Mario Grassi is a PhD in Historical Sciences. During his MA thesis, he presented a first prosopography of the society employed in the production of silk artefacts in Turin in the 18th century, a research that was awarded the 'Best University of Turin Graduates' prize. During his PhD at the School of Historical Studies of the University of the Republic of San Marino, he deepened his historical study of the Piedmont silk industry. His PhD thesis was recently awarded the Maturi prize by the Deputazione Subalpina di Storia Patria. His current research, in addition to the socio-economic history of the silk industry, covers the history of migration, gender and violence, food and material culture.

He will carry out his MSCA project entitled “The Silk Road through the Alps. Craftsmen Migrations, Commercial Exchanges & Social Relations Between France & Italy in the Early Modern Period” (SILKRAA) at the Department of Historical, Geographical and Ancient World Sciences (DiSSGeA) under the supervision of Prof. Andrea Caracausi, in collaboration with Yale University (Prof. Paola Bertucci), the University Lumière Lyon2 (Prof. Manuela Martini) and the Como Silk Museum. His project aims to reconstruct the dynamics of silk weavers' migration between Italy and France during the early modern age through an interdisciplinary approach that brings together socio-economic history, migration, labour and gender studies, history of techniques and material culture.