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Research

My DPhil project, Giacomo Leopardi and the Roots of Existentialism, redefines the origins of existentialism by positioning the Italian poet and philosopher Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837) as the initiator of atheistic existentialism.  

 

Selected publications 

Books:

  • Giacomo Leopardi and the Roots of Existentialism (in preparation). Recommended by DPhil viva examiners to Oxford University Press.
  • La poesia in prosa italiana. Un’antologia (in preparation). To be published by Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici Press. 

Edited Journal Issues:

  • New Approaches to Leopardi, ed. by L. Costa and A. Aloisi. Special issue of the Journal of Italian Philosophy (forthcoming 2027). 

Peer-reviewed Research Articles: 

  • “Introduction,” co-authored with A. Aloisi, New Approaches to Leopardi. Special issue of the Journal of Italian Philosophy (forthcoming 2027).
  • “Leopardi’s Response to Wittgenstein.” Rivista Internazionale di Studi Leopardiani (RISL) 18 (2025): 137–51. URL: https://mimesisjournals.com/ojs/index.php/risl/article/view/5870/4427 (invited).
  • “Leopardi in latino.” The Italianist 44 (3), 2024: 559–79. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02614340.2025.2504781 (invited).
  • “Infinite or Indefinite? Leopardi’s Infinite through the Lens of Fyodor Dostoevsky.” Italian Studies 79 (3), 2024: 239–52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00751634.2024.2383545. Ranked amongst the top 25 most read articles in the history of Italian Studies (top ~ 2.5%). 
  • “La traduzione latina dell’Inno ai patriarchi ad opera di Girolamo Picchioni: uno studio stilistico.” Rivista Internazionale di Studi Leopardiani (RISL) 16 (2023): 109–40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7413/1129-9401027. 
  • “Leopardi primo nichilista d’Europa: le letture di Emanuele Severino e Luigi Capitano.” Il Contributo. Rivista di filosofia e scienze sociali 3 (3), 2023: 81–98 (invited). 

Peer-reviewed Book Chapters: 

  • “Freedom as the Hallmark of Human Dignity: Existentialism and Artificial Intelligence.” Borders. Dialectics. Civility, ed. by T. Lanzendörfer (Bloomsbury, accepted, forthcoming 2026). Selected by editor amongst ~ 160 essays to open the volume. 
  • “Leopardi’s Reception in Existentialism. I”, Giacomo Leopardi: Reading, Reception and Legacy in Europe (Legenda, accepted, forthcoming 2026) (invited).
  • “Leopardi’s Reception in Existentialism. II”, co-authored with F. Marchionni. Giacomo Leopardi: Reading, Reception and Legacy in Europe (Legenda, accepted, forthcoming 2026) (invited). 
  • “L’esistenzialismo ateo di Giacomo Leopardi.” Leopardi in Europa, ed. by C. Crocco (Mimesis, accepted, forthcoming 2026). 
  • “L’esistenzialismo di Leopardi e l’essenzialismo estremo di Severino.” Dopo Leopardi. Rifrazioni contemporanee del leopardismo filosofico, ed. by L. Capitano and A. Meccariello (Mimesis, 2025): 199­–214 (invited).
  • “La figura di Prometeo nelle riscritture di Leopardi e Pavese.” Contaminazioni leopardiane, ed. by O. A. Calzolari, A. Aloisi, and E. Tandello (Mimesis, 2024): 167–82 (invited).

Book Reviews:

  • Leopardi e il paesaggio. Atti del XV Convegno internazionale di studi leopardiani (Recanati 27–30 settembre 2021), ed. by Ch. Genetelli, I. Cesaroni, and G. Marozzi (Olschki, 2024). Modern Language Review 120 (4): 574–76. DOI: 10.1353/mlr.00133 (invited).
  • Leopardi e la cultura del Novecento: modi e forme di una presenza. Atti del XIV Convegno internazionale di studi leopardiani (Recanati 27–30 settembre 2017), ed. by M. V. Dominioni and L. Chiurchiù (Olschki, 2020). Modern Language Review 118 (3): 399–400. DOI: 10.1353/mlr.2023.a901142 (invited).

Translations: 

  • Barbara Vinken, “Indossare la morte. Moda e vanitas da Leopardi a McQueen,” transl. by Luca Costa, in Le Operette morali. “Un libro tutto ­loso­co e meta­sico” che interroga il nostro tempo. Atti del XVI Convegno internazionale di studi leopardiani (Recanati 22–25 ottobre 2025) (Olschki, forthcoming 2027). 
  • Antonio Prete, “The Animal Trace,” transl. by Luca Costa, in New Approaches to Leopardi, ed. by L. Costa and A. Aloisi. Special issue of the Journal of Italian Philosophy (forthcoming 2027). 

Creative Writing: 

  • “Un dialogo con Leopardi.” [philosophical dialogue] ClanDestino, 2019. Link. 

Public Engagement: 

  • “How existential philosophy can help you to cope with anguish.” The Conversation, 2025. [15,000+ reads] Link.
  • “Existentialism Didn’t Start with Kierkegaard – The New Face of Existentialism.” [podcast episode] Spotify, 2025. Link. 

 

Teaching experience

  • Tutor of Italian, Department of Italian, University of Oxford (2023-2024)

    Course: academic essay writing (undergraduate level).

  • Invited Lecturer, Department of French, UCL (2025)

    Lecture on Albert Camus for undergraduate students.

  • Tutor of Philosophy, University of Oxford (2023-2024)

    Biweekly tutorials on ethics and existentialism for visiting undergraduates.

     

Academic administration