Looking back on my year as the Neda and Franz Leipen Fellow at the Canadian Institute in Greece, I am incredibly grateful for all the opportunities and experiences I’ve had.

My main focus this academic year has been completing revisions on my PhD dissertation. As a bit of a recap, my research examines the consumption and production of pottery in the countryside of the ancient city of Metaponto in southern Italy. I developed a revised typology for the important black gloss pottery from the countryside, while simultaneously studying patterns of settlement in the chora in order to better understand how ancient inhabitants lived in and exploited the landscape. With the resources of the various libraries in Athens, I have been able to finish the revisions for my dissertation, and I now look forward to a defence this summer.

In addition to my dissertation work, I have been trying to develop new research projects while here in Greece. In March, I had the opportunity to present some of my new ideas as part of the CIG’s spring lecture program. My talk looked specifically at rural sanctuaries as nodes of social and economic activity in the countryside, and I benefitted greatly from the constructive feedback of the audience. I am grateful to be part of such a supportive and intellectually stimulating community of classicists and archaeologists in Athens.

In April, my parents visited Greece for the first time, and I had the pleasure of playing tour-guide for them. It was really special to lead them around the Acropolis and the Agora, and to visit some of my favourite restaurants in Athens (shoutout to Mavro Provato!). From Athens we took a ferry to Mykonos to explore some of the Cyclades. Delos and Naxos were particular highlights for me – the abandoned kouroi in the Naxian landscape are a must-see! We ended our trip with several days in Nafplio, which is such a wonderful place to visit in the Spring. We ate incredible food, shopped for souvenirs, and made daytrips to Mycenae, Nemea, and Tiryns.

There is much that I will miss after the fellowship ends, including living in Athens and attending academic and cultural events. Most of all, I will miss my friends and our daily coffee breaks, Pickleball Sundays, and brewery trips. I am very lucky to have had such a wonderful community around me during this experience. For them, and for Athens itself, this is not goodbye, but until next time.

Eric Del Fabbro
Neda and Franz Leipen Fellow 2025-2026