Francesco’s archaeology event T-shirts

I’m an archaeologist, lecturer and heritage scholar and I’ve been working at the University of Birmingham for almost two years now. I really like to spend time with students and enjoy doing interesting projects with them.

I just finalised my collaborative research internship with a history student who was recreating Winterborne in Minecraft. With another student, we are finalising a guidebook of the Churchill Forge in Warwickshire. I run a module with various placement opportunities in heritage, hoping that one of them will find an interested student.

My favourite module that I taught was called ‘Heritage Interpretation’. It is about how heritage institutions like museums communicate and engage with people. My goal was to prove to students that we can actively communicate with the past. Especially in England, where you can dig alongside archaeologists - in Italy you cannot.

‘Scava con Archeokids’ and article titles from Francesco’s blog

In the 2010’s my colleagues and I opened a blog called Archeokids for the National Archeological Museum in Ancona, Italy.

The blog advertised archeological events for children and there was nothing like that in Italy before. We narrated stories about objects from the past because we believed that museums and archaeological areas had to be more accessible for children. We didn't do that for money. We did it just because we liked it.

It's still there, still going on, but we rarely post now because each one of us got another job. But we don’t want to close it. In 2022 we got an offer from a big Italian publisher to publish a book based on our blog. There are very nice illustrations, and it has been translated into different languages. For us it was a big final result of many years of blogging.

A Map of Places Francesco has Called Home

Montemarciano is the village in central Italy where I grew up. It is located between different historical sites, Rocca Roveresca of Senigallia and Rotonda a Mare of Senigallia.

The village itself is not the best asset in the area. But you can see the sea from my parents' house. I love the sea, and have always spent my summers there since I was little. One of the best memories from home for me is how, in my teenage years, everyone had a motorbike, and we drove to the sea. But there wasn't much else to do. This is probably why I moved to a bigger city, Sienna, when I turned eighteen. I like bigger cities like Birmingham more as there are more places to go to.

Francesco’s Football Boots and Villa Scarf

When I was very little, I was just given a football and started playing. I can’t remember a specific moment how I learnt to play, but my brother and I played in our home courtyard a lot. I kept playing during university in Sienna. We had some games among students, but it wasn’t a team.

Now, I play in Birmingham from time to time, through an app that connects people to play together. There’s a nice pitch in Harbourne, and depending on how many people show up, we play in teams. The good thing for me is that there are people more or less my age.

This year I would like to explore playing with some other local league teams. People in Brum are very friendly, although they speak with a challenging accent. I also, of course, like to watch football. I went a couple of times to watch Aston Villa.

Francesco’s Tripod and his Photo’s from Archaeological Sites

My family has always been interested in cultural tourism. I think that is where I got my love of history from.

Before visiting Birmingham, they had very low expectations about the city. In Italy, it doesn’t have a good reputation as it is mainly associated with the Industrial Revolution.

But when they were here, they really liked this contrast between modern buildings and buildings from the 19th century, the industrial past of the city and Victorian architecture. We don’t have this contrast in Italy.

I can’t highlight one particular building in Birmingham, but I do have a favourite view. It is the view from outside the Canalside bar, looking towards the canal. You can see the Gas Basin, Regency Wharf, and the skyscraper beside them, which reflects the sunlight on bright days. This view summarises Birmingham for me.

Francesco’s Backpack and Trekking Poles

In Italy, I used to go hiking in the Alps and other mountains a couple of times per year. I have gone with my family since I was eleven or twelve.

I really enjoy it because I like to stay in nature, walk around with beautiful views, and breathe clean, fresh air. It gives me a sense of freedom and escapism. I see it as an opportunity to break free from the routine of daily life. And, because it’s quite hot in the summer in my region, it’s fantastic to spend a week at high altitude.

When I can’t go hiking, I feel sad and a bit frustrated because I know it's my poor planning. But in the UK, I have been to the Peak District and the Shropshire Hills. I still want to go to Snowdonia in Wales but haven't had the chance so far. It’s unfortunate that there’re no mountains close to Birmingham!

Pizza boxes and board games

I think university systems in Italy and here are very different. There are some aspects I like here in the UK. And there are some that I like more in Italy.

In Italy, it was very much about lectures from the front. Rarely did we have any interactive seminar sessions. I like it here that there is more professor-student interaction in the seminars.

I got the habit of studying things very much in depth, because that is what is expected in Italy. Almost all of my exams were oral and I am quite a shy person; honestly, at the beginning it was not easy to confront a professor in the exam.

As a student, my favourite way to study was to get together with two or three friends and spend the afternoon quizzing each other. I remember endless afternoons spent going through the syllabus and, sometimes ending the day with a pizza.

Pan, wooden spoon and Francesco’s favorite pasta

When I move to another place, I try to embed myself in the local culture, except where food is concerned! In my family, my grandmother's cooking is undoubtedly the best. She has a wide range of recipes; gnocchi, lasagne and ravioli. She puts a lot of love into her cooking. and she couldn't conceive of the idea that I needed to cook for myself at university.

In Italy, students usually receive "il pacco da giù" - boxes full of food from home. It literally means "the box from below", which symbolises the generosity and care of families from southern Italy. I didn’t receive those. Instead, my mother taught me how to cook.

Now I definitely prefer dining at home. I feel very lucky because my wife really likes to cook and prepares bread, pizza, and focaccia for me. Fortunately, I can usually find my favourite Italian pasta brands in the supermarkets in Birmingham.

A Representation of Francesco’s Favourite Music Artists

My Mother was in love with the piano and I played it for many years when I was a child. I’m not very proud of it and I wanted to pick up a guitar. I always liked music bands, and I started listening to metal and rock music long after that.

The first concert I ever went to was 883; a legendary Italian group from the 90s. I went to an Oasis concert in 2006, The Jam, and many others. I listen to Måneskin, they are the most widely known Italian group ever, I think. But honestly, I like their Italian songs more than the English ones…they’re less ‘mainstream’.

What I haven’t yet explored in Birmingham is its metal music scene. I like the energy, although I prefer metal ballads to heavier metal. Among the active bands that I would like to see live are Metallica, The Prodigy, and Linkin Park, with their new singer. They are my wife's favourite band. The first gift I ever gave her was tickets to their concert in Rome in 2015.

Excavation trowel from Cyprus and Shamrock Rovers scarf from Dublin

I met my wife for the first time in Pisa - she is an archaeologist too. We met at a conference, where we had to create a video for a European Project. Working together gave me the perfect excuse to stay in touch with her.

When I finished my PhD in Italy, I moved to Cyprus to do excavations. There was some free space in the group, and so I told her, ‘Look, they’re looking for other people here in Cyprus’ so she joined.

The environment wasn’t as good there, so she decided to do a PhD in Dublin. I tried to apply there too and got accepted at Trinity, in the same city. I was very lucky it worked out well, so we could move together. And after I finished my PhD in Dublin, I got a position here at the UOB. We live in Birmingham together and she’s finishing her PhD remotely.