In addition to the research fields relating to my academic studies, I have devoted much attention to the geography and nature, and also to the history and folk-lore of the mountains of my native region, i.e. the Apuan Alps and the Northern Apennine. The results of this activity are represented by several writings and by a rich photographic archive.
In particular, F. Bradley and I have written a guide to the territory of the Regional Park of the Apuan Alps ( Alpi Apuane. Guida al territorio del Parco,1992). We have also studied the history of the excavation and transport of marble in the Apuan region, describing the so called "vie di lizza" of the central part of the chain (Le strade dimenticate, 1989). Moreover, I reconstructed the difficult industrial development of the valley of the river Frigido in the book Le cave di Massa, 1997.
Photo Gallery 1: pictures from "Le cave di Massa"
I have devoted specific studies to the environment and flora of the Alpi Apuane (I fiori delle Apuane,1994, with Maria Ansaldi and Sara Plastino) and of the Orecchiella Park in the valley of the river Serchio (Orecchiella. Un Parco nell'Appennino, 1999, with Maria Ansaldi). A selection of pictures of mine illustrating the main endemic species of the Apuan Alps may be found in the web site of the Italian National Association of Natural Sciences Teachers (A.N.I.S.N,)
Several exhibitions of my photographic work have taken place in Massa, Carrara, La Spezia, Livorno, Licciana Nardi and elsewhere: I mention in particular two of them: "La lizzatura del marmo" (Resceto 1988, Massa 1989) and "Notturni apuani" (Massa and Carrara 1991, Licciana Nardi and Livorno 1992). A selection of pictures from the latter has been published in the book Aspettando l'alba: notturni apuani,1998 (with N. Ardara, S. Farusi, L. Pandolfi).
Since 1991 I am President of the Associazione Culturale "Il Linchetto", a society promoting scientific resarch and enviroment protection in the territory of the Apuan Alps.
The last word is for music, my third great passion. I play guitar (Gibson, of course: do you know anything more beautiful than an ES 175?) and double-bass in a jazz sextet (with Paola Polidori, vocalist; Paolo Dionisi Vici, alto and barytone sax; Roberto Pinori, trombone; Fabrizio Palla, piano; Giovanni Giannarelli, drums). We like to play great jazz standards that we revisit in a hard bop instrumental atmosphere, with a strong inclination to latin rhythms. As a guitarist, I love Bossa Nova most of all,
and MPB in general, of which I have gathered a conspicuous repertory of original lyrics.
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