Paolo Valesio, chair of the Italian language and literature department, has been selected as co-winner of the fourth annual Franco Mattacotta poetry prize, a national award in Italy, for his volume "Avventure dell' Uomo e del Figlio."
The prize ceremony took place in May in the ancient city of Ascoli Piceno in the Marche region of central Italy. The award honors Franco Matacotta (1916-1978), a native of the region who was author of several major volumes of poetry.
Professor Valesio, who has written nine volumes of poetry, was presented his award by members of the Marche Poetry Center in the presence of the five jurors of the prize committee and an audience, which included a large number of high school students from the Marche region.