Born in Rome on July 18, 1960, after high school he graduated magna cum laude in Architecture at Rome University La Sapienza (1986). Licensed architect since 1986. In 1992 he was awarded a Ph. D. in History of Architecture (at Rome University La Sapienza; tutor, Prof. Claudio Tiberi). Researcher (Assistant Professor) in History of Architecture from 1992 to 2001 (confirmed in 1995); Associate Professor since 2001 at the Department of History, Drawing and Restoration of Architecture and at the Faculty of Architecture, Rome University La Sapienza. In November 2010 he qualified to teach at university after winning a national assessment procedure launched by the Milan Polytechnic for the post of permanent full professor for the Italian Scientific Disciplinary Sector ICAR-18 History of Architecture.
His outstanding international research on Antiquity and the Middle Ages has led, amongst other significant achievements, to close relations with the Italian Institute for Africa and the Orient (IsIAO), the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan and its founder Domenico Faccenna (Accademico dei Lincei). A five-year agreement has been signed with the Institute and Mission to study Indo-Greek architecture between the third and fourth century B.C. in the Indian sub-continent, to carry out three long term missions at the Italian Archaeological Institute in Pakistan, and write papers on: Notazioni architettoniche sul registro A dello Stupa principale di Saidu Sharif I (2001), Aspects of the Buddhist Sacred Areas in Swat (2006) and – as co-author with Faccenna – a book on: Architectures in the Swat Valley, Pakistan (stupas, viharas, dwelling units). His interest in Greek and Roman Antiquity led to the systematic study of important Greek and Roman sacred areas (from 1993 onwards) in Greece, Turkey and Tunisia, and the publication of the papers: L'Eretteo. Trasformazioni di cultura sull'Acropoli di Atene (1999), Grecità augustee: architetture ateniesi al tempo di Vitruvio (2001), Il Mausoleo di Adriano (2005), Per una storiografia dell’architettura romana antica (2009), Geografia architettonica dell’antica Colchide fino al primo secolo d.C. (2011). He edited the reprint (authorised by the Crema family) of the book by Luigi Crema, Significato dell’architettura romana (2009) and has curated the publication of unpublished writings by Claudio Tiberi, Culture e momenti d’architettura antichi e medievali (2011). As part of his focus on the Middle Ages he initially studied mendicant orders in Italy (1995) and then went on to carry out a ten-year research campaign in the eastern Mediterranean after being granted permission by the Greek Minister of Culture and receiving the logistic support of the Italian Archaeological School in Athens. This campaign culminated in the publication of a monograph entitled Chios Medievale. Storia architettonica di un isola della Grecia bizantina (2008). More recently he has begun to study alterations and changes to the Cathedral of Orvieto on behalf of the Works of the Cathedral (2011). During this period he also carried out important studies on modern military architecture in Europe, their relationship with the territory and large urban settlements. Amongst other things, this study led to the publication of the monograph entitled Castel Sant’Angelo, la fortezza di Roma (1995) and the paper Dalla spiaggia di Nettuno. Difese dello Stato ecclesiastico in età moderna (2006). Furthermore, his interest for changes in large modern and contemporary architectures has led to the publication of books including Carlo Maderno in S. Pietro: note sul prolungamento della basilica vaticana (1997); Roma 1922-1943. I concorsi di architettura (2010) and Luigi Moretti al Foro Mussolini: la palestra del duce e altri inediti (2010). The latter is part of a collaboration agreement with CONI (Italian National Olympic Committee) to study the Swimming Pool building at the Foro Italico complex in Rome. At present he is completing a research which he coordinated and carried out with a team from the National Fire Corps of the Italian Ministry of Home Affairs (2010-2011) regarding the damage to large and small monuments and the urban fabric of settlements during the 2009 earthquake in the Abruzzi and, more in general, the methods used to put into practice the general documentation system developed by the National Fire Corps regarding urgent large-scale relief during major national disasters: the ensuing two-volume monograph is entitled: Dopo la polvere. Territori, città e architetture d’Abruzzo dopo il sisma del 2009.
Overall he has published 68 papers and articles and 2 books, while 8 papers and one book are currently going to press. He has delivered papers at 20 national and international meetings, of which eleven in the past ten years; he has organised two meetings, one in 2009 for the National Centre of Studies on History of Architecture (Architetture e città nel Medioevo, Rome, May 12, 2010) and in 2011 for the Department of History, Drawing and Restoration of Architecture of Rome La Sapienza University (Giornate di studio in memoria di Claudio Tiberi, Rome, February 17-18, 2011).
Fellow of the National Centre of Studies on History of Architecture since 1987; member of the teaching board of the Research Doctorate on History and restoration of architecture at Rome University La Sapienza since 2001; since 2011, member of the editorial staff of the magazine Quaderni dell’Istituto di Storia dell’Architettura; fellow of the Italian Institute for Africa and the Orient (IsIAO) since 2007 and member of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan; since 2010, member of the scientific committee of the magazines, Rivista dell’Istituto per la Storia dell’Arte Lombarda, and Thiasos - Rivista di archeologia e storia dell'architettura antica.
For the past sixteen years (from the academic years 1996-1997 to 2011-2012) teacher of History of Ancient and Medieval Architecture as part of the EU five-year degree course (now single-cycle) at the former Faculty of Architecture, from 2000-2011 known as the First Faculty of Architecture Ludovico Quaroni, and now the current Faculty of Architecture of Rome University La Sapienza. Since 2001 member of the Teaching Board of the Research Doctorate in History and Restoration of Architecture of the Department of History, Drawing and Restoration of Architecture of Rome University La Sapienza.
Main and most recent assignments: member of the Commission for the assessment of research quality at the Department of History, Drawing and Restoration of Architecture, La Sapienza – Rome University (since 2011); member of the Commission for the Planning of Resources and Optimisation of Educational Activities at the First Faculty of Architecture Ludovico Quaroni (2004-2007); member of the National Inter-University Commission ICAR 18, History of Architecture for the classification and evaluation of sectoral magazines (2008-2009); member (from 2002 to 2011) of the commission for the allocation of teaching assignments or substitutions for SSD ICAR 18, History of Architecture as part of the five-year EU Degree Course at the First Faculty of Architecture Ludovico Quaroni of La Sapienza – Rome University; member (2010 and 2011) of the board of examiners and deputy board of examiners for the final exam of the Research Doctorate in History of Architecture and Town Planning – Doctorate School in Architecture, Design and History of the Arts, University of Florence; member (2001) of the Governing Board of the Department of History of Architecture, Restoration and Conservation of Architectural Heritage later known as (2009-2010) the Department of History, Drawing and Restoration of Architecture of La Sapienza – Rome University and member (from 1992 onwards) of the Library Commission; member (1999-2000) of the board of examiners of the assessment procedure for the post of university researcher in the scientific disciplinary sector H12X – History of Architecture, at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Genoa; member (2008-2009) of the board of examiners of the assessment procedure for the post of university researcher at the Faculty of Architecture of the Milan Polytechnic in the scientific disciplinary sector ICAR 18, History of Architecture.