Crimea from a Historical Perspective

Michele Bernardini is full professor of Persian Language and Literature, and History of Medieval and Modern Iran and Ottoman Empire at the University of Naples “L’Orientale”. He is the editor of the journal Eurasian Studies jointly published by the Istituto per l’Oriente C.A. Nallino and the University of Halle-Wittenberg. Among his publications: Mémoire et propagande à l’époque timouride, (Cahiers de Studia Iranica 2008)  and about the History of Iran and the Turkish world: Storia del mondo islamico. VII-XVI secolo, II. Il mondo iranico e turco, (Einaudi, Torino, 2003) and, withD. Guida, I Mongoli. Espansione, imperi, eredità (Einaudi, Torino, 2012).

Lapo Sestan   is full professor of Russian History  at University of Naples “L’Orientale”, Department of Asia, Africa and Mediterraneo. He is the author of Nobiltà di sangue e nobiltà di servizio nella Russia del 700 . He has written a number of articles on the economic relations between Russia and Persia in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century.

Lucia Tonini  deals with Russian culture and art of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with particular regard to the relations between Russia and Italy. She has taught Art History of Eastern Europe and Russian literature at the University of Naples "L’Orientale" and currently teaches Russian literature at the University of Pisa. She has collaborated with the Gabinetto G.P. Vieusseux in Florence on topics concerning travel literature, art collecting and reception of Russian culture in Italy an Italian culture in Russia, now continuing her researches also with institutes abroad (Institut Mirovoj Literatury Akademii Nauk; Gosudarstvennyj Institut Iskusstvoznanija, Moskva).