographic Technique at Fondazione Studio Marangoni in Florence.

Stefano Baldassi has been teaching "Cognition" at NYU in Florence since 2004. He received his PhD in Perception at the University of Rome in 2001, then completed his post-doc in Vision Science at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco, California in 2003. He is currently a tenured research scientist at the University of Florence, where he has taught courses on Attention, Cognition, Psychobiology of the Sensory Systems, and Advanced Perception.

Fancesca M. Baldry, Collection Manager of the Acton Collection at Villa La Pietra, NYU, received her PhD in Art History and History of Conservation from the University of Florence in 1996. She has worked extensively in European museums and teaches courses in the field of Art History, including "Florentine Villas", and "Art Collecting and Museology".

Dorothea Barrett  received her PhD in Literature from Cambridge University (UK). She has been teaching for NYU in Florence since Fall 2001 and offers "Postmodern Fiction: International Perspective" and "Survey of Modern Italian Literature".

Kate Bolton (BA.Hons; MPhil.) teaches Baroque and Classical Music and Writing courses at NYU in Florence. Previously, she was a Senior Producer of Arts and Classical Music for BBC Radio 3 and the Artistic Director of the Lufthansa Festival of Baroque music, London. 

Alessandra Capodacqua received her degree in English Language and Literature from the Istituto Universitario Orientale in Naples (Italy). She is a photographer and a curator of exhibitions. She teaches photography courses at all levels for NYU in Florence.  

Roberto Caracciolo, Adjunct Professor at NYU in Florence and at Temple University in Rome, studied art at the Istituto d'Arte of Urbino and at the New York Studio School. He teaches a studio art course, "Projects in Drawing: The Figure". Currently, Mr. Caracciolo is also the Arts Liaison at the American Academy in Rome.

Lisa Cesarani received her PhD in American Literature from NYU in May 2000. In addition to teaching "Cultural Foundations" in the Liberal Studies Program in Florence, she is also the Assistant Director for Academic Support at NYU in Florence. 

Alessandro Chiaramonte received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Florence where he is currently an associate professor. He teaches "Italian Politics and Government." 

Margherita Ciacci is a professor of Sociology at the University of Florence where she also received her PhD. She teaches "Sociology of Consumerism", "Sociology of Western Culture", and "Sociology of Music, Art & Literature," and has been a member of the NYU in Florence faculty since Fall 1998. 

Rita Maria Comanducci, Adjunct Professor in Economic History at NYU in Florence, received her PhD in Economic History from the University of Verona in 1998. Dr. Comanducci teaches courses in Italian Renaissance History and Economic History, including "Family and Gender in Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Italy", and "The Art Market in Renaissance Florence". 

Nicole Cuddeback has a Master of Fine Arts Degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Houston. She has taught Writing I & II in the Liberal Studies Program at NYU in Florence since Fall 2000. 

Romeo Di Loreto received his Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Photography from Savannah College. He teaches at the Studio Marangoni where he also offers courses to NYU in Florence students in "Photography I" and "Photography II." 

Matteo Duni received his PhD in History and Civilization from the European University Institute. He teaches the courses on "Medieval Church", "Italy during the Renaissance: Florence" and "Magic, Religion and Inquisition" at NYU in Florence. 

Bruce Edelstein, Coordinator for Graduate Programs and Advanced Research at NYU in Florence, received his PhD in Fine Arts at Harvard University in 1995. Prof. Edelstein has a wide array of research interests in the history of Italian Renaissance art and architecture, including patronage, court culture, and women's studies. Since 1999, he has taught various courses at NYU in Florence, including: "Medici Patronage", "Early Masters of Italian Renaissance Painting", "The Age of Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo", "European Architecture of the Renaissance", and, for the Graduate Program, the "Works in Progress Seminar". 

Charles Ewell received his BA from Yale University and his PhD in Humanities/Classical Archaeology from Florida State University in 2000. Dr. Ewell teaches "Etruscan Art and Archaeology" at NYU in Florence, and is director of the summer archaeological excavations at Palazzaccio (Lucca).  

Giampiero Gallo is Professor of Econometrics at the School of Economics, University of Florence. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989. Previous appointments were with the Department of Econometrics at the University of Geneva, the World Bank, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of California at San Diego. He has authored several scientific articles on forecasting, financial volatility, and European exchange rate management. At NYU in Florence, he teaches "Statistics", "International Finance", and "Money and Banking". 

