Born in Pieve Santo Stefano (Arezzo) in 1943. Professor of Economic History at the University of Pisa. From 1988 to 1991 he was President of the degree course in Economics and Dean of the Faculty from 1996 to 2000. He has been chairman of the Piaggio Foundation since March 1998, and member of the Committee of Policy of the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca’s Foundation for the 2001-2005 four-year period.
He is a member of the scientific committee of several reviews and scientific institutions and author of about 200 publications. He has studied the problems related to the economic development in modern and contemporary times, publishing many works on business history, on shipbuilding history and on Europe and Italy’s economy from the latter post-war period to the present days.