20 October 2026
Chair: Simone Cinotto
Tuesday October 20, 2026
Though a relatively young country, Italy’s culinary identity has been simmering for centuries, shaped by a shared gastronomic culture.
From the dormice and garum of the Roman Empire to the heresy of pineapple pizza, A Bite Sized History of Italy traces this legacy, offering a delicious romp through millennia of culinary tradition and transformation.
Author Danielle Callegari, Dartmouth College professor and celebrated Gola podcast co-host, guides readers through the kitchens, vineyards, city squares, and coastal ports of the iconic peninsula, painting an intimate portrait of a place justly famous for its cuisine so much so that food might well be the very reason for its existence.
With boundless energy and a fearless palate, Callegari explores beloved staples pizza, pasta, Parmigiano alongside the unsung flavors that shaped Italian identity legumes, wild herbs, game birds, spices, and the contributions of Jewish and other minority communities.
Danielle Callegari
Associate professor of Italian at Dartmouth College, where she specializes in medieval Italian literature and transhistorical food and beverage studies.
Since 2022 she has been a writer at large for Wine Enthusiast, where she reviews the wines of Tuscany and southern Italy.
She is also the Communications Director for the Dante Society of America and co-host of Gola, a podcast dedicated to Italian food and beverage culture.
In addition to her many contributions to academic and trade publications, she is the author of Dante’s Gluttons (Amsterdam University Press) and A Bite Sized History of Italy (The New Press).
She resides between Hanover, New Hampshire, and Rome, Italy.
The conference will be held in Aula Magna, Tuesday, October 20 from 17 to 18,30.