Grazia Gobbi-Sica is an architect and urban planner. She is the author of many books on the history of architecture and urban design, and the curator of many exhibitions. She has been teaching courses at NYU in Florence since 1998 on the villas and urban development of the Florentine territory. 

Chris Hanretty is a PhD candidate at the European University Institute. His research focuses on politics of the media, and more broadly, on Italian politics. He teaches the course "Italian Television and Democracy" at NYU in Florence. 

Katalin Kelemen is a postdoctoral researcher in Comparative Law at the University of Florence. She graduated in Law from the Lorand Eotvos University in Budapest (Hungary), and received her PhD in Comparative Law from the University of Florence in 2008. Dr. Kelemen teaches "European Union Law" at NYU in Florence.  

Jeff Kiesner, Assistant Professor at the University of Padova, received his PhD in School Psychology from the University of Oregon in 1997. Dr. Kiesner teaches courses in developmental psychology, clinical psychology, and statistical methods for research in psychology. 

Thomas Kirk, PhD-European University Institute (1996), MA-New York University (1998), BA-University of Oklahoma (1984). Dr. Kirk teaches courses at NYU in Florence on the history of Italy and the Mediterranean during the Medieval and Early Modern periods. He also teaches English at the University of Siena. 

Nancy A. Leszczynski, Landscape Architect, received her MLA from the University of Virginia in 1991. Ms. Leszczynski teaches courses in art history, including "Gardens and Landscapes of Tuscany" at NYU in Florence. 

Giovanni Liberatore is Professor of Corporate Valuation at the University of Florence. He holds a PhD in Accounting from the University of Pisa (1992). As an Adjunct Professor, he teaches "Financial Accounting" at NYU in Florence, and "Management Control" at LUISS Business School in Rome. He has been a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Auditor in Italy since 1992.  

Patrice Lombardi, Artist/Painter and Professor of Painting at NYU in Florence, regularly exhibits her work in England, Italy, and the United States. Her work is in collections around the world. She received her MFA from the Graduate School of Art at Villa Schifanoia. At NYU in Florence, Lombardi teaches "Drawing and Painting: Seeing Florence", and "Introduction to Painting". 

Davide Lombardo is preparing his dissertation at the European University Institute (EUI) in the field of History. He teaches the "Culture of the City: Italian Urban Life" course at NYU in Florence and also continues to lecture at the EUI. 

Megan Metters is a PhD candidate in History at the European University Institute. Her dissertation research focuses on the development of immigrant education policy in France and the United States in the post-war period to 1985. She teaches "The History of Immigration in Europe and in the United States since World War II" at NYU in Florence.  

Mauro Mussolin, Adjunct Professor at NYU in Florence, received his PhD in History of Architecture in 2001. Dr. Mussolin teaches courses in Architectural and Art History, including "Holy People, Holy Places", "Renaissance Art", and "Renaissance Architecture". 

Karen Newman is Professor of English at New York University. She has written widely on Shakespeare and Renaissance letters and culture, and is the author of several books, including Shakespeare's Rhetoric of Comic Character (Methuen, 1985), Fashioning Femininity and English Renaissance Drama (Chicago, 1991),Fetal Positions, Individualism, Science, Visuality (Stanford, 1996), Culture Capitals: Early Modern London and Paris (Princeton, 2007), and Essaying Shakespeare, forthcoming in 2009 from University of Minnesota Press. 

Eric Nicholson received his PhD in Renaissance Studies from Yale University (1991), and has performed in and directed numerous early modern plays, as well as published several articles in this same field. At NYU in Florence, he teaches courses on cultural history, early modern drama, and the performance of classic theatre.  

Scott Palmer received his PhD in English from Tufts University in 2006. His areas of specialization include nineteenth-century transatlantic literature of migration, travel, tourism; early nineteenth-century visual culture (photography, lithography, cartography); race and cultural studies. 

Alan Pascuzzi, Adjunct Professor of Art History and Fine Arts at NYU in Florence, Fullbright Scholar to Italy, received his PhD in Art History from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri in 1999. At NYU in Florence, he teaches courses in Art History and Fine Arts, including "Early Masters in Renaissance Painting", "Renaissance Apprentice", "Introduction to Drawing", and "Drawing the Human Figure".  

Massimo Reale graduated from the University of Florence in Humanities and Philosophy. He teaches both advanced Italian language courses:"Quattro Chiacchiere: Conversations in Italian," and "Advanced Review of Modern Italian."

Giorgio Ricchiuti is Assistant Professor at the University of Florence, where he received his PhD in Development Economics in 2004. At NYU in Florence, Dr. Ricchiuti has taught "Economic Principles I" (Macroeconomics) since 2007. 

