Born in Palermo in 1948, is a professor for Tree Crop Management at Palermo University. He deals with trees, production systems and traditional farming landscapes in the Mediterranean. He has done research on capers, lemons, almonds and prickly pears. He is also interested in archology, and studies the agricultural landscapes of Pantelleria, the Conca d'Oro, Etna and Valle dei Templi, for years he has been working on the oriental gardens of Sicily. His books include Tuttifrutti (Mondadori, 2007; Aboca, 2018), which won the Grinzane Cavour Prize. In the Valle dei Templi he opened the Museo Vivente del Mandorlo and for the FAI he worked on the reconstruction of the Kolymbetra garden. His latest works are: Antropocene, agricoltura e paesaggio (Aboca, 2019); Il giardino del Mediterraneo (Il Saggiatore, 2021); e Agrumi. Una storia del mondo (Il Saggiatore, 2023).