About me

I was born in Bologna (Italy) in 1960.
I am married with Silvana Greco, a sociologist.
With Silvana we live between Berlin and Milan,
with several stays in Northern Italy and the Balearic Islands.
After having taught at the Università Ca’ Foscari in Venice (Italy),
I am now a Professor at the Freie Universität Berlin (Germany),
where I direct the Institute of Jewish Studies.

At the beginning of the 1980’s my centers of interest were mainly Medieval studies, particularly Hebrew grammar and booklore. In the following years my work expanded, focusing especially on Jewish symbols and Kabbalah, of which I analyzed historical development,
literary values and aesthetic implications.

I dedicated quite a number of studies to the history of the relationship between Jewish and Christian culture in Italy during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

I am the general editor of a series that aims to publish

the entire kabbalistic library of the humanist Giovanni Pico della Mirandola.

I have written extensively on various subjects.

My publications include several books, many essays, and critical editions of Jewish texts. Since 2000, I have contributed a weekly column to the cultural supplement of the Italian economic daily, «Il Sole 24Ore».

I am the President of the

Fondazione Palazzo Bondoni Pastorio

in Castiglione delle Stiviere.

At the Foundation,

I am particularly involved on Jewish and Renaissance studies.

When necessary, I lend a hand in the many activities

of the Palace, from graphics to accounting,

from logistics to publications.

more about me