Corinna Da Fonseca-Wollheim is best known for her writing on classical music for the New York Times. Not many know that she earned a PhD in early modern Italian literature before becoming a critic. “At Sussex University I delved into the story behind the publication of the first feminist treatise in Italian, Moderata Fonte’s Il Merito delle Donne,” she said. “At Cambridge I dove into the life and writings of the wonderfully feisty Jewish poet Sara Copio Sullam.”

Da Fonseca-Wollheim plans to explore Rome’s museums, churches, and cafes while finishing some essays and a book review. “I am also looking forward to giving time and space to some creative writing, including a family memoir and a chamber play,” she said. “The family memoir tells the love story of my paternal grandparents and the dark turn it took when the Nazis came to power. Literature, especially by Goethe, plays a big part in this, and I plan to retrace some of the great poet’s steps in Rome.” She anticipates a residency that reflects her graduate student days, “not only because that was the last time I immersed myself in Italian history and culture, but also because after fourteen years of motherhood this will be a fleeting taste of the childless Dolce Vita!”