Alessandro is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago, pursuing Italian Studies and Theatre and Performance Studies. He holds a Laurea Triennale (BA) in Classics from the University of Bologna, with a thesis on I Menechini, a Renaissance translation of Plautus’ Menaechmi, and a Laurea Magistrale (MA) with honors in Italianistica at the University of Bologna, with a thesis on the history of poetry slam in Italy (forthcoming: Edizioni Mille Gru).
His ongoing doctoral dissertation project, titled “Saints, Sirens, and Sex-Workers: Queer Voices in Contemporary Italian Spoken Word” (Primary Advisor: Jennifer Scappettone), explores the gender politics of performance poetry in Italy. As part of this project, he is using the OCHRE platform to develop NuovaPop, a database that describes and documents the complex overlapping nature of spoken word performances, works, and events.
Beside contemporary performance poetry, Alessandro’s research interests include: Italian Oral Traditions; Italian Renaissance Theatre; Italian Diaspora in the US; Pier Paolo Pasolini; Luigi Di Ruscio; Drama-based Pedagogy and Critical Performance Pedagogy.
As a teacher, Alessandro is particularly interested in exploring the application of critical, creative, and performative practices in foreign language acquisition. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, he taught at various levels in Italian public schools. At the University of Chicago, he has taught courses in Italian and Performance Studies and currently serves as a graduate fellow at the Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning. He is also interested in international education between the U.S. and Italy and is currently serving as an intern at the Study Abroad Office.
As a spoken word artist, he is a member of Zoopalco, a multimedia and performance poetry collective based in Bologna, Italy. His latest spoken word project, DEAR CHICAGO (Logan Center for the Arts, Chicago, October 2024), is a polyvocal epic poem about the history of the Italian diaspora in Chicago.
Recent Courses in RLL
Instructor of Record
ITAL 10300 Beginning Elementary Italian III (Spring 2025, Spring 2023)
ITAL 23125 Oral Performance and Gender from the Middle Ages to Slam Poetry (Autumn 2024)
ITAL 12200 Italian for Speakers of Romance Languages (Spring 2024)
Teaching Assistant
ITAL 29600 The Worlds of Harlequin: Commedia Dell'arte, Rocco Rubini (Autumn 2022)