Acknowledgments
Many people have contributed, with their support, knowledge and generosity, to make this research project grow. Although it is not possible to mention each and every one of them here, I would like to deeply thank them all.
In particular, I want to acknowledge my current supervisors, professors Federico Barbierato and Paula Findlen, who, along with my ex-supervisor (and always mentor) Massimo Firpo, have been a constant source of inspiration to me. They have supported me in both scientific and human respects, and have led me through the challenging process of expanding my research question and experimenting with new methodologies and research perspectives.
I also want to thank Stanford University and the University of Verona for providing me with great facilities, crucial in the development of the project. My gratitude also goes to the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA) at Stanford, for the wonderful activities they have involved me into and for encouraging such a great space for collegiality, collaboration, inclusion, and share of ideas. In particular, I would like to thank Katerine McDonough and Rachel Midura for generously helping me familiarize myself with Digital Humanities tools when I was just a beginner.
Last but not least, I want to thank my research assistant Zuyi Zhao for exhibiting seriousness, professionality, and an ability to always adapt to challenging circumstances, and for developing this website.
The research carried out for this paper has received funding from the “European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme” under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action, Grant Agreement 748645 – NETDIS.
