Alessandro Barbero is Italy’s best-known historian. His books are bestsellers in Italy and worldwide and his ‘History Lessons’ are widely followed live and on social media. He teaches Medieval History at the University of Eastern Piedmont. His latest book, Dante, has sold 250,000 copies and has been translated in 20 countries.

Franco Cardini is an emeritus professor at the Italian Institute of Human Sciences; Research Director at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris; Fellow of Harvard University; and a member of the scientific board of the Scuola Superiore di Scienze Storiche of the Università degli Studi, San Marino.

Adriano Prosperi is an expert of cultural studies and religious life before the modern age and teaches modern history at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa. He published, among others: Courts for consciences. Inquisitors, confessors, missionaries (Turin 1996); Heresies in the Libro Grande. History of Giorgio Siculo and of his sect (Milano 2000); The Roman inquisition. Documents and researches (Rome 2003); Giving away the soul. History of an infanticide (Turin 2005); Blindfolded justice. The historical path of an image (Turin 2008). He also edited the Historical dictionary of Inquisition (4 volumes, also by V. Lavenia and J. Tedeschi, Pisa 2010).

Maurizio Viroli is Professor of Government at the University of Texas (Austin), Professor of Political Communication at the University of Italian Switzerland at Lugano and Professor Emeritus of Politics at Princeton University. He is the author of numerous books, all widely translated, including: Republicanism (1999); Niccolò’s Smile. History of Machiavelli (2000²); For the Love of Country. Patriotism and nationalism in history(2001²); Dialogue on the Republic (with Norberto Bobbio, 2003⁶);Machiavelli’s God and Italy’s Moral Problem (2005); The Florence Years (with other authors, 2009); The Intransigent (2012³);The Freedom of Slaves (2012¹³).

Paolo Rossi (b. Urbino, 1923) taught History of Philosophy at the University of Florence. His publications include: Francis Bacon. From magic to science (Bari, 1957); Clavis universalis. Arts of memory and combinational logic from Lullo to Leibniz (Bologna, 1983); Spiders and ants: an apologia of the history of science (Bologna, 1986); The Past, Memory, Oblivion (Bologna, 1991, winner of the 1992 Viareggio Prize); and, Another Present (Bologna, 2000). He is a member of the Accademia dei Lincei. In 1985 he received the Sarton Medallion for history of science from the American History of Science Society.

Giuseppe Ricuperati teaches Modern History at the University of Turin. He directs the Rivista storica italiana and is a member of the Science Academy of Turin and of the Deputazione di storia patria subalpina. His most recent published works include: Borders and Limits of Reason. From the European crisis of conscience to enlightenment (Turin 2006).

University of Rome “La Sapienza”

Emilio Gentile is an historian of international renown, he is emeritus professor at ‘La Sapienza’ University of Rome. He received the Hans Sigrist Prize at the University of Berna for his studies on the religions of politics. Among his main works published by Laterza, often reprinted and translated all over the world: The Cult of the Lictor: the sacralisation of politics in fascist Italy; Politics as religion; Fascism: History and interpretation; Fascism in three chapters; God’s democracy: American religion after September 11 (Burzio Prize); Stone fascism; Two gunshots, ten million dead, the end of a world; The March on Rome and Fascism in Power; The leader and the Crowd; “In a democracy people are always sovreign” False!.

Alberto Melloni teaches History of Christianity at the University of Modena-Reggio Emilia. He is Secretary of John XXIII foundation for Religious Sciences. Author of numerous essays, he recently edited: Voluntary Martyrs: the shared history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Bologna 2006) and a new edition of Auschwitz Protocols (Milan 2008). He also contributes articles to the Italian broadsheet “Corriere della Sera”.