“For us to go to Italy and to penetrate into Italy is like a most fascinating act of self-discovery, back, back down the old ways of time. Strange and wonderful chords awake in us, and vibrate again after many hundreds of years of complete forgetfulness.” –D.H. Lawrence

From Goethe to Shelley; Henry James to Dostoevsky, and Frances Mayes to Tim Parks, Italy has charmed curious travelers for centuries and has turned even the casual visitor into a poet. Join Dr. Kristin Stasiowski, PhD for an exploration of some of the sensual and passionate travel literature inspired by the artistic, culinary, historical, and architectural riches of the “bel paese.” In this seminar, we will examine excerpts from some of the most intriguing of the many memoirs, diaries, poems, and travelogues of famous (and infamous) writers, while also getting a feel for the varied contexts and circumstances of ex-pat life in Italy. In this virtual “literary cafe,” you will come to see how Italy has shaped the aesthetic, cultural, political, and philosophical ideals of many great thinkers and be invited to look beyond the stereotypes and preconceived notions of Italy to reach the very heart of her endlessly enchanting allure.

Kristin Stasiowski, Ph.D is the Assistant Dean of International Programs and Education Abroad for the College of Arts and Sciences and is also an Assistant Professor of Italian Language and Literature in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at Kent State University. She received her Ph.D from Yale University in Italian Language and Literature and has taught Italian language, literature, cinema, history and culture in both Florence, Italy and at Kent State. She recently published a chapter entitled A Divine Comedy for All Time: Dante’s Enduring Relevance for the Contemporary Reader in Italian Pop Culture: Media, Product, Imageries. Rome, Italy: Viella Editrice s.r.. Her current research is focused on Dante, Boccaccio, and the modern poet Clemente Rebora.