Francesca Vella

Thesis Topic: Verdi reception in Milan, 1859-1881

My research interests focus on the social, political and cultural role of opera, particularly in Italy, during the nineteenth century. I'm interested in the part this artistic genre played in the shaping of Italians' national identity, and in the specific role played in this respect by Verdi's music and figure. In my thesis, I explore four moments in this cultural history of late nineteenth-century Verdi and italianità, all of which I tackle from the local and urban perspective of Milan.

My plans for the future include developing a broader study of the relationship between opera and Italian identity during the mid-to-late nineteenth century (this time grounding my research in distinct local contexts) and reconsidering the topic of nineteenth-century perceptions of Verdi and italianità from a new, transnational perspective.