Paolo Squatriti is professor of history and Italian at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and also teaches in the university’s Program in the Environment. Though he was born and grew up in Rome, Paolo studied history at Boston College and received a PhD in medieval European history from the University of Virginia. While he has lived and taught in a variety of places, he currently spends most of his time in Ann Arbor, teaching and researching medieval and environmental history. He has produced numerous articles, translations, and books; the paperback version of his most recent book, Weeds and the Carolingians: Empire, Nature and Culture in Carolingian Europe, AD 750-900, was released in 2024. Over the past half-century, Paolo has crisscrossed the Mediterranean region on foot, by plane, and by other forms of transport, and he looks forward to sharing his unique insights on the area’s history and natural heritage.