I came to Victoria University of Wellington to undertake a PhD in Italian Studies.

I could not have found a more competent and supportive supervisory team who went beyond the call of duty to make sure I was always able to make progress and grow as a researcher. As a PhD candidate I was a very active member of the School’s postgraduate community, and was involved with the organisation of symposia, seminars, workshops and cultural events.

I was also given the opportunity to teach language and content courses in Italian and European Studies. Being part of the University’s Italian programme in the School of Languages and Cultures was central to my development, not only as a researcher and teacher but also as a person who cherishes, shares and fosters the human and professional values of the humanities.

Since completing my PhD in Italian Studies, I was first a Teaching Fellow in Italian at Victoria University of Wellington and then a Visiting Fellow at the University of London’s Institute of Modern Languages Research. In 2014 I was appointed as a Lecturer in Italian Studies with the University of Virginia’s Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. This journey would not have been possible without the encouragement, inspiration and guidance I received.

Interdisciplinary humanities research means embracing a diverse and fascinating range of perspectives, so I’m never bored in my PhD work.

I have always been passionate about different subjects in the humanities—languages, philology, visual arts, intermediality, philosophy and translation. My approach to research and learning is best described by the German concept of Wanderlust: the impulse to explore new worlds, literally and imaginatively.

I have embarked on a PhD in Italian to draw on a very rich cultural tradition in order to expand and deepen my knowledge and expertise.

I have always enjoyed interdisciplinary research as an ideal way of acquiring wider and deeper skills and knowledge both inside and outside academia. My current research project—a case study of how words and images interact in contemporary Italian literature—enables me to do this in a scholarly and creative way.

At university I have found an environment where my personal and professional development are inspired and nurtured by staff and fellow postgraduate students.

Marco was educated at the Università degli Studi di Pavia (Almo Collegio Borromeo), the National University of Ireland (Dublin), the University of Dublin (Trinity College), Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Auckland.

The study of Romance, Germanic and Slavonic philology and of comparative literature (Italian, English and Russian) expanded Marco’s passion for foreign languages and cultures and for literary translation.

An award-winning poet, literary translator and editor, Marco researches the scholarly and creative dimensions of literary translation where the link between language and culture is particularly clear and crucial. Marco’s research interests are also in Italian literature, comparative literature, world literature, book history and publishing.

In 2013 and in 2014 respectively, the Republic of Italy and the Republic of Poland bestowed on him the Order of Merit for services to culture.

“I joined the University’s Italian programme in 2005,” he says, “and since then I’ve continued to be inspired by my colleagues and my students.”