Meet The Team
Tom Godfrey:
Co-founder
BA (Hons) Modern Languages and Cultures (Durham University)
Currently studying for MSt in Modern Languages at the University of Oxford
Since a very early age, I have been an Italophile. My passion for Italy perhaps started because of the fact that I made friends with a handful of Italian students when I first started school. As such, I was exposed to Italy’s cultural heritage whenever I would go to their houses for dinner. The cultural heritage that I am referring to is hard to describe, not only because some parts of it are tangible and others intangible, but also because it varies immensely from region to region, and even town to town.
It didn’t take me long to see that my Roman friend had very different traditions and ways of living to those of my Tuscan friend. The concept of Italian identity confused me but fascinated me and, at first, I couldn’t quite understand why Italians were so defensive about their towns of origin. Although people in England are often proud of where they come from, this pride does not feel quite as strong as it does in Italy, where two towns in the same region can argue not only about their football teams, but also about whose tortellini is better. I really enjoy looking at the different regions, and how they come together to create what John Dickie calls ‘the notion of Italy’.
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We will all have very different reasons for loving Italy, and our personal interests may influence these. For example, I am particularly fond of art, whereas somebody else might have a passion for something like the motorsport industry. If we come together to discuss these things in the Italian context, our knowledge of the country will improve. It is for this reason that I think that all students should contribute to this magazine; it can be a place for everyone to showcase and share their love for Italy. This magazine is for anyone who has anything to say about Italy, whether they study the language or not.
Ava Siena Cohen:
Co-founder
BA (Hons) Modern Languages and Cultures (Durham University)
Currently studying for MPhil in Comparative Literature at Trinity College Dublin
Italy has always been a large part of my life in a round-about way, with my mother growing up a stone's throw away from New York's so-called 'Little Italy', and my paternal grandmother being a retired Italian teacher. My name is the Tuscan city Siena, so you could say that I was born to be an Italophile. In fact, one of my earliest memories is of me begging my father to take me to Rome!
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As a former classical singer, I was desperate to learn the Italian language so that I could really understand the words that I was singing. Without meaning to sound cliché here, I had no idea that learning even a tiny bit of the language would unlock a whole other world. In Italy you will find something different at every street corner, and every city has its own feel to it. I still find it unbelievable that there are huge remnants of Roman power like the Colosseum in the same country as the tiny streets of Florence that house the cafés attended by the likes of Eugenio Montale.
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I am a literature enthusiast, regular theatre-goer, and a dedicated performer, so Italian culture is the perfect fit for me. Yet, we all have our reasons for why we love Italy. Even within each region of Italy there are so many sides the the concept of Italian culture, and it is certainly an impossible task for two people to write about this, which is why I would encourage anyone to write for this magazine, whether you (like myself) are trying to become fluent in Italian, really miss your year abroad, or have no knowledge of the language and just enjoy watching mafia documentaries. If we all share our individual passions, we can use this magazine to create and unite what is hopefully a large community of student Italophiles!