The project I have undertaken in Rome is part of my Ph.D. thesis on the artistic contacts between Italy and Cyprus during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The three-month residency at the BSR offered me the opportunity to probe the net of complex relations between southern Italy and Cyprus in visual arts during the Duecento. In particular, I examined a cluster of chiese rupestre, or rock churches, in Apulia that preserve Byzantine frescoes, and a number of panel paintings from the same region as well as from Lazio. These works are linked with corresponding Cypriot material and are telling of the exchanges between the two regions not only in the sphere of art, but in social and economic sectors, such as trade and religious institutions and practices.

Notwithstanding a number of scholarly contributions to the field, this is a rather neglected area and one typically approached in a generic fashion. The topic was researched in the 1980s by a limited number of scholars whose analyses were circumscribed by a set of dated stylistic methods. A reconsideration of these cultural exchanges within the broader historical backdrop of the time would shift the focus on the paintings as products of casual artistic similarities to records of historical realities. This new approach aims to broaden our understanding of cultural transmission and convergence in the medieval Mediterranean, and to provide a valuable contribution to the wider study of the research topos known as ‘Crusader Art’.

My time in Rome was extremely productive thanks to the 24-hour access to the Library. The richness of material in the BSR Library permitted extensive bibliographical research, which later extended to the Hertziana and Vatican libraries. It also enabled me to pursue archival research at Archivio Segreto Vaticano on the presence of Italo-Greek monks in Cyprus. In addition to a trip to the Castelli Romani, I undertook fieldwork in southern Italy and examined the artefacts I am discussing in situ. I covered almost the entire region of Apulia and managed to obtain satisfactory photographic documentation of the frescoes and icons. This was truly an eye-opening experience, which made me reassess the works in an informed fashion and allowed me firmly to place them within a solid social and cultural context.

As previously noted, the research I carried out in Rome forms an important part of my doctoral thesis, which is still in progress, and I expect it will constitute the main focus of my postdoctoral work as well. In addition, I plan to publish two academic articles on the aforementioned topic in international peer-reviewed journals.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff and members of the BSR who were exceptionally hospitable and welcoming, providing a pleasant and collaborative environment that is conducive to academic research. This unique opportunity to live and share my routine with fellow academics and artists from across a range of fields was quite unparalleled.