The Accademia degli Archi is the most recent manifestation of the TROPEArte project, including private guided visits, filming, and events, as well as the Artist Day Pass and Residency at the Arches. Located in the quiet part of the historic center in Largo Galluppi, “the Arches” date back to the 13th-century Angevin period (or so the theory goes – its provenance is still a matter of mystery, and is currently undergoing an in-depth study). The historic center of Tropea has had an eclectic history, having been established as a town by North African migrants in the late Roman period, provided a beachhead for the Byzantine reconquest of Italy, acted as the short-lived seat of an Arab caliphate, offered refuge for ethnic and religious minorities fleeing persecution in Sicily and beyond, employed female priests 200 years after the practice was prohibited by the Catholic Church, demonstrated fierce independence vis-a-vis the crown during Spanish rule, and been home to one of Italy’s very first female mayors, Lydia Toraldo Serra, the “Last Impressionist” Albino Lorenzo, as well as famed actor Raf Vallone, among others.

TROPEArte: Accademia degli Archi is led by three dedicated Tropean residents with diverse experience in art, culture, writing, and research: Caitlin Werrell, Francesco Femia, and Nicola Giuditta.

TROPEArte: Accademia degli Archi is a project of TROPEArte administered by Studio Italiano Tropea.

Team

Caitlin Werrell
Co-Founder and Artistic Director, TROPEArte

Caitlin Werrell is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of TROPEArte, where she leads all of the project’s efforts. As a painter, she focuses on shadows and light, and the structures of the Tropea area, both natural and constructed – the cliffside, the buildings, the shoreline. These are a mixture of the breakdown and build-up of shells over millions of years, and the dwellings on top of those shells and sand that were carved and stacked by those whose lives are a distant memory. All look stable, solid, unyielding. They are actually quite fragile, transient. Her paintings aim to capture just a moment of this long stretch of time. Caitlin is also the Co-Founder of The Council on Strategic Risks and The Center for Climate and Security. She holds a master’s degree from Oxford University in water, science, policy, and management, and a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College in environmental politics and studio art. She lives with her husband, Francesco Femia, and puppy dog, Gelsomina, in Tropea. Personal website: www.caitlinwerrell.com; Instagram: @caitlinwerrell

Francesco Femia
Co-Founder and Director of TROPEArte: Accademia degli Archi

Francesco Femia is Co-Founder and Director of TROPEArte: Accademia degli Archi, where he manages all aspects of “The Arches” and its activities. Based in Tropea, he is also Co-Founder and Research Director of the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR), and founder of the Center for Climate and Security (CCS), international research and policy institutes where he has published extensively on the human and international security implications of climate change, water stress, and natural resource mismanagement, including in the seminal report The Arab Spring and Climate Change, the SAIS Review of International Affairs, and the Brown Journal of World Affairs. He has been frequently cited and interviewed in both mainstream and niche media outlets, including the BBC and The New York Times, among many others. Francesco holds a master’s degree in European politics, history, and governance from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a bachelor’s degree from Emerson College, and he likes to draw (and write) in pen and ink. He lives with his wife, Caitlin Werrell, and puppy dog, Gelsomina, in Tropea.

Nicola Giuditta
Director of Operations, TROPEArte: Accademia degli Archi

Nicola Giuditta is the Director of Operations for TROPEArte: Accademia degli Archi, where he manages all of the project’s finances, logistics, and extracurricular cultural activities. He is also Operations and Bookings Manager at Studio Italiano Tropea, the institutional home of TROPEArte: Accademia degli Archi. He was born and raised in Tropea. He holds a degree in Literature and Philosophy with a specialization in Classical Archaeology from the University of Calabria, and has lived and worked in both Ireland and the United Kingdom—experiences that helped shape his international mindset and cultural awareness. He is passionate about identity, travel, and cultural exchange, and enjoys connecting with people from different backgrounds through meaningful experiences. He is driven by curiosity and a constant desire for personal growth. Alongside his professional background, Nicola works in experiential tourism and hospitality, Italian teaching, managing high-quality vacation rentals, and creating authentic local experiences that highlight the traditions, lifestyle, and identity of his region.