Council for Ligurian Linguistic Heritage

Ligurian Council

Our members

The Council started operating in 2019 as a group of four Ligurian researchers working on linguistics projects. Over time, other people have given us their support. We are honoured to be able to count on the support of:

  • Andrea Acquarone. Writer, journalist, economic analyst. Since 2013 he has been involved in the preservation of the Genoese language. He established the “Che l’inse!” collective (2013-2020), he founded and directed the magazine “O Stafî” (2019-2021) and edits the Genoese page of the newspaper “Il Secolo XIX”.
  • Paolo Besagno. Genoese author and composer. He studied electronic music with maestro Riccardo Dapelo. Since 1994 he has been the artistic director of the Genoese folk singing group “I Giovani Canterini di Sant’Olcese”, where he also sings alto.
  • Lorenzo Bisio. Art historian, graduated from the University of Genoa. He is a popularizer for the Rolli Days cultural events and co-creator of the Ligurian languge tours to the Rolli palaces in Genoa. He writes in various magazines and local newspapers to promote and popularize the historical and artistic heritage of Liguria.
  • Guido Borghi. Permanent researcher in Glottology and Linguistics at the University of Genoa. His multiple topics of study include the reconstruction of prehistoric Indo-European toponymy and lexicon, with a focus on the Mediterranean basin.
  • Davide Cabona. Musician and composer from the Gromolo Valley. Passionate about local history and the varieties of the Tigullio and its valleys.
  • Fabio Canessa. Genoese journalist and author who has worked for Primocanale, Telenord and Genova24. He is one of the most important promoters of the use of Genoese in the field of journalism.
  • Edoardo Ferrante. Data scientist working as an innovator in Zurich. He graduated from the University of Genoa in computer engineering, and likes to combine his love for programming, artificial intelligence and linguistics to preserve his language.
  • Michele “Mike fC” Ferroni. Singer-songwriter and rapper in the Italian and Genoese languages, expert in multimedia content. He experiments with innovative formats for the promotion of the Ligurian language in all its varieties.
  • Enrico Granara. Translator and writer in Genoese. He has put his previous experience as a diplomat at the service of the Municipality of Genoa and MEI to act as a liaison with the Conseggio.
  • Alessandro Guasoni. Poet, storyteller and essayist, he has published a dozen volumes on and in Genoese. He has won numerous literary prizes, from the Lauro d’Oro in 1981 to the “Chiavari” in 2017. He collaborates with the University of Innsbruck on the GEPHRAS project.
  • Christopher Haberland. Data scientist and PhD student studying computational linguistics at the University of Washington.
  • Stefano Lusito. Researcher in the Department of Romanistics at the University of Innsbruck. Translator and lexicographer, he has collaborated with the GEPHRAS project. Graduated from the University of Genoa in translation and interpreting.
  • Jean Maillard. Born in Genoa, since 2018 he has been a researcher in the Silicon Valley on artificial intelligence applied to linguistics. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge in Computational Linguistics.
  • Danila Olivieri. Poet writing in Italian and Genoese who has been awarded numerous prizes. She is the president of the Salotto letterario in Sestri Levante and jury member of the international prize Carlo Bo/Giovanni Descalzo.
  • Bruna Pedemonte. Genoese poet and columnist for the Parlo Ciæo section of the newspaper “Il Secolo XIX”, writing about philosophical reflections on society. She has published a collection of poems titled À crovî e reixe nue in the series E restan forme (published by Zona)
  • Claudio Rezzoagli. Devotee of the local varieties and traditions of the Cichero valley, where he is originally from. He has been engaged for years in the promotion of Ligurian linguistic heritage, with special attention to new media.
  • Rosa Ronzitti. Associate Professor of Glottology and Linguistics at the University of Genoa and co-editor of Lumina. Rivista di linguistica storica e di letteratura comparata. She is a specialist in Glottology, Sanskrit and Comparative Mythology.
  • Anselmo Roveda. Writer and scholar of literature and the imaginary, he is professor of Screenplay II (Analysis of narrative structures and elements of creative writing) at ISIA in Urbino, coordinator of the literature and illustration magazine Andersen and director of the magazine Cabirda.
  • Andreina Solari. Author of several books of fiction and poetry. She has won prestigious awards with poems and short stories in Italian and Genoese. She is a contributor to the page Parlo Ciæo of the newspaper “Il Secolo XIX”.
Académie des langues dialectales

The Council is partnered with the Académie des langues dialectales of the Principality of Monaco, an organization that is devoted to the study, the dissemination and the protection of Monégasque and the other Ligurian varieties. The Académie was founded in 1981 with the authorisation of the government of the Principality and the support of H.S.H. prince Ranier III. It is made up of internationally renowned linguists and scholars.