The Chair of Italian Culture at the University of California, Berkeley, was established in 1928, wholly with contributions made by residents of California, most of whom lived in the San Francisco Bay Area—contributors who were mindful of the ever-vital cultural heritage with which Italy has for so long enriched the world. The fund allows for calling to the chair annually one of “the ablest and most eminent citizens of Italy” in order to lecture and teach in illustration and interpretation of Italian culture, as well as for the periodic presentation of international symposia. Thus far there have been sixty-three occupants of the Chair.

Occupants of and Symposia sponsored by the Chair of Italian Culture

2024 • Roberta Morosini (Literature)
2023 • Gabriele Pedullà (Literature)
2021 • Gianfrancesco Zanetti (Political Philosophy)
2016 • Guido Mazzoni (Literature), Sergio Zatti (Literature)
2013 • Carla Benedetti (Literature)
2012 • Giulia Calvi (History)
2010 • Giuseppe Mazzotta (Literature)
2008 • Paul Ginsborg (History)
2007 • International Symposium (Medieval Italian Studies)
2005 • Armando Petrucci and Franca Nardelli (Paleography and History of the Book)
2004 • Adriana Cavarero (Philosophy)
2003 • Marvin Trachtenberg (History of Art)
2001 • Cesare Segre (Romance Philology), Luisa Passerini (History)
2000 • Francesco Casetti (Film Studies)
1999 • International Symposium (Travel Writing)
1998 • Massimo Livi-Bacci (Demography)
1997 • Remo Ceserani (Comparative Literature)
1996 • Victoria Kahn (English and Comparative Literature)
1995 • Albert Russell Ascoli (Italian Literature)
1994 • Giorgio Agamben (Philosophy)
1993 • Riccardo Bruscagli (Italian Literature)
1992 • Maurizio Bettini (Classics)
1991 • Paolo Ceccarelli (City & Regional Planning)
1990 • Piero Boitani (Comparative Literature)
1989 • Sergio Romano (History)
1988 • Pierluigi Petrobelli (Music)
1987 • Maria Zoppi-Spini (Landscape Architecture)
1986 • International Symposium (Pirandello)
1985 • Alberto Varvaro (Romance Philology)
1984 • Guido Fink (Cinema)
1983 • Ezio Raimondi (Italian Literature)
1982 • Leo Steinberg (History of Art), Salvatore Camporeale (History)
1981 • Vittore Branca (Italian Literature), Marcello de Cecco (Economics)
1980 • Antonio Pasqualino (Anthropology)
1979 • Franco Donatoni (Music)
1978 • Sergio Moravia (History)
1977 • Adriano Aprà (Cinema)
1976 • Giorgio Bassani (Italian Literature), Roberto Salvini (History)
1975 • Furio Colombo (Dramatic Art)
1974 • Paola Coppola-Pignatelli (Architecture)
1973 • Mario Soldati (Italian Literature & Cinema)
1972 • Sergio Bertelli (History)
1971 • Carlo Bertelli (History of Art)
1970 • Mauro Cappelletti (Comparative Law)
1969 • Gabriele Scimemi (City & Regional Planning)
1968 • Luciano Codignola (Theater)
1967 • Mario Attilio Levi (History)
1966 • Federico Ghisi (Music)
1965 • Giorgio Spini (History)
1964 • Terisio Pignatti (History of Art)
1963 • Manlio Rossi-Doria (Economics)
1962 • Luigi Dallapiccola (Music)
1961 • Roberto Pane (History of Art)
1960 • Giacomo Devoto (Linguistics)
1959 • Ernesto Rogers (Architecture)
1956 • Guido Calogero (Philosophy)
1953 • Bruno Migliorini (Linguistics)
1951 • Gianfranco Contini (Philology)
1943 • Gaetano Salvemini (History)
1942 • Carlo Sforza (History)
1933 • Lionello Venturi (History of Art)
1931 • Giuseppe Borgese (Italian Literature)
1930 • Emilio Cecchi (History of Art)
1929 • Giovanni Vidari (Italian Literature)
1928 • Carlo Formichi (Italian Literature)