Maria C. Pastore Passaro is a professor emerita of Italian at Central Connecticut State University. A Medieval and Renaissance scholar, Prof. Passaro has published widely on Italian literature. She is the author of Representation of Women in Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Texts and co-author of Selected Writings of Girolamo Savonarola: Religion and Politics 1490-1498. She was the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award, and of several academic honors from AATI, MLA, NEH, Agnelli Foundation, NIAF and Fulbright.