Matteo Sansone studied piano and composition at the Conservatorio S. Pietro a Maiella, Naples. He received his PhD in Italian from Edinburgh University, where he also taught for many years. Since 2001, he has taught "Italian Opera" at NYU in Florence. 

Debora Spini received her PhD in the History of Political Thought at the Scuola Superiore di Studio all'Università di S. Anna in Pisa in 1995. She has been a member of the General Studies Program faculty at NYU in Florence since 1998 and teaches the "Social Foundations" course. 

Laura Tarabusi received her degree in Foreign Languages and Literature from the University of Florence in 1990. She was the Director of the University of Florence Language Resource Center from 1997 to 2000. Since 2000, she has been teaching courses in Italian language and culture at NYU in Florence, including "Service Learning: Community Service in Florence", and "Conversations in Italian".  

Giuseppe Toscano received his Diploma in Photography at Fondazione Studio Marangoni in 2003, where he teaches all levels of photography courses to NYU in Florence students. He has exhibited in Italy and abroad.  

David Travis received his PhD in History from Cambridge University (UK) in 1985. Dr. Travis teaches courses in modern European history, including "Italy since 1815", "European Fascism", and "Europe since 1945: History and Literature". 

Margherita Velucchi received her degree in Statistics and completed her PhD in Economics from the University of Siena in 2005. At NYU in Florence, Dr. Velucchi teaches "Economic Principles II", "Introduction to Economic Issues", and "Contemporary Issues in Economics: Italy". 

Claudius Wagemann received his PhD in Political Science from the European University Institute in 2005. He works as the Scientific Secretary of the PhD program in Political Science at the Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane (SUM), Florence. At NYU in Florence, he teaches "Western European Politics". 

Vito Zagarrio received his PhD in Cinema Studies from NYU in 1995. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Rome 3 DAMS. He teaches the "Italian Cinema" course at NYU in Florence. 

Jane Zaloga received her PhD in History and Theory of Architecture at Harvard University. She currently teaches both "Early Florentine Renaissance Art," and "Florentine High Renaissance Art." 

Massimo Agus, photographer and professor, received his B.F.A. in Architecture from the University of Florence in 1975. Dr. Agus teaches courses in Photography History at the University of Siena, and courses in Photographic Technique at Fondazione Studio Marangoni in Florence.

Stefano Baldassi has been teaching "Cognition" at NYU in Florence since 2004. He received his PhD in Perception at the University of Rome in 2001, then completed his post-doc in Vision Science at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco, California in 2003. He is currently a tenured research scientist at the University of Florence, where he has taught courses on Attention, Cognition, Psychobiology of the Sensory Systems, and Advanced Perception.

Fancesca M. Baldry, Collection Manager of the Acton Collection at Villa La Pietra, NYU, received her PhD in Art History and History of Conservation from the University of Florence in 1996. She has worked extensively in European museums and teaches courses in the field of Art History, including "Florentine Villas", and "Art Collecting and Museology".

Dorothea Barrett  received her PhD in Literature from Cambridge University (UK). She has been teaching for NYU in Florence since Fall 2001 and offers "Postmodern Fiction: International Perspective" and "Survey of Modern Italian Literature".

Kate Bolton (BA.Hons; MPhil.) teaches Baroque and Classical Music and Writing courses at NYU in Florence. Previously, she was a Senior Producer of Arts and Classical Music for BBC Radio 3 and the Artistic Director of the Lufthansa Festival of Baroque music, London. 

Alessandra Capodacqua received her degree in English Language and Literature from the Istituto Universitario Orientale in Naples (Italy). She is a photographer and a curator of exhibitions. She teaches photography courses at all levels for NYU in Florence.  

Roberto Caracciolo, Adjunct Professor at NYU in Florence and at Temple University in Rome, studied art at the Istituto d'Arte of Urbino and at the New York Studio School. He teaches a studio art course, "Projects in Drawing: The Figure". Currently, Mr. Caracciolo is also the Arts Liaison at the American Academy in Rome.

Lisa Cesarani received her PhD in American Literature from NYU in May 2000. In addition to teaching "Cultural Foundations" in the Liberal Studies Program in Florence, she is also the Assistant Director for Academic Support at NYU in Florence. 

Alessandro Chiaramonte received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Florence where he is currently an associate professor. He teaches "Italian Politics and Government." 

