1. Why did you decide to study Classical Archaeology and why did you go abroad to do it?
Since I was a kid, me and my family of 6 (yes, I’m one of four, all born within 5 years!), enjoyed travelling and exploring museums and archaeological sites. In all honesty, being from Sicily, or Magna Graecia, as I like to call it, we didn’t have to travel far to learn about the ancient Greeks. When, in my last year of Classical High School, it was time to decide where to go next, everyone (including myself) thought that I was going to study Law. Perhaps, my resolute personality and my organized and meticulous attitude, made me a good candidate to undertake my dad’s career path and to become, one day, a lawyer or a judge. But then, one night, me and my older brother stopped to think about where I saw myself happy (you’re right, I didn’t think about future prospects or money!). And there Classical Archaeology was, clear as water! Now that all previous plans had drastically changed, I thought to make things even more exciting and fascinating and to go to the UK to start my BA (some of my best friends were also moving there, I wasn’t that brave, after all).
2. You studied at UCL first and then at the University of Oxford. What was your relationship with Italy and Italians during your first years in the UK?
Let me start by saying that I have more Italian friends in London than in Italy (and not because I don’t have any friends back home, I swear!). London is such a magnet for Italians and Europeans in general. During my first year at UCL, I joined the Italian Society, where I even met my current Italian boyfriend and best friends (thank you, UCL). For the two following years, I took the helm of the society, leading over 300 students and organizing weekly events (including academic talks, political conferences, film screenings and, of course, pizza nights). The following year I went to Oxford for my masters and even there I met some other amazing people from the Bel Paese. And yes, of course I miss Italy, who doesn’t? But I was lucky to go back every summer to take part in some great archaeological excavations (digging a Greek temple in Sicily for example, or working in Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli).
3. After a year in Oxford, you went back to London and started looking for a job in the field of the arts & museums. Was going back to Italy and to its wonderful artistic and cultural heritage an option you considered?
It was and it always will. Despite the fact that I feel European more than I feel Italian, Italy is still HOME. When I moved to the UK I always knew that I would go back one day, and that’s still the plan. However, while finding a job in the field of the arts and museums is hard everywhere, Italy adds an extra layer of difficulty. Quality-wise life in London is not the best, but it is exciting and full of opportunities. After a month of interviews and exhausting job applications I joined THATMuse, (which stands for Treasure Hunt At The Museum) and organizes fun and educational activities for kids and adults in Paris and London’s major museums. Aware of the big Italian community in London, I had fun developing the company’s Italian market and contributing to its expansion to Florence.
4. With the spread of coronavirus, and since museums have closed, you’ve started working on some personal projects. We’ve heard about your kid-friendly art-history classes on your new YouTube channel, IterArtis. Tell us about the challenges of being an archaeologist at the time of coronavirus.
Challenge is the perfect word here. How does an archaeologist survive when museums are closed? After a couple of days where I felt almost completely lost, I realised that I could use this time as an opportunity to grow and perhaps to share my passion. Here, I should probably thank my dad who, with his natural uplifting attitude always manages to make my rational self come back to the surface (he was never upset about me not studying law, by the way). While I loved my university career, I always thought that sometimes academia struggles to address the public and to make art fun, democratic and interesting. With this idea in mind, I decided to start IterArtis, a YouTube channel where I post some short art-history classes for kids and adults alike. I’m currently working on the launch of a personal Blog, too, for some more art fun!
If you are interested in Anna's work and projects, you can watch more of her videos here!