Dr Valeria Viola is a mother of two wonderful daughters and an Art teacher with experience in both architectural practice and research. She worked as an architect with a specialization in restoration (1997-2015), taught Art-related subjects at different grades of education (2005-2016) and published nine essays on baroque architecture (1999-2015). In 2020 Viola completed her PhD programme in History of Art and Architecture at the University of York (UK), with a thesis on the interconnections between architecture, devotion, and family life in Baroque Palermo. The results of her research were shared through seven essays, nine conferences and three seminars (2018-2021). She is currently engaged in integrating gender and postcolonial perspectives into school teaching, while working on a book tentatively titled "Neighbourly Relationships in Eighteenth-century Palermo". 

Dr Viola's paper for the MEMSA Crossing Borders, Contesting Boundaries Podcast explores masters' and servants' spaces in eighteenth-century Palermo.

Music: Aitua, 'Blind Fire', from the album Elements. Used with the kind permission of the artist. All rights reserved.