I had high expectations of CAS SEE as an incoming Fellow, but I never imagined the ongoing extent of support, community, and vibrant intellectual culture the Center has provided to me and my peers during this difficult year. The CAS SEE and its postdoctoral program are a crucial infrastructure for developing a progressive and thriving research culture in Southeastern Europe, and I hope it will continue to grow in the coming years.

I took part in weekly guest seminars hosted by the other CAS Fellows. These seminars were beneficial in keeping me up to date on the state of the art in area studies, particularly with research on Rijeka/Fiume. I was able to invite four guests to take part in three guest seminars. This was my first time organizing talks and I felt that this experience was a valuable one for me at this stage in my career.

I took part in the Foodwave 2021 seminar hosted in the splendid setting of Moise Palace, island of Cres. The motivation of the speakers and the multidisciplinary approach allowed us to focus on those sectors of the food system that now more than ever require our commitment: the elimination of gender inequalities and a public procurement oriented towards sustainability.

I had the chance to be a Fellow of the CAS SEE twice during the last few years and it was a great experience. Its lively intellectual community is very committed in tackling urgent political issues and in fostering a dialogue between theorists and activists (and people who are both). These are just two among the things that I have enjoyed the most. And the research center at Moise Palace is such a rare beauty!

Interdisciplinarity has always been at the core of the research activities of the Center for Advanced Studies in Rijeka. The intensive workshop held in the Moise palace, on the island of Cres, was a testing ground for such an approach. Vibrant debates, diverse sections, food for thought characterized that week as an intriguing time of intellectual exchange.

Our Eating City Campus in the Moise Palace was a great success and this was in no small part due to the team that you made available to support us before and during the event. I have received tremendous feedback from delegates who appreciated the quality of meeting rooms, the availability of IT and the excellent accommodation which the Place offered. The island of Cres itself proved to be a wonderful destination – the food and culture, biodiversity and the welcome we received from everyone will live long in the memory. I hope we will be able to repeat the event next year and I would certainly recommend the Moise Palace to any conference organiser.

Some years ago, I was a post-doc Fellow at the CAS SEE in Rijeka. CAS SEE is a scientifically emerging centre where I had the opportunity to interact with brilliant colleagues from different research fields. Indeed, interdisciplinarity is a strength of the CAS SEE. At CAS SEE, I found a philosophically inspiring, productive and friendly environment to boost my professional and scientific growth.

Chasing Albanian presence at the level of symbolic and spatial terms, being at the core of my research in Western Europe, bring some new thoughts on the migration patterns. The specific of Rijeka in terms of migration and the dynamic ambient of the city, allowed to bring new insights into my current projects. Amazing infrastructure provided at the CAS SEE made my training mobility not just intense scientifically but also smooth.

The ambiance of this island [Cres] in November gave us enough free (mental) space to enjoy while working and thinking through about some ideas while reading or contemplating by the see. This place, both the island and the Moise Palace are almost destined for giving birth to big ideas and significant talks and agreements.

My experience as a fellow at CAS SEE was unfortunately hampered by the pandemic. Although everything took place online, I felt part of a group of scholars and researchers despite the distance. The international and welcoming environment allowed me to carry out a research experience totally different from the Italian one. Inclusiveness and participation are two of the fundamental key feature of the CAS SEE, together with the high quality of the research and of the topics covered. Hence, I hope to have the opportunity to come back in person!

My stay at the CAS SEE in Rijeka included me into a small, but vibrant generation of fellows. Focusing on discussion, debate, and critical thinking provided my research with contrasts, re-evaluations and nuances. Amongst others, this is why I consider the CAS SEE fellowship as one of the cornerstones of critical academic thought in Southeast Europe, which in this sense, produces not only an environment for future research, but also conveys a message of excellence, cooperation and social involvement.

While we were looking for an adequate practice room in the town of Cres, we contacted the University of Rijeka. With their instant response came such an inspiring place for our project - a historical jewel of our old town, the newly renovated Moise Palace. It was more than we could hope for! We got a place that is pleasant, clean and well looked after and in which we have everything we need. We are really grateful to the University of Rijeka for their encouragement and support.

In 2021, I had the opportunity to participate in Eating City's 3rd international workshop on “Gender Equality and Resilient Food System: the role of women in the food system” that was hosted in the Moise Palace. We had a very productive few days, sharing ideas and philosophies. The ambiance that the palace and hosts themselves provided was wonderful.

I find that CAS SEE Felloship is a unqiue, thoughtful and well-tailored offer to support early to mid-career researchers needing to delve in depth into their project for a semester. The blend of exposure to high quality conversations and seminars outside one's field of studies, the residential intensive retreat/ project surgery on the island of Cres and the proximity amongst fellows created a very conducive atmosphere for growth and exchange. I also very muhc valued the otherwise low-pressure of this scheme to engage in public-facing or output-driven activities for the duration of the fellowship (outside one's own main research process). This represents a welcome difference from many similar programmes on offer.

My feedback for the entire CAS Fellowship experience could not be more positive. The month I have spent in Cres ranks among the best academic experiences I had in my life. I can only thank all of you from the University of Rijeka, specially Sanja, Petar, Lucija and Marko-Luka for all the support during these months. I would also like to comment on the quality of the other fellows' projects, which has fostered a very prolific environment of intellectual exchange.

This was a wonderful opportunity to connect with new and old colleagues and develop my research. Thank you, CAS team, for everything!