Margherita Ciacci is a professor of Sociology at the University of Florence where she also received her PhD. She teaches "Sociology of Consumerism", "Sociology of Western Culture", and "Sociology of Music, Art & Literature," and has been a member of the NYU in Florence faculty since Fall 1998. 

Rita Maria Comanducci, Adjunct Professor in Economic History at NYU in Florence, received her PhD in Economic History from the University of Verona in 1998. Dr. Comanducci teaches courses in Italian Renaissance History and Economic History, including "Family and Gender in Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Italy", and "The Art Market in Renaissance Florence". 

Nicole Cuddeback has a Master of Fine Arts Degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Houston. She has taught Writing I & II in the Liberal Studies Program at NYU in Florence since Fall 2000. 

Romeo Di Loreto received his Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Photography from Savannah College. He teaches at the Studio Marangoni where he also offers courses to NYU in Florence students in "Photography I" and "Photography II." 

Matteo Duni received his PhD in History and Civilization from the European University Institute. He teaches the courses on "Medieval Church", "Italy during the Renaissance: Florence" and "Magic, Religion and Inquisition" at NYU in Florence. 

Bruce Edelstein, Coordinator for Graduate Programs and Advanced Research at NYU in Florence, received his PhD in Fine Arts at Harvard University in 1995. Prof. Edelstein has a wide array of research interests in the history of Italian Renaissance art and architecture, including patronage, court culture, and women's studies. Since 1999, he has taught various courses at NYU in Florence, including: "Medici Patronage", "Early Masters of Italian Renaissance Painting", "The Age of Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo", "European Architecture of the Renaissance", and, for the Graduate Program, the "Works in Progress Seminar". 

Charles Ewell received his BA from Yale University and his PhD in Humanities/Classical Archaeology from Florida State University in 2000. Dr. Ewell teaches "Etruscan Art and Archaeology" at NYU in Florence, and is director of the summer archaeological excavations at Palazzaccio (Lucca).  

Giampiero Gallo is Professor of Econometrics at the School of Economics, University of Florence. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989. Previous appointments were with the Department of Econometrics at the University of Geneva, the World Bank, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of California at San Diego. He has authored several scientific articles on forecasting, financial volatility, and European exchange rate management. At NYU in Florence, he teaches "Statistics", "International Finance", and "Money and Banking". 

Grazia Gobbi-Sica is an architect and urban planner. She is the author of many books on the history of architecture and urban design, and the curator of many exhibitions. She has been teaching courses at NYU in Florence since 1998 on the villas and urban development of the Florentine territory. 

Chris Hanretty is a PhD candidate at the European University Institute. His research focuses on politics of the media, and more broadly, on Italian politics. He teaches the course "Italian Television and Democracy" at NYU in Florence. 

Katalin Kelemen is a postdoctoral researcher in Comparative Law at the University of Florence. She graduated in Law from the Lorand Eotvos University in Budapest (Hungary), and received her PhD in Comparative Law from the University of Florence in 2008. Dr. Kelemen teaches "European Union Law" at NYU in Florence.  

Jeff Kiesner, Assistant Professor at the University of Padova, received his PhD in School Psychology from the University of Oregon in 1997. Dr. Kiesner teaches courses in developmental psychology, clinical psychology, and statistical methods for research in psychology. 

Thomas Kirk, PhD-European University Institute (1996), MA-New York University (1998), BA-University of Oklahoma (1984). Dr. Kirk teaches courses at NYU in Florence on the history of Italy and the Mediterranean during the Medieval and Early Modern periods. He also teaches English at the University of Siena. 

Nancy A. Leszczynski, Landscape Architect, received her MLA from the University of Virginia in 1991. Ms. Leszczynski teaches courses in art history, including "Gardens and Landscapes of Tuscany" at NYU in Florence. 

Giovanni Liberatore is Professor of Corporate Valuation at the University of Florence. He holds a PhD in Accounting from the University of Pisa (1992). As an Adjunct Professor, he teaches "Financial Accounting" at NYU in Florence, and "Management Control" at LUISS Business School in Rome. He has been a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Auditor in Italy since 1992.  

Patrice Lombardi, Artist/Painter and Professor of Painting at NYU in Florence, regularly exhibits her work in England, Italy, and the United States. Her work is in collections around the world. She received her MFA from the Graduate School of Art at Villa Schifanoia. At NYU in Florence, Lombardi teaches "Drawing and Painting: Seeing Florence", and "Introduction to Painting". 

