Hello, I am Francesco, an Italian archaeologist with a hybrid research profile. This website tells my story as archaeologist and my opinions on archaeology. On this page, you find a summary of both.
In 2005 I enrolled at the University of Siena with the purpose of becoming a specialist in Roman or Greek archaeology. This was a very reasonable scope: since I was a child, I spent days and days reading historical atlases, planning archaeological travel routes in Italy and Greece and getting “A” grades in history. At the gymnasium, I learnt Latin and Ancient Greek, dreaming of being one of those gentlemen spending a year of their life in the Grand Tour: undoubtedly, I was born in the wrong century. Consequently, my Bachelor’s thesis about the Hellenistic city of Zeugma was perfectly logic.
Fieldwork and museum experiences dramatically changed my approach to archaeology. I realized that my passion for the past would make sense only if shared with others. As a result, in the following years, I dedicated my research activity to exploring different ways of communicating archaeology. My Master’s and Specializzazione’s theses tried out my storytelling skills with short videos and stories.
Approaching my thirties, I felt it was time for a step further: all the activities, encounters, and dialogues experienced over the years have shown me that archaeology is socially and economically meaningful for contemporary society only when laypeople are involved in all the phases of an archaeological venture. My PhD research in Public Archaeology investigated public participation in three Italian excavation-based projects (Vignale, Poggio del Molino and Massaciuccoli Romana). In “Unforgettable Encounters“, published in 2022 by Archaeopress, I propose an operational workflow, aiming to serve as a benchmark for archaeologists delivering collaborative programs in excavation-based projects.
Currently, I am a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at Trinity College Dublin. Through the LOGGIA project, I am doing research on archaeology and wellbeing. This is a new chapter, and more news will follow.