Pia Carolla

Pia Carolla is an Associate Professor in the Department of Italian, Romance, Classical, Arts, and Entertainment Studies (DIRAAS) at the University of Genoa, affiliated with the School of Humanities. She serves on the Joint Teacher-Student Commission for the School of Humanities and teaches core courses including Byzantine Studies, Byzantine Philology, Byzantine Literature, and The Icon and Its Sources across multiple degree programs in Philology, Ancient Sciences, and Art History.

Her research centers on Byzantine civilization through interdisciplinary lenses, examining literary and historical sources to analyze power structures, economic systems, and cultural exchanges between Byzantium and the Arab world. Specialized interests include diplomatic history, institutional resilience, textual criticism of primary sources, and iconographic studies of religious art, with particular focus on how political corruption and degeneration manifested in imperial administration.

Recent publications reveal a strong thematic trajectory exploring power dynamics in Byzantine governance, with 2024 works investigating institutional maintenance during crises and self-corrupting power mechanisms. Her in-press research extends into diplomatic relations through critical editions of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus' historical compilations and economic treaty analyses, demonstrating methodological rigor in source criticism and cross-cultural historical comparison.