Thanks to the HRC and CRS research fellowship award I had the opportunity to visit Johns Hopkins University between March and April 2024.

I am particularly interested in the reception of Classics, especially of the Imagines of Philostratus, an ancient Greek text I am analysing for my PhD thesis. What motivated me to apply for this award was the opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary environment, collaborate with eminent scholars at JHU with similar research interests and consult relevant books from the JHU special collections with the support of the Singleton Center. Not only did I achieve these goals but this experience also exceeded my expectations: I was welcomed with great kindness and received full support from academics, postdocs, administrative staff and students of JHU to conduct my research and explore new perspectives.

I had the opportunity to engage with the Stern Center for the History of the Book in the Renaissance and I was warmly welcomed by Prof. Earle Havens and the PhD fellows of the Center in its wonderful location in the Evergreen Museum and Library surrounded by a splendid garden. I was given a tour and was particularly impressed by the rich collection of rare books and manuscripts in the Center’s library. The collaboration with the Stern Center also allowed me to take part in its events during my stay: I attended the presentation of the book by Prof. Walter Stephens How Writing Made Us Human, 3000 BCE to Now which was a great chance to discuss the history of the book with members of the Stern Center and PhD students from various departments. Moreover, the talk The Terrestrial and Celestial Globe Gores of François Demongenet (1552) at JHU in collaboration with the Department of Conservation and Preservation of the Sheridan Libraries showed interesting discoveries and acquisitions of JHU and the participants could create their facsimile of terrestrial and celestial globes in the stunning location of the Peabody Library. I also attended a roundtable discussion of Voidopolis with the author Kat Mustatea, an augmented reality book retelling Dante’s Inferno. During my research visit, I had the opportunity to give a talk with a rare book show-and-tell at the T&S Society. I found fascinating material in the special collections of the JHU library, especially one of the early editions of the Imagines of Philostratus (1522) and the comment and representation of this Greek text by Blaise de Vigenère (1629). The T&S Society talk was a wonderful experience not only for showing the findings of my explorations of the rare books collections at JHU but also for receiving useful feedback and thought-provoking ideas from fellow students in a friendly atmosphere.

During my research period at JHU, I also collaborated with the Department of Classics. Here I had the chance to attend a lab of my tutor, Nandini Pandey, and meet her bright students from different programs and backgrounds who are building an inspiring online educational resource on race and power in antiquity. I felt very lucky to be welcomed by this brilliant community, learn about different ways of engaging with Classics and see how we can actively create a fresh perspective to highlight the relevance of this discipline in modern debates. As well as working with Dr. Pandey, I met other academics of the Department of Classics such as Alan Shapiro, Karen ní Mheallaigh and Matthew Roller. Moreover, the Department promoted various stimulating talks: Emily Wilson talked about her experience of translating the Iliad by Homer; Giulia Sissa presented the 37^th Annual Poultney Lecture and analysed the representation of beautiful bodies in Greek erotic culture.

This research period was extremely productive and important for me in developing my thesis and being involved in the activities and events of the Stern Center and the Department of Classics. Since my first day, I have been fully supported and felt part of the wonderful community of JHU. I am enthusiastic about my experience and I am very grateful to have met such wonderful and inspiring academics, postdocs and students at JHU. I cannot thank them enough for their help in navigating the city of Baltimore and what JHU has to offer. I highly recommend this opportunity: JHU special collections and the Stern Center have extraordinary resources that are fascinating for everyone working in Classical reception, Renaissance, History of the Book and Early-Modern Culture. I made significant progress in my research and my experience as a PhD student has been greatly enhanced: I could find useful and unique texts that I will use for my thesis and laid the foundation for a future project and investigation of Philostratus’ reception. This fellowship was fundamental to meeting wonderful people who supported me with great kindness and significantly enriched my experience.