Davide Lombardo is preparing his dissertation at the European University Institute (EUI) in the field of History. He teaches the "Culture of the City: Italian Urban Life" course at NYU in Florence and also continues to lecture at the EUI. 

Megan Metters is a PhD candidate in History at the European University Institute. Her dissertation research focuses on the development of immigrant education policy in France and the United States in the post-war period to 1985. She teaches "The History of Immigration in Europe and in the United States since World War II" at NYU in Florence.  

Mauro Mussolin, Adjunct Professor at NYU in Florence, received his PhD in History of Architecture in 2001. Dr. Mussolin teaches courses in Architectural and Art History, including "Holy People, Holy Places", "Renaissance Art", and "Renaissance Architecture". 

Karen Newman is Professor of English at New York University. She has written widely on Shakespeare and Renaissance letters and culture, and is the author of several books, including Shakespeare's Rhetoric of Comic Character (Methuen, 1985), Fashioning Femininity and English Renaissance Drama (Chicago, 1991),Fetal Positions, Individualism, Science, Visuality (Stanford, 1996), Culture Capitals: Early Modern London and Paris (Princeton, 2007), and Essaying Shakespeare, forthcoming in 2009 from University of Minnesota Press. 

Eric Nicholson received his PhD in Renaissance Studies from Yale University (1991), and has performed in and directed numerous early modern plays, as well as published several articles in this same field. At NYU in Florence, he teaches courses on cultural history, early modern drama, and the performance of classic theatre.  

Scott Palmer received his PhD in English from Tufts University in 2006. His areas of specialization include nineteenth-century transatlantic literature of migration, travel, tourism; early nineteenth-century visual culture (photography, lithography, cartography); race and cultural studies. 

Alan Pascuzzi, Adjunct Professor of Art History and Fine Arts at NYU in Florence, Fullbright Scholar to Italy, received his PhD in Art History from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri in 1999. At NYU in Florence, he teaches courses in Art History and Fine Arts, including "Early Masters in Renaissance Painting", "Renaissance Apprentice", "Introduction to Drawing", and "Drawing the Human Figure".  

Massimo Reale graduated from the University of Florence in Humanities and Philosophy. He teaches both advanced Italian language courses:"Quattro Chiacchiere: Conversations in Italian," and "Advanced Review of Modern Italian."

Giorgio Ricchiuti is Assistant Professor at the University of Florence, where he received his PhD in Development Economics in 2004. At NYU in Florence, Dr. Ricchiuti has taught "Economic Principles I" (Macroeconomics) since 2007. 

Matteo Sansone studied piano and composition at the Conservatorio S. Pietro a Maiella, Naples. He received his PhD in Italian from Edinburgh University, where he also taught for many years. Since 2001, he has taught "Italian Opera" at NYU in Florence. 

Debora Spini received her PhD in the History of Political Thought at the Scuola Superiore di Studio all'Università di S. Anna in Pisa in 1995. She has been a member of the General Studies Program faculty at NYU in Florence since 1998 and teaches the "Social Foundations" course. 

Laura Tarabusi received her degree in Foreign Languages and Literature from the University of Florence in 1990. She was the Director of the University of Florence Language Resource Center from 1997 to 2000. Since 2000, she has been teaching courses in Italian language and culture at NYU in Florence, including "Service Learning: Community Service in Florence", and "Conversations in Italian".  

Giuseppe Toscano received his Diploma in Photography at Fondazione Studio Marangoni in 2003, where he teaches all levels of photography courses to NYU in Florence students. He has exhibited in Italy and abroad.  

David Travis received his PhD in History from Cambridge University (UK) in 1985. Dr. Travis teaches courses in modern European history, including "Italy since 1815", "European Fascism", and "Europe since 1945: History and Literature". 

Margherita Velucchi received her degree in Statistics and completed her PhD in Economics from the University of Siena in 2005. At NYU in Florence, Dr. Velucchi teaches "Economic Principles II", "Introduction to Economic Issues", and "Contemporary Issues in Economics: Italy". 

Claudius Wagemann received his PhD in Political Science from the European University Institute in 2005. He works as the Scientific Secretary of the PhD program in Political Science at the Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane (SUM), Florence. At NYU in Florence, he teaches "Western European Politics". 

Vito Zagarrio received his PhD in Cinema Studies from NYU in 1995. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Rome 3 DAMS. He teaches the "Italian Cinema" course at NYU in Florence. 

Jane Zaloga received her PhD in History and Theory of Architecture at Harvard University. She currently teaches both "Early Florentine Renaissance Art," and "Florentine High Renaissance Art."