28.10. - 31.10.2025 – Villa Vigoni Autumn School in European Studies 2025

Report on participation in the 2025 Villa Vigoni Autumn School and the Treccani Culture programme in Rome by Finn Büttner

From 28 to 31 October 2025, I attended the third edition of the Villa Vigoni Autumn School at Lake Como. Villa Vigoni, the German-Italian Centre for European Dialogue, again hosted the autumn school, this year on the topic of “Multilateralism in the Post-Global World: Nations, Politics and International Relations”. The event was organised by Villa Vigoni, the Treccani Institute, Fudan University, and the universities of Hamburg, Bologna, Bocconi, Salento, and Europa-Universität Flensburg. 

The autumn school offered a total of 15 lectures across four thematic panels. These addressed issues of nationhood, political order, political economy, international relations and the prospects for a new multilateralism, particularly with regard to the EU and China. Each of the organising universities brought four Master's/PhD students and several speakers to the autumn school. At the end, the participating students gave their own short presentations in small international groups, greatly enriching the intercultural exchange. Working alongside students from Fudan University offered valuable insights into the differing perceptions and experiences of European and Chinese perspectives in world politics.

Great praise is due for the organisation of the programme: the schedule, logistics and coordination of content were well thought out down to the last detail. In particular, Alberta Ivaldi contributed significantly to the event’s success with her impressive energy and overview.

Prior to this event, I had the honour of participating in a special exchange programme organised by Villa Vigoni in cooperation with the Treccani Institute. The first part of this programme, in which I had the privilege of representing Europa-Universität Flensburg, was entitled ‘Cultural Exchange Programme 2025: Europe and China’ and took place in Rome from 25 to 28 October.

Organised by Treccani Cultura — the institution behind the last European encyclopaedia still published in paper form — the four days offered an intensive programme on cultural diplomacy. Alongside students from Fudan University and young researchers from Italian and German universities, I discussed cultural foreign policy in the context of global change. The unconventional ideas presented by Prof. Trimarchi (Magna Graecia University, Catanzaro) were particularly inspiring, opening up new perspectives on the relationship between culture, politics, and history.

As well as the substantive content, highlights included two exceptional historical tours led by Nicole Greco in the Appia Antica Park and the Capitoline Museums, an insight into music theory in the world of opera, and a conversation with Paolo Petrocelli, the director of the Dubai Opera.

Participating in this programme was an incredibly enriching experience for me, both professionally and personally. I am very grateful to those at Villa Vigoni and Europa-Universität Flensburg who gave me this opportunity.

The Autumn School on "Europe and the Post-Global World: Re-thinking Identity and Democracy in the EU" was a kind of academic opportunity worth experiencing. Organised by the German-Italian Centre for European Dialogue at Villa Vigoni in cooperation with the Europa-Universität Flensburg, the Universität Hamburg, the Università Bocconi, the
Università del Salento and the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, academics and researchers from all over the EU, but especially from Germany and Italy, gave presentations, discussed, met over meals and made valuable contacts and academic plans in the beautiful town of Menaggio. The concepts of 'identity and democracy' were discussed from political,
legal, economic and historical perspectives. Thirteen presentations were given and discussed over the three days of the Autumn School. This was followed by a final day of student working groups, each consisting of four to five students, who gave their presentations based on the concepts covered during the Autumn School. 

As a PhD student with a background in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies, I found the Autumn School to be a valuable opportunity both to network with other academics and to discuss fascinating concepts such
as identity and democracy and relate them to other parts of the world outside the EU, while also highlighting some of the outcomes and potential conflicts of the EU's various policies. Everyone was engaged and involved in the discussions. In addition, the Villa Vigoni staff provided a very welcoming atmosphere. In particular, from the first day and the shuttle from
Milan to Lake Como to the last day and the shuttle back to Milan, the discussion and dialogue between professors and students never stopped, making Villa Vigoni the perfect environment for motivating debate and cross-cultural exchange. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be connected with so many brilliant minds and contribute to the conversation about the future of Europe, and I'm excited to take these valuable insights forward.

Three full amazing days in a Villa at the Lake Como. The Autumn School of "Which Europa After War(s)?" was an experience like no other. As a third-semester Master's student fromm Flensburg, my three days in Villa Vigoni are worth a semester-long European Law and Politics seminar. The speakers are academics from various Italian and German universities from various fields, such as Law, Philosophy, History, Economics and Political Science. All of the speakers made one or two twenty-minute presentations then at the discussion part all participants freely asked questions to deepen the discussion. The presentations and discussions were very fruitful and seminal showing different perspectives and approaches as well as different approaches among the Italian and German academics. As a European Studie student with a political science background, listening to a presentation of a Law Professor from Neapels about the Nuclear Cold War and Superiority of the European Law and then having discussions with other academics, and PhD students is something that you can not have it in regular university lectures. The event was not in the pure lecture format, rather it gave enough space for participants to contribute to the discussion and ask questions to the presenters to extend the scope of what was presented. Autumn School in Villa Vigoni is not only a conference that puts participants in a passive listener position, rather it also gives a chance to demonstrate what has been learned and what we know. This was provided by the presentation from the participants at the end of the Autumn School. As participants, we divided three different topics according to our interests and prepared a presentation for everyone just as one of the speakers of the event. Besides the academic part, Autumn Scholl in Villa Vigoni also has a unique opportunity to socialize with other participants during the coffee breaks, lunch, dinner and after-dinner drinks. As a young student, it was a gold mine for networking and getting to know new people from the same or close area of study. Lastly, it is worth mentioning, that the accommodation, location and food served during my stak were excellent, Villa Vigoni Autumn School is an event where you can have an academic development while enjoying the delicious Lombardian food.