Michele Didoli (1997) obtained his bachelor’s (2019) and master’s degree (2022) from the University of Turin, where he specialised in Byzantine and Early Modern Greek studies. In his BA and MA dissertations, he described the syntax of the Andros-Thessaloniki version of the Digenis Akritis poem, a fascinating 17th-century sample of prose rewriting and vernacularisation.
At Ghent University, Michele is pursuing his PhD within the ERC project MELA (The Meaning of Language), under the supervision of Prof. Andrea M. Cuomo. Michele’s project, titled The role of language and narration in Damaskinos Studitis’ Thisavros, explores and describes the syntax of a corpus of narrative hagiographical sermons from the Thisavros, a homiletic collection composed by Damaskinos Studitis (c. 1520-1574) and first printed in 1557. Following a Functionalist approach, Michele’s dissertation analyses Damaskinos’ syntactic uses in relation to its specific narrative context, thereby providing an in-depth analysis of both 16th-century syntax and narrative style. On top of that, Michele aims to explore Damaskinos’ use of narration from both communicative and educational perspectives, highlighting Thisavros’ contribution to Early Modern Greek culture and identity.
He is currently Cultore della Materia in Byzantine Studies at the University of Turin, and he has worked as a research collaborator within the project "Multilingualism and the Emergence of a New Written Language as Transformation of Discourse Traditions" at the Institute of Slavonic Studies, Czech Academy of Sciences (October 2025). Since 2023, he has also been one of the secretaries of the Griekenlandcentrum, an outreach association based at UGent.
Besides Early Modern Greek syntax, Michele’s research interests include the history of Greek homiletics, hagiography, and preaching; text circulation and transmission in the Early Modern period; Early Modern Greek narrative style; Early Modern Greek metaphrastic strategies; Scriptural translations; and interaction among Greek registers in post-Byzantine literature and education.
In his free time, Michele is also active in ethnomusicological research, with particular attention to the rich Piedmontese folksong heritage.
