Thomas Persico

Thomas Persico is a researcher in Italian Literary Philology (Rtd-B) at the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Bergamo. His academic work focuses on Dante studies, medieval Italian literature, and the intersection of poetry and music. He has established himself as a significant scholar in the field of Italian philology with numerous publications and critical editions.

Persico specializes in Dante and his exegesis, medieval and modern Italian metrics, and the relationship between poetry and music. His research demonstrates a unique interdisciplinary approach that bridges literary analysis with musicology, particularly in examining how medieval Italian poetry was performed. He has published extensively on these topics in scholarly journals and has contributed to major critical editions, including the "Edizione Nazionale dei Commenti Danteschi" (Antenore Publishing House, 2025). His work often explores the performative aspects of medieval poetry, revealing how textual transmission intersects with musical practices of the time.

His recent publications show a clear trend toward philological studies of Dante's commentary tradition and medieval Italian lauds. Persico has made significant contributions to the understanding of Alberico da Rosciate's commentary on the 'Purgatorio' and has co-edited important works on Cristofano Guidini's 'Cantari sulla Legenda aurea.' His scholarship demonstrates particular expertise in textual transmission, manuscript studies, and the relationship between poetry and musical performance in medieval Italy. The interdisciplinary nature of his work connects literary studies with musicology and religious studies, particularly in examining how sacred texts were adapted into vernacular Italian poetry.

Persico serves on the scientific committee of the European Research Council project "Laudare, The Italian Lauda: Disseminating Poetry and Concepts through Melody (12th-16th Centuries)" and is a member of the Teaching Committee for the PhD Program in Transcultural Humanistic Studies at the University of Bergamo. He also contributes to the academic community through his membership on the editorial boards of "Dante. International Journal of Studies on Dante Alighieri" and "Sinestesie," as well as the scientific committee of the Acta et Studia series.

His academic background includes musical studies with specialization in Renaissance and Early Modern Keyboard Music, which informs his unique approach to studying the relationship between poetry and music in medieval Italian literature. This dual expertise in both literary philology and music provides him with distinctive analytical tools for examining how medieval Italian poetry was performed and transmitted.