Botanical Garden officer at the Orto Botanico di Roma since 1988, he serves as curator of the Tropical Greenhouse and the acclimatization area for tropical species. He has taken part in several national and international nature-related projects, lectures in gardening courses, and leads guided tours at the Botanical Garden.

A gastroenterologist, he has combined his professional career with a longstanding passion for plants and orchids.
He has authored over one hundred articles on gardening and orchidology, published in leading Italian and international journals including The Orchid Review of the Royal Horticultural Society (London), Orchids (USA), and Caesiana.
Recipient of numerous horticultural awards, he is the founder of Botalia, a botanical art exhibition established in 2005, which has produced eleven catalogues to date.
An international orchid judge and juror at numerous horticultural events, he serves on the editorial board of Caesiana – Italian Journal of Orchidology and on the Executive Board of the Italian Orchid Association (AIO).

Professor of Plant Physiology at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa (Italy), where he served as Rector from 2013 to 2019. He previously held positions as Assistant Professor at the University of Pisa, Associate Professor at the University of Bari, and Professor at the University of Modena. He also spent three years in Japan as a researcher at Nagoya University.

He is the recipient of the FESPB Award, granted by the Federation of European Societies of Plant Biology for excellence in scientific achievements; he is a member of the Italian Academy of Sciences.

His research interests include hypoxia physiology, sugar sensing and signaling, iodine physiology, and, more recently, exogenous RNA signaling. He previously served as President of the Italian Society of Plant Biology and is currently President of the International Society for Plant Low Oxygen Research.

He has authored over 190 scientific publications in leading journals, including Nature, Science, Nature Communications, Nature Plants, PNAS, Molecular Plant, The Plant Cell, Plant Physiology, The Plant Journal, Plant Communications and Trends in Plant Science, among others.

Since he was a boy, he has never seen plants as mere decorative elements, but as precious allies in life.
To him, the plant world is a silent teacher — one that fosters balance, attentive listening, and mutual well-being.
Today he focuses on translating their “invisible language” into practical solutions for everyday life.
He believes that growing an orchid can become a bridge in human relationships, that forest therapy is an effective tool against stress and anxiety, and that a therapeutic garden can offer support along the journey of illness.
His goal is to rediscover and nurture this vital connection every day, one green breath at a time.

A member of APO (Associazione Piemontese Orchidee) since its foundation in 2004, he worked in Information Technology consulting for clients in the banking, insurance, and hospitality sectors until retirement.
For more than forty years he has been a passionate orchid grower: what began as a small home terrarium has grown into a collection of approximately one thousand varieties, with a particular interest in compact-growing species.

PhD in Botanical Sciences, is Scientific Director of the Botanical Garden of Rome and a contributor to the School of Specialization in Natural and Territorial Heritage at Sapienza University of Rome.
He has authored publications on the systematics of Italian Iridaceae, the floristic heritage and history of the Botanical Garden, Rome’s tree-lined avenues and historic villas, and the flora of the Central Apennines.
He is involved in projects to safeguard historic green spaces and protect the Capital’s monumental trees, and is dedicated to promoting naturalistic and botanical topics.
He has published an essay and several articles on the “deep” enjoyment and “contemplative” approach to the mountains.

A retired thoracic surgeon with a passion for tropical orchids since 1995 in all their aspects, he currently grows a medium-sized, heterogeneous greenhouse collection consisting mainly of botanical species.
He has authored several orchid-related articles for the journal Caesiana and received various awards and prizes in Italy and abroad.
He is a member and board councillor of the Italian Orchidology Association and an honorary member of the Lazio Orchids Association.