I have always been very interested in English literature, so when I graduated in Classics and Italian literature from Rome University and was offered a lecturing post in Cambridge, I was delighted! We packed our stuff, got in our Fiat 500 and drove all the way from Rome to England. What an adventure!
My second son was born in Cambridge, and the boys are still arguing as to whether being born in Rome is more ‘chic’ than being born in Cambridge. In 1974 I was appointed Principal Lecturer in Modern Languages at Sheffield City Polytechnic. I found that, yes, Sheffield has seven hills, like Rome, but the similarities stop there! But I liked Sheffield. I found it a friendly place, with excellent schools and beautiful parks.
I wanted to help the city develop its international links, so I was very happy to run one of the first European Joint Study Programmes, linking Sheffield City Polytechnic to Universities in Europe. I was also very happy to be Joint Chair of the European Universities Committee that developed the ERASMUS project.

Sheffield Hallam University