Few things are as integral to the Italian spirit as love. From the dizzying crazy love of first romance to the deep and enduring love that binds the Italian family, this powerful emotion has left its mark across the Italian cultural landscape, inspiring countless generations of artists and writers to create some of humankind's most enduring masterpieces. Come along as Dr. Mary Watt takes us on a journey through time exploring the paths taken, the scars left behind and the spectacular heights achieved by that most Italian of emotions - Amore

About the speaker: Dr. Mary Watt, Co-Director of the Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies at the University of Florida, earned her B.A., M.A., J.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. She has taught Italian medieval culture and literature courses at the University of Florida since 2000 and before that at both Brock University and SUNY Buffalo. She is the author of The Cross that Dante Bears, published in 2005 and she is currently working on two books; Prophecies of Paradise, a scholarly work that examines Dante's influence on Christopher Columbus, and The Winds of Avignon, a work of historical fiction set in the 1340's. In her spare time she coaches the St. Francis High School Cross Country Team.