ABOUT ME

I am an Italian director, screenwriter, editor and documentary filmmaker. I have made 20 documentaries focusing mainly on archaeology, history, speleology and underwater and underground environments. My films have been selected and awarded at Italian and international festivals.

I am an Italian director, screenwriter, editor and documentary filmmaker. My work focuses mainly on archaeology, history, speleology, underwater exploration and cultural heritage. I began working in film and video production in the 1980s, initially in music, theatre, advertising and television. Over the years, I have written and directed documentaries, institutional and promotional films, music videos, theatre recordings and live-concert productions. To date, I have made 20 documentaries. Many of them have been selected at Italian and international festivals and distributed to national and international television markets.

Film and audiovisual work

I began my career as a screenwriter, editor and director and gradually focused most of my work on documentary filmmaking. My films often develop from research projects and from collaborations with archaeologists, cave explorers, conservators, divers, universities, museums and cultural institutions. In many cases, I follow the research directly in the field, documenting excavations, surveys, underwater operations and underground exploration. I try to make specialist subjects understandable to general audiences while maintaining close contact with the sources and the scientific consultants involved.

A.S.S.O. and field research

Since 1990, I have been a founding member and Head of Communications of A.S.S.O. — Archeologia Subacquea Speleologia Organizzazione ETS. Through A.S.S.O., I have taken part in expeditions and research projects conducted on land, underground and underwater. This field experience has played an important role in my documentary work, particularly in films dealing with underwater archaeology, speleology and artificial underground structures. In 1993, I designed and created ASSONET, an Internet portal devoted to archaeology and cave diving.

Studio Blu Production

In 2002, I founded Studio Blu Production with camera operator Marco Campolungo. The company specialised in filming expeditions, underwater activities, cave exploration and work carried out in difficult environments. Following Marco Campolungo's death in 2006, Studio Blu Production was incorporated into A.S.S.O. ETS, which now produces and distributes most of my films.

Archaeological and historical documentaries

A substantial part of my filmography deals with archaeology and history.

In "Campo della Fiera and the well of time", I documented the archaeological site at the foot of the Orvieto cliff, identified by many scholars with the Fanum Voltumnae, the federal sanctuary of the Etruscans. The documentary follows the long history of the site and the exploration of an ancient well. The film received the Audience Award and a Special Jury Mention at Firenze Archeofilm 2025, as well as the Audience Award at the Cavriana International Archaeological Film Festival.

In "Men and Gods, the sea and the sacred", I worked on the caves of Sant'Eufemia Island, opposite Vieste, and on the inscriptions left there over the centuries by sailors, travellers and pilgrims. The film was produced in collaboration with the Universities of Bari and Foggia and received awards at Italian and international festivals. This documentary is available in full on my YouTube channel (italian language, english subtitles).

Underground archaeology and ancient engineering

In "Albanus Project: Inside the old Emissary", I followed an exploration campaign inside the ancient drainage tunnel of Lake Albano, in the Alban Hills near Rome. The documentary records the work of the Hypogea Federation's cave explorers inside an ancient hydraulic tunnel almost one and a half kilometres long. The film won Best Feature Documentary at the New York Movie Awards, a Silver Award at the Hollywood Gold Awards and Best Foreign Director at the Roshani International Film Festival. This documentary is available in full on my YouTube channel (italian language, english subtitles).

Ostia Antica and Portus

In "Here we start painting with stone", I documented the restoration of a Roman floor mosaic discovered in a Late Antique bath complex at Portus. The film was produced with the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica and A.S.S.O. ETS. It received Best Archaeological Documentary at the Pompei Street Festival and Best Foreign Documentary at the Reels International Short Film Festival. This documentary is available in full on my YouTube channel (italian language, english subtitles).

Underwater and cave exploration

Several of my documentaries deal with submerged and underground environments. These include:

• Su Gologone: Where the Earth Splits Open
• Albania: The Submerged History
• Ustica Above and Below the Sea
• From Shipwrecks to Caves
• Panta Rhei… Everything Flows
• The Broken Line
• At the Bottom of the Mill

In these films, I documented archaeological campaigns, technical diving and cave-diving expeditions, with attention to preparation, working conditions and the teams involved.

Television and public engagement

I have worked as an author and consultant on archaeological and speleological subjects for reports and television programmes produced by RAI, Mediaset, Disney Channel, TV2000 and other broadcasters. I have also taken part in conferences, talks and masterclasses on documentary filmmaking and directing at festivals, schools, associations and cultural centres. I have served on juries at international film festivals.

CARAVAGGIO400 and the Hypogea Federation

In 2009, I founded CARAVAGGIO400, a cultural project dedicated to Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and created to mark the fourth centenary of his death.

Since 2010, I have been Media Manager and Head of Communications of the Hypogea Federation, which works on the study and documentation of artificial underground structures.

Artificial intelligence and audiovisual production

Since 2023, I have been studying the use of generative artificial intelligence in audiovisual production, particularly in historical reconstruction sequences. In 2025, I joined a working group established by 100Autori to examine the use of artificial intelligence in documentary writing and production.

MEMBER OF:  SIAE  | DOC/IT  |  100AUTORI  |  WGI  |  CINEMAITALIANO.INFO

AWARDS:

2025, 2026 with the documentary: "Campo della Fiera and the Well of Time": 

• Audience Award and Special Mention from the Jury at FIRENZE ARCHEOFILM 
• Audience Award at the 2025 edition of the Cavriana (MN) International Archaeological Film Festival
• Best Documentary Award (outstanding achievement) at the 6th RIFF – Roshani International Film Festival (India) 
• Best Documentary at the 6th Nawada International Film Festival (India) 
• Best Documentary at the "Saath Jiyo" International Film Festival (India) 
• Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the Ogeechee International Historical Film Festival (Georgia, USA)

2024, with the documentary "Men and Gods, the Sea and the Sacred":

• Best Documentary Award at the Jharkhand International Film Festival (India)
• Audience Award at the Cremona and Cavriana International Archaeological Film Festival (Italy)
• Best Documentary at the Ponza Film Festival

2023, for the documentary "Here We Start Painting with Stone":

• Best Foreign Documentary at the Reels International Shot Film Festival (India)
• Best Archaeological Documentary at the Pompeii Street Festival 2023

2019–2021, for the documentary "Project Albanus: Inside the Ancient Emissary":

• Best Feature-Length Documentary at the New York Movie Awards
• Silver Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary at the 2021 Hollywood Gold Awards
• Best Foreign Director at the 2021 Roshani International Film Festival (India)

2013: "Speleonotte" Award for the documentary "Su Gologone: Where the Earth Splits"

2009: "Capitello D'Oro" Audience Award for the documentary "Santa Severa: Between Legend and Historical Reality"

2007: "RAW Around Water" Award for the documentary "From Shipwrecks to Caves"

2006: "Kiwanis Award" for the documentary "Panta rei: Everything Flows"