laria Verunelli was an accomplished professional in marketing and communications, having held numerous roles in entertainment media, journalism, and technical marketing/branding. A native of Italy who moved to Houston, Ilaria was highly passionate about sharing her knowledge of Italian culture with others.

It all started in 2002 when a local newspaper, La Nazione, hired her as a collaborator. She had just turned 20. Since then, She had worked for newspapers, online newsrooms, magazines, TV shows. She had collaborated with brands such as Il Sole 24 Ore, Vanity Fair, Rapid Product Development, La Voce Italiana, Endemol Italia (you can read some examples here). 

Ilaria has been particularly inspired by Italian music and poetry. From the all-time greats like Dante Alighieri to twentieth-century trailblazers like Eugenio Montale, Ilaria enjoyed expanding her own knowledge and teaching it to students. She was interested in a wide variety of poetic styles and topics, including war poetry, pastoral or nature-inspired poetry, and religious or metaphysical explorations. 
Ilaria Verunelli had also been fortunate enough to encounter some of her favorite writers through her career. In 2008 Ilaria contributed to an investigation of the enforcement of Basaglia Law. This presentation took place at a public conference held at Circolo della Stampa in Milan, Italy. Also present at this conference were Nobel Prize-winning actor-playwright Dario Fo (one of the speakers) and one of Ilaria’s favorite poets, Nobel literature candidate Alda Merini.

In addition, Ilaria, who had a professional background in entertainment, contributed to the conception, research, and writing of Un popolo di concorrenti: 50 anni di storia d’Italia attraverso i telequiz (A people of competitors: 50 years of Italian history through the TV game show). The book chronicles the last fifty years of Italian history through the evolution of quiz and game-show. 

When Ilaria was not working as marketing professional or teaching at the Italian Cultural & Community Center, she enjoyed reading books and newspapers, watching documentaries and staying up-to-date on international economics. She died untimely and tragically in 2022, leaving an unbridgeable void in her loved ones. This blog will recap some of Ilaria’s articles, some of her writings about her favorite writers, delve into some of the most iconic cultural pieces and eras in Italian history and leave some space to Ilaria’s friends memories of her.