Our staff
Our staff
Strategic direction and management
Cecilia Hewlett
Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prato Centre and Global Network Development
Cecilia leads the strategic planning and direction of our centre's activities, with guidance from the Prato Board. She is also Associate Dean (International) of the Faculty of Arts. Cecilia held the position of director of our centre 2012-2020 and played a key role in its establishment with the founding director, the late Emeritus Professor Bill Kent. With a PhD in Renaissance history, she has held fellowships at Harvard University's Villa I Tatti and the European University Institute. Her publications include: The Italian Garden: Restoring a Renaissance Garden in Tuscany (co-edited with Narelle McAuliffe); Studies on Florence and the Italian Renaissance in Honour of F.W. Kent (co-edited with Peter Howard) and Rural Communities in Renaissance Tuscany. Contact Cecilia if your institution or organisation has a proposal for academic or industry collaboration with Monash University in Europe.
Cathy Crupi
Centre Manager
cathy.crupi@monash.edu +39 0574 436921
Cathy has been the manager of our centre since 2011. You can contact Cathy if you wish to book the centre for an international conference or meeting, education program, or event. In addition to overseeing the centre's program of activities, Cathy also manages its general operations including human resources. If you wish to be considered for future employment opportunities, forward Cathy your curriculum vitae and cover letter.
Academic programs, student services, and visual residency
Loredana D'Elia
Academic Programs and Internships Coordinator
loredana.delia@monash.edu +39 0574 436928
Loredana is the key contact point for university academic programs at our centre. She will help you develop a program embedded in a European context. Contact Loredana if you are interested in running a program here. Interested in our internship program? Loredana will help place you if you are a student, or she will find a Monash intern with the perfect profile for your organisation. With her background in translation studies, Loredana can help you navigate cross-cultural workplace experiences.
Samuele Grassi
Lecturer, Italian Studies
samuele.grassi@monash.edu +39 0574 4369235
Samuele teaches intensive in-country Italian Studies units for the School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics and our Parliamo! not-for-credit course. He has published in both English and Italian on queer and performance studies, feminist and lesbian theatre, and feminist queer theories and anti-authoritarian political thought. His post-doctoral independent research has focused specifically on the connections between feminist queer theories and interdisciplinary, critical pedagogies to encompass sexuality and citizenship education, activist performances, and cultural and educational exchanges. Read Samuele's research profile.
Mariagiulia Da Riva
Student Engagement and Support
mariagiulia.dariva@monash.edu
+39 0574 436929
Community engagement enquiries: community@monash.it
Student services enquiries: studentservices@monash.it
Mariagiulia coordinates our community engagement initiatives. Born and raised in Prato, with a background in foreign languages, Mariagiulia will help you navigate the local scene to maximise your overseas study experience. If you’re a student coming to Prato, she’ll put you in contact with locals through initiatives such as Buon Appetito! family meals and our homestay program. Mariagiulia also coordinates our Visual Residency program, connecting our artist-in-residence with the local arts scene.
Heather MacLeod
Student Support
heather.macleod@monash.edu +39 0574 436954 Student services enquiries: studentservices@monash.it
Heather supports our students during their time in Prato, using her background in university admissions and in student services and housing in Florence. She will help you meet locals, and even learn a little Italian, through our Conversation Exchange initiative. Originally from Scotland, Heather is a language graduate with a passion for Italy and travel so she’s always happy to share travel ideas during your stay here.
Teaching associates (sessional)
Lianca Carlesi
Lianca teaches in the units ATS1229/ATS2229 Intensive Introductory Italian 1 (in country), which run from 11 to 29 September 2023, which are part of the Monash Global Campus Intensives program. She has taught Italian language and culture at all levels and general education courses at Brown University, Colgate University, the University of Rhode Island, and the University of New Haven, Tuscany Campus. Lianca received a PhD in Italian Studies from Brown University in 2017, with a dissertation on Cesare Pavese’s late works. Her research interests include twentieth century Italian literature, the relationship between politics and literature, Fascism and anti-Fascism, and European history of the nineteenth and twentieth century.
Research, conferences and school programs
Matteo Dutto
Senior Research Manager
matteo.dutto@monash.edu +39 0574 436934
Matteo is Senior Research Manager of the Monash University European Research Foundation ETS. The Foundation aims to contribute to research and innovation in Italy and Europe through fostering new and existing networks. Matteo is also an Adjunct Research Fellow of the School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics. He worked on the Youth in the City research project in Prato. Awarded a PhD by Monash University, Matteo’s research interests include how cultural producers collaborate with Indigenous, migrant and multiethnic communities to produce transmedia and transcultural counter-narratives of belonging and identity. His first monograph Legacies of Indigenous Resistance was published by Peter Lang Oxford in 2019.
Sarah Gore
Senior Events Officer
sarah.gore@monash.edu +39 0574 436920 Australian secondary school enquiries: schools@monash.it
Sarah coordinates our centre’s vibrant calendar of events. If you're organising a research workshop, conference or other event, Sarah will be your key contact to ensure it runs smoothly. She also coordinates our Australian secondary school study tour program. Originally from England, Sarah has been living in Italy for over 35 years and has a wealth of local knowledge and international event management experience.
Services and facilities
Francesca Vivarelli
Accommodation Officer
francesca.vivarelli@monash.edu +39 0574 43691 Accommodation enquiries: accommodation@monash.it
Francesca will help you find the right accommodation in Prato, whether you're a student looking for a suitable long-term option, a conference organiser who wants advice on hotels or residences, or a Monash visiting staff member who may be interested in staying in our apartments located on the third floor. Francesca’s extensive experience in the tourism industry means that you are in good hands.
Maria Donata Batisti
Building Maintenance
donata.batisti@monash.edu +39 0574 436927
Donata works on facility-related projects at our centre.
A graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Florence, she specialises in interior design and renovation.
Leonardo Piovesan
Finances and Administration
leonardo.piovesan@monash.edu +39 0574 436924 Finance and billing enquiries: accounts@monash.it
Leonardo is responsible for various aspects of our centre's administration, especially finances. If you're organising a conference or event at our centre, Leonardo will provide you with on-the-ground assistance and help you liaise with local suppliers to secure the best price for services or products.
Monica Liverani
Receptionist
monica.liverani@monash.edu +39 0574 43691 General enquiries: info@monash.it
Monica welcomes you at reception. A graduate of East Asian languages, and multimedia communication and events, she has studied in London and Tokyo. With over a decade's experience in the tourism sector, Monica will connect you to places and activities at our centre and in Prato and Florence.
Leonardo Tinti
Networks and Systems Administrator
leonardo.tinti@monash.edu +39 0574 436936 IT service enquiries: it@monash.it
Leonardo manages all IT related matters at our centre, from the servers and network devices to computer hardware and software trouble-shooting. He also maintains our audio-visual facilities and keeps our IT systems secure. Contact Leonardo if you are organising a conference or course and need advice on our IT and Audio Visual services.
Andrea Tilli
IT Support
andrea.tilli@monash.edu +39 0574 436936 IT service enquiries: it@monash.it
Andrea will help you with anything IT related you might need during your time at our centre, such as connecting to wifi, configuring your presentation for a conference, printing a document, or hardware and software issues.
