Since 2006 I have been teaching at the University of Siena in the Department of History and Cultural Heritage.
From 2010 as Principal Investigator or Participant/Partner Investigator, I have led multidisciplinary projects funded by the European Research Council (www.neu-med.it) and the Australian Research Council (https://premodernhealthscaping.hcommons.org ), by the Italian Ministry-Prin project (www.castles.unisi.it) as well as local institution in the Italian territories where I have conducted research. In Tuscany, I have also played an important role in public engagement with the scientific direction of the setting up of three museums and two archaeological sites where I carried out my research.
Over the last fifteen years my main areas of research include the evolution of rural settlements and communities between the early and late Middle Ages, the exploitation and management of natural resources during that period, with particular reference to mining and ore extraction processes, the analysis of the different construction techniques in Italy and the Mediterranean, and Medieval economic and social history. The focus of my research was on Tuscany where I led multidisciplinary research in an early medieval royal court, in seven medieval castles (two mining castles) and their territory, in two medieval monasteries. As well as Tuscany, my research areas have included the Balkans (Albania) and the Middle East (Palestine).
In Tuscany, I have also played an important role in public engagement with the scientific direction of the setting up of three museums and two archaeological sites where I carried out my research.
I have tutored over 80 dissertations and 12 PhD theses. I have also tutored 10 postdoctoral researchers in the European Project (ERC Advanced Grant).
I have consistently published my research with major university presses and peer-reviewed journals in the field of medieval archaeology, (co)writing more than 190 papers.