Born in Cefalu’, Italy, on August 6, l940. Education in Chinese and Japanese studies at the Istituto Universitario Orientale (IUO), Naples, where he received a degree in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, November 30, l964. Then, he specializes in Chinese Buddhist studies at Kyoto University, Research Institute for Humanistic Studies (Jinbun Kagaku Kenkyusho), l966 (April to October), October l968 to September l969.

From November l98l to present he is Professor of East Asian Religions and Philosophies, at the Istituto Universitario Orientale (IUO), Naples, now called Universita' degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale" (UNO). From September to November l972 he articipated to the IsMEO archeological mission, Ghazni, Afghanistan.

From November l976 to October l985 he worked in Kyoto as a Member of the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient.

From May l987 to August 1997 and again from September 1998 to August 2000 he was Director of the Italian School of East Asian Studies, Kyoto. From 1985 to present he is a member of the editorial board of Cahiers d'Extreme-Asie.

His main field is the history of China from the 1st to the 10th century which is inquired through the study of the foreign religions (Buddhism, Manicheism, Cristianity, etc.) and their influence on Chinese civilization, the history of ideas, scientific progress, technological innovations and political history. The relations of China with foreign countries in this period concern particularly the Iranian and Indian worlds on one side, and Korea and Japan on the other. Besides availing himself of the strictly philolological analysis, he bases his reasearchs on archeological and epigraphical materials.

Cf. http://www.eurasianhistory.com/data/articles/f02/1145.html