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Profile image for Francesco Perono Cacciafoco

Francesco Perono Cacciafoco

Joined Atlas Obscura in 2024

Dr Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO (Ph.D. University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, 2011) is, currently, an Associate Professor in Linguistics at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Department of Applied Linguistics (LNG), Suzhou, China, where he teaches Historical Linguistics (LNG307), Language Documentation (LNG210), and History of English (LNG105). Before joining XJTLU, he was a Senior Lecturer in Historical Linguistics at the Linguistics and Multilingual Studies Programme (LMS), School of Humanities (SoH), College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CoHASS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, where he was teaching Historical Linguistics, Etymology, Language and Oral Tradition, Historical Semantics, and History of Cryptography. At NTU, he was also the Latin Language Lead Coordinator at the Centre for Modern Languages (CML). He got his Master of Arts in Classical Philology and Historical Linguistics (with a Dissertation on the History of the Latin Language) and his PhD in Historical Linguistics, Greek and Latin Philology and Literature, and Comparative Literature (with a Dissertation on the Historical Development of the Late Latin Language and Poetry) at the University of Pisa (Pisa, Italy), working with Prof. Claudio M. Moreschini and Prof. Maria G. Arcamone. His Research expertise and interests are mainly focused on Historical Linguistics, on the etymological reconstruction of Indo-European (prehistoric) place names (Historical Toponomastics), on the study of Aegean Civilizations and Scripts, on the documentation of languages from South-East Asia belonging, in particular, to the Papuan and Austronesian families, and on the History of Cryptology and Crypto-linguistics. His academic background includes also Comparative Literature, Classical Philology, Theoretical Linguistics, Historical Geography, and Paleoanthropology. He has mainly studied, in these fields, Contemporary Western Poetry and the parodic Literature of Medieval and Renaissance Europe, oral (Homeric) Literature in Ancient Greece, the History of Greek and Roman Medicine and Medical Literature, the relations between landscape and the naming process of place names, and the prehistory of languages in Europe and Asia. An Etymologist and Historian of Languages, he has developed Research work in Historical Linguistics and Mycenaeology at the University of Pisa (Pisa, Italy) and he has taught, as a Contract Professor, Comparative Literature and History of Greek and Roman Medical Literature at the International University of Pollenzo - UNISG (Pollenzo, Italy). He has published around 80 Research works (papers, books, conference talks, book reviews, and chapters in academic books) and he is the first Author of the academic handbook Place Names: Approaches and Perspectives in Toponymy and Toponomastics (2023), published by the Cambridge University Press. In the field of Indo-European Linguistics, he has developed the so-called New Convergence Theory (NCT) on Indo-European origins, working, among others, with Dr Guido Borghi (University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy) and Prof. Martin Bernal. He is the recipient of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), School of Humanities (SoH), Lecturers Excellence (LEX) Award 2018 (Best Lecturer). Francesco is an Academic Mentor and Reviewer at the Linguistic Society of America (LSA), where he is also a Member of the Committee on Endangered Languages and Their Preservation (CELP). Academic Profile: https://scholar.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/persons/FrancescoPerono
scholar.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/persons/FrancescoPerono

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155

Places I've been

Places this traveler has marked as been there.

The French Greenhouse

Rome, Italy

Orto Botanico di Roma

An oasis of beauty, tranquility and botanical research in the middle of Rome.

Ponte Nomentano

Rome, Italy

Ponte Nomentano

One of Rome's most picturesque and original bridges was also a popular choice for Grand Tour artists.

Obelisk at the Piazza della Minerva.

Rome, Italy

Elephant and Obelisk

A detailed pachyderm supports Rome's smallest Egyptian obelisk.

The Colosseum seen from the Ludus Magnus.

Rome, Italy

Ludus Magnus

The ruins of the largest gladiatorial school in Rome are largely hidden under modern streets.

Ruins of the temple of Veii, reconstructed.

Rome, Italy

Veii

Rome's ancient Etruscan rival, now a park full of ruins.

Basilica of Santa Sabina.

Rome, Italy

Basilica of Santa Sabina

The best preserved Paleochristian basilica in Rome hides a number of oddities and secrets.

Keats-Shelley Memorial House

Rome, Italy

Keats-Shelley Memorial House

Museum dedicated to literary greats of the Romantic Period is also the home in which Keats met his untimely end.

View of "Casino del Bel Respiro" and the geometric garden.

Rome, Italy

Villa Doria Pamphili Park

A huge enchanting public park just outside the ancient walls of Rome.

The Mausoleum of Augustus during recent restoration works.

Rome, Italy

Mausoleum of Augustus

This large, circular tomb is the final resting place of the first emperor of Rome.

Campo de Fiori

Rome, Italy

Campo de Fiori

This ritzy Italian market is built around a statue of an unforgiven heretic who was burned for his belief in an endless universe.

Parco degli Acquedotti

Rome, Italy

Parco degli Acquedotti

This beautiful park on the outskirts of Rome protects the ruins of two colossal ancient aqueducts.

Inside the Golden House.

Rome, Italy

Domus Aurea

The engineering wonder and pleasure dome of a much-maligned emperor still holds undiscovered secrets.

The Mouth of Truth

Rome, Italy

The Mouth of Truth

The yawning maw of this pagan visage is said to bite off the hands of liars.

The Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague

Prague, Czechia

The Museum of Alchemists and Magicians of Old Prague

The history of occult science is turned into a creepshow at this lurid Prague tourist attraction.

The charming church.
Permanently Closed

Prague, Czechia

Saint Michael's Church

This charming wooden church was disassembled and moved not once but twice before settling in this Prague garden.

The Hunger Wall of Prague.

Prague, Czechia

Hunger Wall of Prague

Local folklore claims that this wall was not built for defense, but to provide labor during a time of famine.

The Prague Metronome slicing through summer skies. (Macskafaraok/Flickr)

Prague, Czechia

Prague Metronome

Steadily reminding Czechia of its past.

"The Machine," a display at the Kafka Museum.

Prague, Czechia

Franz Kafka Museum

An eerie, existential museum dedicated to the author of "The Metamorphosis."

Old Jewish Cemetery of Prague.

Prague, Czechia

Old Jewish Cemetery

Around 100,000 bodies are buried below the medieval headstones, many of which mark graves with multiple bodies stacked up to 12 deep.

Statue of Franz Kafka with headphones for size comparison.

Prague, Czechia

Statue of Franz Kafka

A surreal statue honoring Prague's favorite literary son.

Prague Astronomical Clock

Prague, Czechia

Prague Astronomical Clock

Macabre astrological automaton clock dating to the late 1400s.

The meridian line.

Prague, Czechia

Prague Meridian

The slender brass strip in Prague's Old Town Square was used to tell time from 1652 to 1918.

Statue of King Wenceslas Riding an Upside-Down Dead Horse

Prague, Czechia

Statue of King Wenceslas Riding an Upside-Down Dead Horse

A mocking tribute to the past and modern leadership of Prague.

Jan Palach Memorial

Prague, Czechia

Jan Palach Memorial

Monument to a suicide protesting the Soviet invasion.

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