Riccardo Stigliano, PhD student at our Institute, had the privilege of participating in the Byzantine Greek Summer School organized by the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at the University of Vienna.

This intensive two-week program offered daily language sessions at advanced levels, covering a wide array of Late Antique and Medieval Greek texts – from Athanasios of Alexandria’s Life of Antony and the poetry of Kassia to the Histories of John Kantakouzenos and the epistolography of Eirene Choumnaia. Afternoon seminars were led by distinguished scholars, including Claudia Rapp, Johannes Preiser-Kapeller, Alexander Riehle, Nikos Zagklas, and others, addressing topics ranging from environmental history to Byzantine prayer books and manuscript culture.

The program also included unique opportunities to explore Vienna’s unparalleled scholarly resources, with visits to the Manuscript Collection and the Papyrus Museum of the Austrian National Library.

Riccardo was among a select group of participants from across Europe and beyond, benefiting the stimulating academic environment at one of Europe’s and the world’s premier centers for Byzantine Studies.