After secondary technical school I studied Physics at the University of Florence getting the "Italian Doctor Degree" (Laurea) in 1977, discussing a thesis of laboratory astrophysics (Absorption Cross Section of Ionized Elements in the XUV region)

I became staff member of the Arcetri Observatory in 1978, to continue the research in laboratory Astrophysics

From 1980 to 1982 I spent more than two years at the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) in Z\"urich, with a ESA Post Doc fellowship. There I continued the research in laboratory Astrophysics and in Solar Space Physics.

At the end of 1982, when I came back to Arcetri Observatory, after a short period doing Solar Physics, I moved to new research field: Cometary Physics that is still my principal research activity

Since then I've observed several comets in a wide spectral range, extending from radio to the X-ray regions. My principal studies are devoted to the search of organic matter in cometary comae. In particular, with colleagues, we have developed a method for search of organic grains in bright comets having a close approach to the Earth, by observing them in the visible, near-IR, thermal IR and in Polarimetry. Study of TNO's (Transneptunian Objects) is also one of my principal research.

I'm member of the IAU (International Astronomical Union), DPS (Division of Planetary Science of the American Astronomical Union), EAS (European Astronomical Union) and Italian Astronomical Society, SAIt (Società Astronomica Italiana)

From the outreach point of views I've done several public conferences on comets, I have been teacher for astronomical courses to school teachers and I've been one of the authors of the astronomical words of the UTET encyclopedia (Grande Dizionario Enciclopedico)