Faculty Council

Professor of History and Law

Giacomo Comincini

Giacomo Comincini (born 1999) is an Italian historian and doctoral researcher at the University of Pavia, where he studies the modern and contemporary history of Japan. He has undertaken research stays at Japanese universities and published articles on East Asian history and politics. In the field of interlinguistics, his research focuses on the history of planned languages, particularly the spread of Ido in Asia. Since 2025, he has served as President of the Centro di Interlinguistica (CdI). He is a member of the Committee of the Kultura Centro Esperantista and of the editorial board of Literatura Foiro.

Professor of General Linguistics and Phonology

Alessio Giordano

Alessio Giordano (born 1997) is an Italian linguist with degrees in Philosophy and Linguistics from the Universities of Macerata and Pavia. Giordano's research focuses on ethnolinguistics, language planning and linguistic rights, particularly in the Caucasus. The author of several scholarly publications, Giordano also contributed to the Esperanto edition of Ferdinand de Saussure's Course in General Linguistics. Since 2020, Giordano has taught Esperanto language and culture at Collegio Ghislieri in Pavia and is a co-editor of the cultural journal Literatura Foiro. Other activities include the Centro di Interlinguistica and the Esperanto PEN Centre.

Professor of Linguistics

Ilona Koutny

Ilona Koutny is a Hungarian linguist and Professor of Linguistics at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. A former student of István Szerdahelyi, she founded and directed the university's Interlinguistic Studies programme from 1998 to 2024, contributing substantially to the academic development of Esperanto studies. Her research encompasses applied linguistics, lexicography, pragmatics, intercultural communication and the relationship between language and culture. The author of numerous books, dictionaries and scholarly articles, she is internationally recognised for her contributions to interlinguistics and university-level Esperanto education.

Professor of Translation Studies

Perla Martinelli

Perla Martinelli is an Italian-Swiss literary translator, editor and Esperanto cultural figure. For several decades, she has contributed to the development of Esperanto literature, notably as Editor-in-Chief of Literatura Foiro and through her involvement in the Academy of Esperanto and the Esperanto PEN Centre, which she co-founded in 1991. Her literary translations include part of Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron, in collaboration with Gaston Waringhien, and Antonio Tabucchi's Pereira Maintains. Her activities also encompass literary criticism and the history of Esperanto publishing. At EIE, she contributes to the teaching of translated literature.

Professor of Literature

Giorgio Silfer

Giorgio Silfer (born 1949), the pen name of Valerio Ari, is a Swiss writer, literary historian and Esperanto scholar. A co-founder of the cultural journal Literatura Foiro (1970) and the Esperanto PEN Centre (1991), he has contributed extensively to the study and international recognition of Esperanto literature. Together with Carlo Minnaja, he authored Historio de la esperanta literaturo (2015), a major reference work on the subject. A co-author of the Rauma Manifesto (1980), his interests also include interlinguistics and the history of the Esperanto community. At EIE, he teaches Esperanto literature and literary criticism.

Coordinator of Teaching Methodology

Paola Tosato

Paola Tosato is an Italian Esperanto teacher, translator and educational organiser specialising in Esperanto language teaching. She studied Educational Sciences and devoted her 2018 university dissertation to Esperanto as an innovative universal project. As President of the Padua Esperanto Group 'Giovanni Saggiori', she organises and teaches language courses at different levels, with particular emphasis on practical communication skills. She is also active in the Italian Esperanto Federation and contributes to translation initiatives. At the Esplora Instituto de Esperantologio, she is involved in preparing the programme on Esperanto teaching methodology.