Trustee Baroness Zerilli-Marimò Endows New Chair in Italian Studies

By Katie Druesedow Graham

When Baroness Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimò donated a 19th century Greenwich Village townhouse to NYU in 1988, it launched a period of tremendous growth for the Department of Italian Studies in the College of Arts and Science.  Since then, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò has served NYU and the surrounding community by promoting Italian life and culture through educational initiatives, research, and special events under its director, Stefano Albertini. Now, 20 years later, the baroness has given the University a new gift that will further impact the lives of NYU faculty, students, and admirers of Italian culture.  
    The new Guido and Mariuccia Zerilli-Marimò Chair in Contemporary Italian Studies will fund a full-time professorship and research position focusing on post-1945 Italian politics, history, culture, economy, thought, and society. The chair will continue and enhance the already significant role the department plays. The first faculty member appointed to the position will be charged with researching and presenting his or her findings on Italian current events.  
    Both Casa Italiana and the newly funded chair continue the legacy of the baroness’s late husband, Baron Guido Zerilli-Marimò, who was the former chairman of Lepetit—a leading pharmaceutical company in Italy—and a benefactor of many causes and cultural organizations, particularly educational initiatives for young people.  
    “We are immensely grateful to the Baroness for the chair in Contemporary Italian Studies,” says Ruth Ben-Ghiat, chair of the Department of Italian Studies.  “[She] has provided our department with an elegant and convivial home, and now we will have the gift of an endowed chair that will greatly enhance our intellectual strength and reputation.”
    In addition to her work as a philanthropist, the baroness is also an active volunteer and friend to the University. She has served on the NYU Board of Trustees for nearly 20 years, and she is also chair of the Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò Advisory Board.
    “Casa Italiana has been a labor of love in memory of my husband and for my country,” says the baroness.  “In these past 20 years, I have been happy to be affiliated with this great university that has an atmosphere of such academic excellence.  I consider NYU a member of my American family and like any family member, the joy of watching it grow and excel is a source of pride for me.”