Dr. Davide Tanasi, professor of digital humanities in the Department of History and director of the Institute for Digital Exploration (IDEx) at the USF College of Arts and Sciences, has been named the Gulf Coast Italian Culture and Society’s (GCICS) 2023 Italian American of the Year for his achievements in the field of Mediterranean archaeology.
Dr. Davide Tanasi (right) accepts the GCICS’s Italian American of the Year award. (Photo courtesy of GCICS)
GCICS, a nonprofit organization based in Sarasota, Fla., aims to promote awareness of and appreciation for Italian culture and recognize contributions that Italians and Italian Americans have made across every field.
Born in Sicily, Tanasi moved to Florida’s Gulf Coast in 2016 and became a faculty member at USF.
“This award honors and humbles me,” he said. “As an Italian permanently residing in the USA, my mission has always been to promote and disseminate the beauty of our Italian culture, using mediterranean archaeology as my ‘media weapon of choice.’ This recognition not only celebrates my personal journey, but also underscores the importance of preserving our rich heritage. I am truly flattered by this distinction, and I am invigorated to continue my work in bridging our beloved Italy with the diverse tapestry of America, more specifically in bridging my home region of Sicily with the large Sicilian-American community of Tampa.”
During his opening remarks at the award ceremony, he emphasized the importance of disseminating knowledge about archaeology among the public in the simplest ways possible, something he says is vital to showcase the impact of the field.
“As an archaeologist with a deep specialization in ancient Italy, I am passionately engaged in leading excavations across the country, uncovering stories that time has concealed.”
"As an archaeologist with a deep specialization in ancient Italy, I am passionately engaged in leading excavations across the country, uncovering stories that time has concealed,” he said. “Through state-of-the-art remote sensing mapping projects and traditional digs, I piece together intricate details, weaving a richer mosaic of Italy's ancient history. My endeavors bridge millennia, shedding light on hidden narratives and contributing to a deeper understanding of Italy's vibrant and multifaceted past. Every dig, every map, is a testament to our shared heritage and the timeless allure of Italian civilization."
Tanasi’s digital archaeological work spans the globe from uncovering a 2,000-year-old Roman house in Malta to 3D mapping a historic cemetery in St. Augustine, Fla.
He’s become a resource for the application of digital methods for documenting historical material culture and an expert in digital public archaeology.
In addition to his research, he’s authored 10 books on various subjects of Sicilian and Maltese archaeology and ancient history and published more than 150 articles.
“I always loved the past,” he said. “I found comfort reading about it, picturing distant and lost civilizations, and observing their fragile artifacts displayed in museums. I wanted to study the past since I was six years old. Being born and raised in Sicily, an island that is overflowing with archaeological treasures and with a splendid ancient history. My daily life was surrounded by the remnants of the past.”