Written by Brown University Italian Studies scholar, Massimo Riva, Italian Shadows conceives of an archaeology of virtual reality through a set of unique optical devices from the pre-digital age. Focusing on four curious pieces of analog media—including Casanova’s voyeuristic polemoscope (or jealousy glass); an eighteenth century peep show box, the Mondo Novo; the Great Belzoni’s Aggrescopius, … Italian Shadows (Mellon Publication Project)