Peter Fischer was born in Germany. He received his PhD in History and Civilization from the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence and his MA from the Technical University in Aachen (Germany). He has worked first as a research associate and then as a research fellow at the History Department at the EUI, and was involved in different international research projects. He has worked at different American University Programs in Italy such as Gonzaga in Florence, Syracuse in Florence and Spring Hill College in Bologna. He taught courses on Modern Italian Political History as well as on Italian and Mediterranean Food History, organizing innovative learning experiences in and outside the classroom. In December 2008, he was appointed Associate Director for Special Projects at The International Studies Institute, in Florence where he has created a new interdisciplinary studies program on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. Dr. Fischer was the invited speaker for the annual Cesare Barbieri Endowment Lecture at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut in March 2009 and for the Uguccione Ranieri di Corbello Lecture at the Uguccione Ranieri di Sorbello Foundation in Perugia in February 2009. Currrently he is conducting research and composing notes for a publication on the cultural and political significance of the Italian Slow Food Movement.
