Ilaria Serra is from Venice, Italy. She is a Professor of Italian and Comparative Studies, the coordinator of the FAU Italian Program and faculty member in the graduate programs (Master's in Comparative Literatre and PhD in Comparative Studies). Her research weaves Italian American Studies into Italian Studies more broadly; main areas of focus include Italian cinema, Italian literature, Italian history through popular song, and the history of Italian immigration to the United States. She founded and co-leads the FAU Study Abroad Program in Venice, Italy (promotional video), where she teaches the course Venice and Its Reflections (course video).

 

She has received FAU's highest scholarly honor twice: University Scholar of the Year Award at the Assistant Professor Rank (2012); and University Scholar of the Year Award at the Associate Professor Rank (2020). In 2023 she was knighted by the President of the Italian Republic for her merit in the promotion of Italian culture abroad. In 2024 she received the Premio alla Carriera by FATI-Florida Association Teachers of Italian, the Teacher Recognition Award by the Italian Language Foundation, New York, and the Columbus International Award (Rome-Miami).

 

Dr. Serra created with her students the digital humanities projects, “Italian American Oral History Archive,” “Italian American Memories Documentary Archive” and “Floritalians.” She started and coordinates the FAU Italian and Italian American Film Festivals and organizes the annual International Symposium "Italy in Transit." She recently received an EU-Jean Monnet Center of Excellence grant (click here for the Monnet Center interview .)